That Shakespeare Life

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Elaborate Masque Costumes in Shakespeare's England

July 06, 2026

Elaborate theatrical performances in Shakespeare's lifetime presented before the reigning monarch were known as court masques.  These intricate and complex stories were presented in grand fashion, sparing no expense on costumes, props, and special effects. The most famous masque has to be that of Robert Dudley who hired actual performers from the Comedia del Arte in Italy to perform amazing feats of light, sound, and performance in an effort to propose marriage to the Queen of England.  While...

17th Century English Spangles Found at Jamestown, Virginia

June 29, 2026

In Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck has a line that says "And now they never meet in grove or green, By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen..." In Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio uses this term again saying, "What stars do spangle heaven with such beauty..." In a similar description again from Midsummer, Lysander says "Fair Helena, who more engilds the night Than all you fiery oes and eyes of light." If you're not familiar with Engilding the night, that's a word tha...

Dark Renaissance and The Death of Christopher Marlowe

June 22, 2026

Christopher Marlowe is one of the most fascinating—and mysterious—figures of Shakespeare's lifetime. A university-educated playwright at a time when that alone set him apart, Marlowe rose quickly through London's theater world, dazzling audiences with bold language, ambitious characters, and stories that pushed the boundaries of what the stage could do.  But Marlowe's life wasn't confined to poetry and playhouses. Evidence suggests he was also moving in far more dangerous circles—working as a...