On Shakespeare Rediscovered in Saint-Omer
Exhibition Assistant Anna Marks on our current special exhibition of the Shakespeare First Folio.
Last year, a significant literary event cast a new light on Shakespeare’s works and reaffirmed his early continental appeal in the 16th century. A lost copy of a rare first folio of his plays was retrieved from the public library in Saint-Omer in Northern France; found almost unblemished. Disguised by the torn off front cover, its discovery came as a surprise to the librarians when researching for literature for an English language exhibition. It is assumed that this folio resided in the Jesuit College in Saint-Omer, vanishing during the turbulent French revolution. Many of the books in their collection including the folio were handed to the town’s public library where the precious copy has been left, unturned for years.
In partnership with the Bibliotheque d'Agglomération de Saint Omer, Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition not only showcases the recently discovered 233rd folio, but other rarities, including ‘The Workes of Benjamin Jonson’ and ‘Edward Alleyn’s Treasury Chest’ which give a good grasp and understanding of the historical culture and development of Early Modern Theatre. To understand the significance of discovering this folio we should recognise that Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies are among the world’s most sparse books- being the closest documents to the Bard’s original plays. As Curator of the exhibition, Dr Nick de Somogyi explains, “The single Folio posthumous edition is important for understanding Shakespeare because it printed 18 of his plays which had never been printed before, plus 18 more plays that had previously appeared, but these were often substantially different from existing versions. The Folio was printed by his friends who had acted in them - as the definitive edition of his play, and in a form that first demonstrated the sweep and range of his genius.”
What makes this find so exciting is that it gives us hope that other hidden Shakespeare related artefacts might be unearthed in the future. Not only is this 233rd folio practically untarnished, what’s enthralling is that its whereabouts adds to the discussion that Shakespeare might have had links with Catholicism- the religion suppressed in England in the late 16th to early 17th century. Although this does not mean that Shakespeare was a Catholic sympathiser as some have implied, it reminds us of the diversity of communities reading Shakespeare at the time. Also in the exhibition are many works of Benjamin Jonson. 1616 saw the publication of his collected Workes which paved the way for publishing Shakespeare’s folios. “Ben Jonson (Shakespeare’s younger contemporary) was the first writer to publish his own plays in a collected and prestigious “folio” edition in 1616: in other words, he set the precedent for the Shakespeare folio in 1623, and was the first to claim proper literary prestige for such works of popular culture.” de Somogyi explains.
(Images © Pete Le May)
You can see Shakespeare Rediscovered in Saint-Omer util 31 August.
The exhibition also includes The Henslowe Alleyn Digitisation Project where you can read more about Henslowe’s diary, Edward Alleyn’s diary and the Fortune Theatre’s contract. Find out more about the Globe Exhibition.