Woodlands and forests in Shakespeare’s plays
by Angus, 16 May, 2014, 7 comments
William Shakespeare grew up in a leafy part of the country, Stratford-upon-Avon, and woodlands and forests were a very important part of many of his plays. Forests were large areas governed by a different set of laws and they could include marshes, bogs, fen, pasture, cultivated land and woodland. Famously, Shakespeare made the "moving" of a woodland a pivotal point in his play 'Macbeth' when Birnam wood "moves" to Dunsinane as soldiers use branches as a camouflage in their assault on Macbeth's castle. But he uses woodland settings in many other plays and the forest carries deeply symbolic meanings Read more...
