Donna, I know you like Jane Austen

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Donna, I know you like Jane Austen
3
Wed, 02-04-2004 - 9:25pm
and the works of Shakespeare as I do - I happened to catch part 1 of 4 of PBS "Search for Shakespeare" which is so interesting! Have you seen this before? Anyway, it will be on every Wed. night on our local PBS channel. I love historical books and programs, especially concerning England. I didn't know William Shakespeare's relatives were executed by Elizabeth I when he was 19. Apparently, one of them had mouthed off one night in the village about Elizabeth being a heretic & had mentioned he wanted to do her in - which was picked up on by her spies and backfired upon the family.

My ancestor, Sir Thomas Wyatt was supposedly put in the Tower for a little while for something or other to do with Anne Boleyn (maybe he was suspected of chasing her!). One day, I'd love to travel to England and visit as many of those fascinating historical and architectural locations I've read about as possible.

I wonder if this PBS documentary mentions the possibility of Shakespeare being a bisexual. I will have to check it out on PBS.org. Of course, this program also interests me because of the times in which Shakespeare lived and the conflict between the Protestants & Catholics. I've always been fascinated with learning how religion has evolved.

Katherine (Kat)
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 02-04-2004 - 9:28pm
Oops, the program is "In Search of Shakespeare" - goodness!
Katherine (Kat)
Avatar for imthebigsister
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 02-05-2004 - 8:54am
Kat, thanks for that info. We've been a little preoccupied with other TV events up here lately; I haven't looked at the PBS program guide in a while. I'll definitely tune in to the PBS outlets up here - Wednesday's a dead tv night IMO, and I could use something like this to engage my brain and keep me company as I work out. The program you saw might be repeated over the weekend up here.

Re the possibility of Shakespeare being bisexual - no doubt it will get some play on PBS. As far as his family being executed, I'm sure that provided him with fodder for his satirical look at the politics and mores of the day.

I think your ancestry is fascinating. Knowing what we know about Anne B's flattering and flirtatious ways, your poor Sir Thomas probably didn't stand a chance! Do you know if he ever actually did time in the Tower, or have any other idea what happened to him?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 02-05-2004 - 10:23am
It's been awhile since I read up on it (our family tree was traced down to him), but there are different accounts so I am not sure! He escaped execution, apparently. There were father & son Sir Thomas Wyatt, I believe, and I think both were poets. One of them was credited for adapting the Italian sonnet. I bought a book of poetry because there were some sonnets in it by Thomas Wyatt. Yes, history is so fascinating and tracing one's family tree can lead to all sorts of interesting (and shocking) discoveries. Has your family been able to trace theirs?

Watching that program made me want to go see a Shakespeare play - each year Kilgore College has a Shakespeare Festival & I love to go see their plays. Of course, other works are included, and one year I saw the absolute funniest rendition of "The Importance of Being Earnest" - put the recent movie adaptation to shame, even though Colin Firth was in that!

Katherine (Kat)