Marking the quadricentennial anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, this gathering celebrates the many connections found with the historic county of Kent in his works.
Connections to Kent are abundant in Shakespeare’s works. the Earl of Kent, banished yet still loyal to his King, is one of the most important characters in King Lear; Jack Cade, Kent-born and raised, launches his rebellion from the county in 2 Henry VI, where the commons are ‘up in arms’; a wealthy franklin from the area between the North and South Downs, prone to be the victim of highwaymen, is discussed 1 Henry IV; the Bastard character in King John reports that all of Kent but Dover Castle has surrendered to the invading French. Moreover, Shakespeare’s plays were performed on tour in Kent during his lifetime, while the first ever buyer of his Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies was a Kentish man, Edward Dering, who purchased two copies on 5 December 1623.
But Kent also has a wealth of wider connections to early modern drama. Canterbury is the hometown of John Lyly, Shakespeare’s predecessor as a leading dramatist in London, and Stephen Gosson, who first acted in stage plays before gaining notoriety as an anti-theatricalist. However, perhaps the most important connection to Kent is with the shadowy figure of Christopher Marlowe, who was born in Canterbury and a student of The King’s School within the city walls.
Topics for discussion include: locality and regionality; the cultural and literary resonance of Kent as location; authorship and attribution; the works of Marlowe, Lyly and Gosson; new directions for future research.
Speakers include:
Terri Bourus, Gabriel Egan, James Gibson, Brett Greatley-Hirsch, Andy Kesson, Una McIlvenna, Lucy Munro, Michael Neill and Leah Scragg, and there will be a plenary lecture by Gary Taylor on the Wednesday evening.
For more information, please contact Rory Loughnane and Catherine Richardson.