I might have mentioned, I’m writing a book on Shakespeare and his plays and how they influence today’s world.
Weirdly enough, it’s called Shakespeare: Investigate the Bard’s Influence on Today’s World.
This is the third (published) book I’ve written, and it’s my favorite. My research process is reading great books and watching great movies, so despite being haunted by a perpetual feeling of inadequacy (it is Shakespeare, after all) I’m having a great time.
And much of the world is interested in Shakespeare right now, because he died just about 400 years ago and that is a good enough reason for a party.
One way archeologists like to party is by scanning Shakespeare’s grave with radar imaging. It’s how they’re getting around the curse:
“Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.”
These words, chiseled into Shakespeare’s gravestone, order the the world to leave him be. And the world, well, most of it, has complied.
Except…
Kevin Colls and his team of scientists from the Center of Archeology at Staffordshire University discovered that Shakespeare’s grave has been disturbed since he was buried there, and that Shakespeare’s skull is missing.
I know! I’m excited too! I wrote a blog post for Nomad Press about what they discovered (or, rather, didn’t discover).
I want to add here that I know, I know, there’s so much heartbreaking stuff happening this week, but also, lots of people are talking about Shakespeare, and that’s a great thing. The work I do doesn’t accomplish anything in terms of beating terrorism, here or abroad, but I do believe in the balance of good and evil in the universe and Shakespeare is firmly on the side of the good, and I’m happy to be a (tiny) part of his conversation.
Rock on, Shakespeare. Skull or no skull.
Andi Diehn 