OBJECTS OF CONCERN

A lecture by Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum

Much has been written about Shakespeare, but we know very little factual information about the playwright himself. We have the plays, of course, but how can we get a better understanding of Shakespeare's experiences and his mindset? Speaking as part of Warwick's Distinguished Lecture Series, Neil MacGregor argues that historical objects are a vivid window onto the past.

How can we better know and understand the world in which Shakespeare lived? The key, says Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum and honorary graduate of the University of Warwick, lies in historical objects. Objects from the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I can illuminate the everyday beliefs, hopes and fears of London life in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Biographically-speaking, scholars can be frustrated by the lack of information on the playwright himself. “The circumstances of Shakespeare himself are as we know very vague ... we know pretty little about the objects he owned, what he did, where he travelled, what he thought, what he read,” says MacGregor. We have a much better chance of reconstructing the past through the everyday and precious goods that have survived until the present day.

MacGregor asks “What was in the minds of the people in London when they went to see those plays for the first time? What was the mental scenery they carried with them? The background in which they heard those words? What did the world look like to somebody in London in the 1590s?"

In this talk, MacGregor presents a series of objects, such as the Pedlar's Trunk (pictured above), and uses them as a stepping stone to bring Shakespearean history to life. You can watch a video of the whole lecture at the top of the page.

Neil MacGregor has been Director of the British Museum since August 2002. He is Chair of the World Collections Programme – a DCMS-funded initiative to establish partnerships between six major cultural institutions in the UK and institutions in Asia and Africa.

MacGregor sits on the Board of the National Theatre and the International Advisory Board of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. In his current and his previous role as Director of the National Gallery, MacGregor worked closely with BBC radio and television to bring the collections to the widest possible public.

In 2009 he received an honorary DLitt from the University of Warwick.

By Penelope Jenkins