"The infirmity of his age": Shakespeare's 400th anniversary.

Abstract

In 1819 an article in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine asserted that William Shakespeare's four greatest plays were Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and King Lear. A century later, the influential critic A C Bradley reinforced this opinion by devoting his published lectures Shakespearean Tragedy (1904) to these plays, calling them “the big four”. As we celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, they have retained their pre-eminence. Although the comedies and history plays are popular, it is the great tragedies that are most admired. Two major new productions of both King Lear and Hamlet have just opened in the UK; more are on the way. For every outing of Antony and Cleopatra or Coriolanus, there are a dozen of Othello and Macbeth. What has made these plays seem the apex of Shakespeare's achievement? Shakespeare: the bard at the bedsideIn his preface to the inaugural issue of The Lancet, editor Thomas Wakley promised not only to report medical intelligence, but also literature. Accordingly, that first issue included a review of Much Ado about Nothing. Writing in 1823 to a medical audience, there was no need to mention the playwright's name: William Shakespeare, the 400th anniversary of whose death is marked today. Since then, Shakespeare has appeared in 1200 Lancet publications, including the theatre review of Hamlet by Niall Boyce in today's issue. Full-Text PDF