Times are Bad: Blogs, Shakespeare, and Isolation

'Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.' Cicero

If Cicero had been writing today, in the midst of Coronavirus lock-down, he might have gone for ‘and everyone is writing a blog’ instead. With little else to do, apart from to exercise once a day in the zealous manner of one who has never exercised once a day before, what can we do but write blogs about isolation, relatable WFH experiences, and the bizarrely common compulsion to conduct zoom meetings without trousers on? N.B. You should always wear trousers. I had planned to write a blog post about Shakespeare in isolation. But would that be the right thing to do?

Sometimes posts about WFH procrastination, “finishing” Netflix, and the joy of having a garden can feel a little insensitive. When everything seems so uncertain, is there a place for such frivolity? Aside from the general state of uncertainty in which we are all living, I realise my own worries are negligible. Having been unceremoniously (if understandably) dropped from my temp job, I worry that I won’t be earning any money until I start my new job in September, I worry that I may fall out irrevocably with the people also on lock-down in this house, and I worry that by the end of the summer I may have eaten so many mini-eggs I will have developed a hard sugar shell of my very own. Compared to NHS workers exposed to the virus every day, small business owners who face potential financial ruin, or victims of domestic abuse who have found themselves forced to stay at home with an abuser, people like me are enormously lucky. If you think of the fate of refugees in the coronavirus crisis, or those living parts of the world where they have no chance of receiving the medical attention they need to survive, the hardship of a missed Mothering Sunday suddenly appears rather insignificant.

So, given this context, it may seem odd for me to be writing a trite blog post at all, but actually I think it’s fantastic that everyone is writing a blog. From Instagram posts to sharing gifs on Whatsapp, where we can’t connect physically, it’s important that we connect online. Throughout this time we must maintain relationships and, more abstractly, a sense of society and community. So – since I have already exceeded the ideal word-count for a blog – here’s my two cents on isolation: we should all think about what Shakespeare would do!

Working from home during the Coronavirus lock-down.

In the Summer of 1592 Shakespeare was in a pretty sticky situation. Plague had forced the closure of the theatres in London, and Shakespeare, whose livelihood came from writing plays, was out of a job. In the 1590s there was no NHS, and no one even offered to furlough him at 80% of his normal salary. Shakespeare responded to this potentially devastating situation with resilience, creativity, and bravery. He found a new source of income by writing poetry to attract a wealthy patron. His two long, narrative poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, were written during this time and dedicated to the Earl of Southampton.

Today Shakespeare’s narrative poems are less famous than his plays, but in his own time they became key to his reputation and income. Not only did the poems help him keep his head above water financially, the poems also helped Shakespeare to stay connected and to network. Like other poets in the early modern period, Shakespeare would not have earned money from publishing his work in print. A poet’s income came from their patron who would either provide gifts of money or a job (such as a family tutor or a chaplain) to support the production of their poetry. Poets attracted patrons through dedications. However, dedications were often speculative and did not always result in a reciprocal relationship. So, Shakespeare may have just been going out on a limb with the dedication of his two narrative poems, which is why I say he was brave as well as resilient and creative.

Shakespeare adapted and survived. While not many, if any, of us will be able to earn our keep by writing raunchy, classically inspired narrative poetry (even if we wanted to) Shakespeare’s example of resourceful bravery is hugely important. It is also worth noting that in Shakespeare’s day, poetry was also inherently sociable. People would send each other poems to read. They would challenge each other to write certain types of poem. They would write poems in response to each other’s poems. Poems were a way of keeping in touch and creating a community. Isn’t that what all the bloggers, tweeters, and influencers are doing? So, I think all that’s left to say is: times are bad, children have always disobeyed their parents, and thank goodness everyone is writing a blog.

For more Shakespeare in the lock-down, check out:

Sir Patrick Stewart’s daily sonnet readings.

An interesting article on Shakespeare and plague in the Guardian.

Globe Player to stream performances of Shakespeare's plays.

Going stir-crazy in the Coronavirus lock-down.