So, now we all know that Shakespeare’s 400 death anniversary will be celebrated with a series of events both in the UK and in Italy. But there is more to come and to buy to remember the English playwriter, in addition to reading one of his works.
First of all, The Royal Mint has struck three official £2 coins in his honour – a first for the United Kingdom. Each coin celebrates an aspect of Shakespeare’s famous work and “The British public should start to see these coins appearing in their change from spring 2016″, as the director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint said at BBC.
They feature a series of designs by well-known coinage artist, John Bergdahl, celebrating Shakespeare’s most famous works. The three coins celebrate Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies. The coin that is probably going to be the most popular is the one with a skull aside a thorny rose.
Moreover, the Royal Mail will honour the bard with a special set of ten First Class stamps, featuring phrases from his plays and sonnets. Nowadays, letters are not so trendy anymore, but if you fancy writing a message to your lover go for the stamp with the phrase “Love comforteth like sunshine after rain“, taken by from the poem Venus and Adonis.
Many shops in London sell gadgets inspired by Shakespeare, but the British Museum is one of those institutions where you can find the best Shakespeare-related gifts, like Shakespeare Hamlet necklace with an engraved quotation from Hamlet. The inscription reads: “And this above all: to thine own self be true”. The elliptical shape of the pendant represents a symbol for infinity and the seeming paradox of a plane without end, or one of infinite length.
Shakespeare Hamlet necklace
If you are a food lover and you are also interested in history as well, go for The Shakespeare Cookbook by Andrew Dalby and Maureen. Shakespeare’s working life was not only a period of rich activity on the London stage, but also one of prolific writing about food. This illustrated book explores the plays alongside contemporary recipes to offer modern‐day cooks a unique insight into gastronomy in Shakespeare’s London. Fifty original menus and recipes to discover what people were eating in Shakespeare’s time.
The Shakesoeare Cookbook, By Andrew Dalby and Maureen Dalby
