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Shakespeare & Beyond

Shakespeare's Heroines (some of them, anyway)

Pop quiz time!

Can you name these six Shakespearean heroines?

six portraits of women arranged in two rows of three

Can you name these six Shakespearean Heroines?

Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

Any guesses?

You might be able to guess a few of them from the clues in their clothing (or because you saw one on a recent cover of Shakespeare Quarterly!), but don’t feel bad if this was a bit of a stumper. As lovely as these early 19th-century watercolors are, the characters they depict aren’t the ones people today might think of first when asked to name Shakespearean heroines!

Ready for the answer?

Comments

[…] A personal favorite of Abbie’s, a 19th-century watercolor of Joan by John William Wright (or was it?), rounded out the survey of Joan through […]

In the vault with 'Saint Joan' - The Folger Spotlight — June 6, 2018

The watercolours are lovely, but don’t show differences of personality or character. So very difficult to ascribe a character.

Rachel Bowen — July 25, 2018