A Shakespeare Connected exhibition in collaboration with Miranda Jones, University of Birmingham.
In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the ways in which the natural world has been represented in literature. As global efforts to combat carbon dioxide emissions, air and water pollution, and various other environmental concerns are consistently appearing in headlines, it seems more essential than ever that we explore our own perceptions of the world around us, and how it has been represented in a variety of mediums. One way in which this aim is being achieved in Shakespearean scholarship is through studies into Shakespeare’s influential portrayals of the natural world. But how about the ways in which artists have represented Shakespearean nature? In this brief transhistorical overview, the contexts of Shakespeare’s portrayals of the natural world are considered alongside later visual depictions. From the stormy seas of The Tempest to the pastoral tranquillity of As You Like It, this on-line exhibition offers a broad overview of perceptions of the natural world in Shakespeare’s England, and of the changing artistic approaches to the representation of Shakespeare and nature.
With thanks to the Museums and Universities Partnership Initiative (an Arts Council funded project).
