Shakespearean Communities

Description of Activity

To mark the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the Centre for Studies in Literature and the Centre for European and International Studies Research at the University of Portsmouth held a conference on ‘Shakespearean Communities’ celebrating Shakespeare’s life, work and influence. A wealth of scholarship has explored Shakespeare and his contemporary world, where communities were being contested and redefined. The persecution of religious minorities, the discovery of the new world, the rise of mercantile class and the spread of the printed text, tested and redrew ideas of community and fellowship. Subsequently, too, Shakespeare’s work has provoked and created new communities of audience and performers in a variety of formats, from the stage to the text to the screen. Indeed, Shakespeare continues to provide different ways in which academics and theatre practitioners can work with communities. The conference organisers, from the English Literature and History Departments at Portsmouth,brought together scholars working on various aspects of Shakespeare’s - or Shakespearean - communities, to reassess the ways in which community helps us to think about/reassess the legacy of his work. Keynote addresses were delivered by Professor John Drakakis, Professor Russell Jackson and Dr Felicity Heal.S

Period	14 Apr 2016 → 16 Apr 2016
Event type	Conference
Location	University of Portsmouth, United KingdomShow on map