Darren Freebury-Jones: Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers
Darren Freebury-Jones is one of the world’s leading Shakespeare scholars. He made headlines earlier this year by revealing that in 1598 Shakespeare acted in Ben Jonson’s play ‘ Every Man in His Humour’, recycling and adapting some of the lines from that play in his own later work. Freebury-Jones specialises in Shakespearean linguistic analysis, but has published on other playwrights – Robert Greene and Thomas Kyd, amongst others.
Shakespeare was described by one rival who called him an ‘upstart crow, beautified with our feathers’. Now, over 400 years after his death, Shakespeare continues to ruffle feathers and delight audiences and readers.
In conversation with Jessica Chiba, Assistant Professor at the Shakespeare Institute, Darren will explore why Shakespeare still speaks to us today, the ways in which this actor-dramatist gives voice to so many different characters, and how he raises questions we’re still seeking to answer.
