Sarah Mayhew Craddock gets up close with the Bard at the ‘Bod’

Whilst the curtain has come down on the Globe Theatre’s production of Much Ado About Nothing in the Bodleian Library’s Old Schools Quad, Shakespeare’s summer’s lease has been extended with a new display on the Bard.

Pass through the quad and into the architecturally stunning Proscholium to find the new display, Johnson and Shakespeare.

This comprises annotated 18th-century books, documents and receipts telling the story of Johnson’s critical edition, in addition to song sheets, music and scripts from the 1769 Shakespeare Jubilee – organised by actor and theatre manager David Garrick.

It marks the 250th anniversary of the publication of Samuel Johnson’s critical edition of The Plays of William Shakespeare.

The display has been curated by Lynda Mugglestone, professor of the history of English at the University of Oxford, and Jim McLaverty, emeritus professor at Keele University. Prof Mugglestone said: “The display looks at two inaugural moments in the history of Shakespeare: Johnson’s effort to create a more accurate version of the text than had ever been published before, and his friend David Garrick’s Shakespeare Jubilee, which established Shakespeare as a cultural celebrity.”

Across the road from the Old Bodleian lies another treat. The ongoing Marks of Genius exhibition consists of masterpieces from the Bodleian’s collection.

Located in two new exhibition galleries in the refurbished Weston Library, it continues until September 20 and is free to visit.

Among the treasures on display is the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays, published more than a century before Johnson’s critical edition. There is also a copy of Shakespeare’s most popular poem, Venus and Adonis, and an early edition of Hamlet, in addition to works by Shakespeare’s contemporaries.

Adding context is a beautifully illustrated map of London, published in the year of Shakespeare’s death, which depicts the Globe Theatre.

A digital facsimile of the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays was launched two years ago as part of the Bodleian’s Sprint for Shakespeare campaign, which has seen the launch of a website enabling visitors whose appetite has been whet by the exhibition, to leaf through the pages of the First Folio in a virtual format, downloading text and images and learning about the book’s eventful history as they go.

Marks of Genius has been very well received by visitors who have taken to contemporary means of communication, namely various social media websites, in their masses describing it as: “An exhibition of some of the most important books ever to see the light of day!” and, “an astonishing exhibition all round”. Another wrote: “The exhibition at the new Weston Library is mind-blowing.”

Once again, Oxford offers a wealth of opportunities for Shakespeare fans this summer, with Creation Theatre Company’s production of the romantic comedy As You Like It, continuing at Lady Margaret Hall until September 12.

Where and when
Johnson and Shakespeare until September 6 at the Bodleian Library
Free admission bodleian.ox.ac.uk