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Summer 2023Shakespeare in Trinity Professor Andrew Murphy, 1867 Professor of English at Trinity, discusses the fascinating history of the First Folio ’s publication, including what paw prints and red wine stains have to do with Ireland’s only copy of the book We have been teaching Shakespeare at Trinity for more than 200 years, going all the way back to a time when the playwright’s work featured in lectures given by the college’s Professors of Oratory in the late 18th century. When the original Professorship specifically of English was established in college, in 1867, the first holder of the post was the distinguished scholar Edward Dowden, author of two very popular books on Shakespeare, and inaugural general editor of the Arden Shakespeare – an edition which is still going strong to this day. Given this history, it is not surprising that the Library at Trinity has, over a long period, kept a keen eye out for important editions and other materials relating to Shakespeare. The Library holds, for instance, an excellent collection of Shakespeare editions published in Dublin over the course of the 18th century. Many of these editions were produced by the Dublin publisher, George Grierson, whose business was located within a stone’s throw of Smock Alley theatre, one of the premier venues for Shakespearean performances in 18th century Dublin. It may not be too surprising, then, to discover that when a prize text of Shakespeare’s came up for auction in Dublin in 1805, college was quick to submit a bid, securing the volume for the Library. The book in question was a copy of the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays – the First Folio , as it is now known to scholars (‘folio’ because of its size, with the folio being the largest standard book size of the time, and ‘first’ because there were three further folio-sized editions published during the course of the 17th century - Trinity holds copies of these as well). The First Folio is a singularly important volume, not least because of the fact that, at the time when Shakespeare died, in 1616, only half of his plays had been brought to print. If the Folio had not been published, it is possible that the other half of his plays would have been lost to us. The loss would have been considerable, as the missing plays would have included plays such as The Tempest, A Winter’s Tale, Julius Caesar, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra . Trinity’s copy of the First Folio is one of the jewels in the crown of the Library collection and, with this year marking the 400th anniversary of the volume’s publication, we have taken the opportunity to put the volume on display in the Long Room of the Old Library. The physical exhibition is complemented by an online package and we have also digitised our copy, as part of the ongoing Virtual Trinity Library project. Our aim in digitising the volume has been to make this treasure of our collection freely available to scholars and the general public worldwide. College paid £26 11s 6d for our copy of the First Folio . This was a considerable sum at the time, but it was a good price for the volume, as other copies sold for higher sums at around the same time. Nowadays when copies are put up for sale, they usually fetch prices in the millions. The highest prices are paid for copies of the book that are as close to pristine condition as possible. The Trinity copy is, by contrast, not in mint condition. When we turn the pages of it we repeatedly find traces of the marks left by generations of readers over the course of its lifespan. On the pages of the book we find scorch marks from a candle having been dropped on it; the pawprint of a cat or dog who casually walked across a page of Henry V ; drink stains left by readers who were none too careful with their tea, coffee, or, perhaps, wine. We also find scribbles and markings of various kinds: initials at the head of several plays, perhaps indicating that these specific texts have been read by a particular reader; a list of the characters in The Merry Wives of Windsor ; a suggested set of changes to some lines in A Winter’s Tale ; passages crossed through for excision. A particularly puzzling inclusion is a set of inscriptions jotted down on a blank page opposite the opening of King John . We have been scratching our heads over these marks since finding them in the volume. What could they be? And, more to the point, what could theyPage 19Page 21

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and the global financial system. Each scholarship is fully- funded, including fees and an annual stipend for four years. As the programme continues to grow, it is creating avenues for interdisciplinary research, opening new and exciting areas of investigation and knowledge. Speaking following Sir John’s lecture in London this year, Professor O’Hagan paid tribute to the philanthropic supporters of the programme, who include graduates of the School, for the crucial role that they have played in supporting the advancement of research and education in Social Sciences and Philosophy. He emphasized that ‘over the past ten years, the Grattan Scholars Programme has helped to maintain our ability to attract top-tier PhD talent to our School while the Lecture Series has facilitated a platform for distinguished policymakers and scholars to engage with a broader audience.’ Click here for detailed information about the current Grattan Scholars and their respective fields of research

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Building a sustainable future Dr John Gallagher from Trinity’s School of Engineering is delighted to introduce a climate action and sustainability webinar series which aims to promote dialogue on this critically important area