Shakespeare's Portrayal of the Celtic Nations of Scotland and Wales and the Changing View of Ancient Britain

Shakespeare was writing at a time when the English monarchy changed from being in the hands of the ‘Welsh harridan’ Elizabeth I to the more cosmopolitan Scottish James VI/I, and this was also the time when the ancient British myths were no longer taken as the verbatim source for British history, with a preference for seeing the civilising influence of classical Rome. This then is a watershed period for the relationship between England and its Celtic neighbours, and the writings of Shakespeare can give us an indication of how this change was perceived at the time. I will compare Shakespeare’s earlier work from Elizabeth I’s reign with his later work under James I to determine if there is a change of approach to, or perception of the Celts. In doing so I will look at his portrayal of the Welsh, the Scots, and at the wider view of ‘Britishness’, to see how these Celtic nations are portrayed from an English viewpoint. I will also consider Shakespeare’s stance on the Antiquarian/Galfridian debate as understanding these two different views of British history, and how Shakespeare chose to use these, ultimately gives us a further insight into his depiction of the Celtic nations.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

ma

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Robinson, Penelope

• DA Prydain Fawr
• PR Llenyddiaeth Saesneg

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:3320