Jus’ sayin”
Shakespeare was born in April 1564, a few months before an outbreak of the BUBONIC PLAGUE which swept across England and KILLED A QUARTER of the people in his hometown…. Stratford on Avon.
EPIDEMIC disease was a part of Shakespeare's life.
DEATH by plague was EXCRUCIATING and horrible to witness. ...
The plague swept through London in 1563, 1578-9, 1582, 1592-3, and 1603.
The chances of surviving the Pandemic increased with each outbreak.
Will our ‘PLAGUE’ …with all it’s mutations and variations , come and go like this?
An outbreak in 1592-93 closed London's theatres …sound familiar?
This would have been financially crippling to Shakespeare, who was only 28 years-old at the time.
During and after the worst outbreaks of this Pandemic , Shakespeare wrote some of his greatest works: “King Lear,” “Macbeth,” “Antony and Cleopatra,” “Coriolanus” and “Timon of Athens."
“These plays bear the mark of living through such a terrible experience,” wrote Shakespeare.
Lear originally had a ‘happy’ ending…but it is said, Shakespeare changed this as he felt he could not produce ‘happy endings’ in a time of such suffering.
The fact that Shakespeare produced works of top genius…whilst living with the
constant threat of death…is inspirational…is it not?