Annual Medieval and Early Modern lecture

Speaker:  Prof. Helen Cooper (University of Cambridge)

Shakespeare's Medieval Reading

Medieval and Early Modern Annual Lecture (hosted with CREMS)

Abstract: Around half of Shakespeare's plays have sources that go back to the Middle Ages, some of which he knew at first hand (such as Chaucer and Gower), others by more circuitous routes (such as the stories of Hamlet and Lear). Tracing these origins not only gives a fuller idea of his inspiration than  the more familiar study of Classical and contemporary sources, but offers strong circumstantial evidence for the early development of his imagination as far back as his childhood.

Helen Cooper is Professor Emeritus of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge.