THE TEMPEST AND THE THAMES
31 MARCH – 24 SEPTEMBER 2023
On Friday 31 March, a First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays, in two volumes, will go on display at the National Maritime Museum, as part of a national celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Folio’s publication.
Shakespeare’s First Folio was published in 1623, seven years after his death. 235 copies are known to survive, with 50 remaining in the UK.
The Dulwich College Folio, which includes Shakespeare’s Comedies and Histories (but lack the Tragedies), is believed to have been acquired by the College in 1686 from the estate of the actor and bookseller William Cartwright. Cartwright performed with the King’s Company and is known to have played Brabantio in Othello and Falstaff in Henry IV Part I and Part II. He was much admired by Samuel Pepys.
The two volumes contain evidence of possible use in theatrical performances. Handwritten notes, ink and water stains and burn holes suggest these volumes were well-used before they were acquired by Dulwich College.
The display at the National Maritime Museum reflects on London’s changing relationship to the water during Shakespeare’s lifetime, when maritime expansion created juxtaposing views of the sea as a place of opportunity, but one that was also a hostile and unpredictable.
Throughout his plays, Shakespeare invokes maritime imagery, from sea battles and shipwrecks to sunken treasure and magical islands. It has caused scholars to question whether Shakespeare travelled overseas himself. More likely, the proximity of London’s docks and volume of passing sailors influenced Shakespeare’s writings.
Displayed alongside the two volumes will be a copy of The Telltale, a manuscript play written sometime after 1605, and a petition from Thames watermen to reopen the Rose Theatre in 1590 following an outbreak of plague.
Lucy Dale, Curator of Maritime History at the National Maritime Museum said, “This is a unique opportunity to view Shakespeare’s works in a new context. Shakespeare arrived in London at the height of England’s ‘oceanic turn’ and his works are infused with maritime themes, poetry and a distinct early modern ambivalence towards all that the oceans represent.”
Dr Joe Spence, Master of Dulwich College commented, “On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio Dulwich College is delighted to partner with Royal Museums Greenwich to display its copy of this rare text and other contemporary treasures from its archive. Edward Alleyn, who founded Dulwich College in 1619, was the theatrical impresario of his day. His diary records journeys from Dulwich to Greenwich in his role as Master of the King’s Bulls, Bears and Mastiffs, so we are delighted to be keeping a South London connection alive four centuries later. Alleyn’s legacy was educational, and we are certain that sharing the Folio with as wide an audience as possible in 2023 fosters his spirit in this year of national celebration.”
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell
Ariel’s Song, The Tempest
FOLIO 400 EVENTS
The Tempest and the Thames
A First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays, in two volumes, on loan from Dulwich College, will be displayed in Maritime London. The display marks the 400th anniversary of the First Folio’s publication and draws out the links between the nautical in Shakespeare’s works and the city in which he wrote them.
Date: 31 March – 24 September 2023
Time: 10.00 – 17.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: The National Maritime Museum, Maritime London Gallery
Website: www.rmg.co.uk/folio-400
Admission: Free
Folio 400 Celebration
On Shakespeare’s birthday, special tours of the Tudor and Stuart Seafarers Gallery and the Queen’s House will be held alongside the display in the Maritime London gallery.
Date: 23 April 2023
Time: 10.00 – 17.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: The National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House
Admission: Free
