The strange potency of things

Building on the success of his acclaimed Radio 4 series and bestselling book A History of the World in 100 Objects, Neil MacGregor has now successfully narrowed down the format. Selecting 20 objects that he suggests formed part of ‘the mental scenery’ of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, he exploits what he calls ‘the strange potency of things’ to illuminate the world they lived in.

Some of the items chosen initially appear almost perversely mundane. The cloth cap that was the prescribed headgear for all non-gentrified Elizabethan males is scarcely intrinsically beautiful, but under MacGregor’s scrutiny this humble garment proves satisfyingly informative. Elizabethans would have known at a glance that the wearers of such caps were from the lower echelons of society who, when gathered together, were apt to prove unruly. Because of the potential threat their owners posed to public order, ‘those woollen caps could carry menacing associations — not very different from hoodies today.’ Shakespeare was clearly alert to these connotations, as references in his works make clear.

The age of Shakespeare was a time of upheaval and uncertainty. Because Elizabeth I had no acknowledged heir, for nearly 50 years Englishmen feared that on her death a disputed succession would cause civil war. Understandably, troubles arising from contested claims to the throne are a frequent theme in Shakespeare’s plays.

Exploration expanded the horizons of Elizabethan England, but also exposed the kingdom to dangers. MacGregor examines the medal commemorating Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of 1577-80. The existence of such an artefact denotes pride in Drake’s exploits, but the fact that it was cast from silver he plundered from Spanish settlements in South America helps explain why, by the time the medal was created in 1589, England and Spain were at war.