Shakespeare’s trash a literary treasure
As reported by the CBC, William Shakespeare is making a posthumous contribution to his poetry collection. Thirty years after its discovery, To the Queen by the Players, an 18-line poem, will be published for the first time.
Scholars believe the Bard may have delivered the poem himself in a performance for Queen Elizabeth I in 1599.
“When plays were put on at court, it was a requirement that there should be a prologue and an epilogue tailor-made for the occasion,” Jonathan Bate, co-editor of the new edition [of the Complete Works of Shakespeare published by Macmillan], told the Daily Express newspaper.
“Shakespeare was probably in the habit of dashing some lines down on the back of an envelope and then chucking them away.”
The publication of the poem is a fitting present to all Shakespeare fans, fresh from their celebration of his birthday on April 23.
For a wonderful bit of Bard Birthday fun, check out Thomas Wharton’s blog (April 23rd entry): http://logogryph.blogspot.com