If thou neglect'st or dost unwillingly
What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps,
Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar
That beasts shall tremble at thy din.
(The Tempest Act 1, scene ii)
This is the second post in a series that will explore some of the objects and themes in ‘Shakespeare’s Stories’, an exhibition by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Jan Blake, storyteller and curator of the ‘Shakespeare’s Stories’ exhibition, is in the Shakespeare Centre, which is the venue that focuses on The Tempest. Jan looks at a number of instruments of power and restraint that she selected for display from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s collections, and considers how they relate to the themes of this exhibition.
This exhibition is part of the World Shakespeare Festival which is produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company for London 2012 Festival and it explores the themes of home, identity and journey in the plays Twelfth Night, The Tempest and The Comedy of Errors.
If you would like to visit ‘Shakespeare’s Stories’ you can do so in the Stratford Room of the Shakespeare Centre (through the Birthplace cafe on Henley Street), in the exhibition room in Hall’s Croft and in the Swan Bar of the Royal Shakespeare Company.