My experience with AskShakespeare

Like we tried out in class, I posed my own question to the experts over at AskShakeapeare, and these are my results. Here are some of the people who responded:

Almasi Zsolt – @zsalmasi – reader at Péter Pázmány Catholic University, Hungary, interested in Tudor literature, and histories

Actors Shakespeare Company – @ActorsShakes – artistic director, Colette Rice of the theatre in residence at New Jersey City University

Shakespeare’s School – @ShakespearesSch – for all things related to Shakespeare’s School days

It was fun being able to chat with people I knew were knowledgeable about Shakespeare, and got some interesting responses and some great links, so check them out!

My Question:

JoannaLance: I know Shakespeare used a lot of English History in his plays. Did he also use elements of his personal life? #askshakespeare

My Answers:

BarbotRobot: @JoannaLance #askshakespeare His son, who died very young, was named Hamnet

zsalmasi: @JoannaLance Surely, but it is rather difficult to tell with precision. I reckon references to the theater are the ones. #askshakespeare

ActorsShakes: @JoannaLance #AskShakespeare That is a huge and loaded question. We just don't know. We can conjecture, but we are only guessing.

• JoannaLance: @ActorsShakes What do we know? Any specific facts, like characters he may have based on someone he knew? #askshakespeare

•  ActorsShakes: @JoannaLance #AskShakespeare we can't say 'fact.' William Page is a school boy studying Latin in Merry Wives - much like WS must have done.

• JoannaLance: @ActorsShakes So we can probably assume that the kind of school he had was reflected in his character William Page? #askshakespeare

•  ActorsShakes: @JoannaLance #AskShakespeare From the scene with William & Hugh Evans (Schoolmaster) it seems this was part of a typical boy's education.

• ActorsShakes: @JoannaLance #AskShakespeare There are the stories that John Falstaff was originally John Oldcastle, named for a historical figure.

• ActorsShakes: @JoannaLance #AskShakespeare WS had twins, one of whom died as a child - Viola and Sebastian are twins who each think the other dead.

ShakespearesSch: #AskShakespeare @JoannaLance . . & some believe 'Seven ages of Man' speech inspired by these buildings http://bit.ly/bu_guild (expand)

• JoannaLance: @ShakespearesSch That's really interesting! Thanks for the info #askshakespeare

• ShakespearesSch: #AskShakespeare @JoannaLance @ActorsShakes Sir Huw Evans/my successor Sir Thomas Jenkins http://bit.ly/flickr_PD01 (expand)

• ShakespearesSch: #AskShakespeare @JoannaLance . . . & local inspiration for "Tempest" http://bit.ly/SBT_FS127 (expand) 

• ShakespearesSch: #AskShakespeare @JoannaLance from his schooldays http://bit.ly/flickr_PD01 (expand) 

• ShakespearesSch @JoannaLance @ActorsShakes detailed & scholarly comment from Prof David Crystal http://bit.ly/DC_pwl (pdf file)

• ActorsShakes @ShakespearesSch @JoannaLance #AskShakespeare That's great. It said everything I researched when I directed MWives but can't fit in a Tweet.

• Joanna Lance: @ActorsShakes @ShakespearesSch Thanks to you both! I got some great stuff out of this :) #askshakespeare

I also enjoyed other questions and answers:

todayilike: #askshakespeare my Mum asks Shakespeare, What do you do in your spare time?

ActorsShakes: @todayilike #AskShakespeare - Spare time? I write plays, copy parts, rehearse, learn parts, fights, dances, perform, ride to Stratford...

zsalmasi: @todayilike I like to imagine that Sh did much reading in his spare time, and falconry, perhaps. #askshakespeare

ActorsShakes: @todayilike #AskShakespeare Truly he would have had little spare time. The played 6 days a week, almost always a different play.



There's still time to ask your question! Head on over to twitter or follow the instructions here!