Ian McSeveny

Shakespeare Started It Ian McSeveny

My background is in IT and I spent a number of years in Geneva working at CERN. This allowed me to pursue my interest in physics. More surprisingly it also gave me an interest in Shakespeare. CERN's motto, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," is from Hamlet. As I read more of Shakespeare's work I came across many instances where a line of some 400 years ago could so readily be applied not only to that era but also to the science and arts of today. My format is to begin in italics with a quote from Shakespeare followed - with due poetic licence - by my lines linking the poem to the image. Interestingly, I found describing the image made me think further on the quoted lines giving me a still deeper appreciation of Shakespeare's work. I developed this further still in quite different chapters. Whatever enjoyment and understanding I have gained in the writing of this book, Shakespeare started it... The chapters are: Part I ...that lightly links in Verse and Image Shakespeare to Science and Art: Part II ... William discovers that all the world's a stage: Part III ...that imagines the first rehearsal of the soliloquy 'to be or not to be' between himself and his reluctant lead actor: Part IV ...each play viewed in a sonnet where I begin with a line from the play: Part V ...he was not of an age, but for all time.