Weird and Hilarious Illustrations from Victorian-Era Shakespeare Plays
Swords and fists and clowns and fairies
This week, Fine Books & Collections pointed me towards a new digital archive of 3,000 illustrations from four different Victorian editions of Shakespeare’s Complete Works, created (and each image hand-scanned!) by Michael John Goodman, a Doctoral candidate in English Literature at Cardiff University in Wales. It’s a fascinating resource: you can browse by play, act, character, genre, etc—but it’s even more rewarding to browse by subject tag. You may not be surprised to learn that the illustrations in these old editions are filled with animals, crowns, curtains, kings, swords, trees, and wings—not to mention witches and skulls and moon and murderers. “By being able to visualize Shakespeare’s plays in this way,” Goodman explained, “we can appreciate how the plays are like a hall of mirrors—they reflect certain ideas back to each other.” Indeed. But scholarship aside, it’s fun to look at the images for their inherent wonder and weirdness—they’re a reminder that even the most highbrow of literatures can be exceedingly goofy. Below, you’ll find some the images from the archive that made me laugh—but I highly recommend that you go and explore for yourself.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Full Page Introductory Illustration, illustration by Kenny Meadows; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
“Fun With Malvolio,” from Twelfth Night, illustration by Kenny Meadows; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
“The Ancient ‘Vice’”, from King Henry IV, Part II, illustrator unknown; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
“Constance and Arthur,” from King John, illustration by Kenny Meadows; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
“Rugby and Caius,” from The Merry Wives of Windsor, illustration by H. C. Selous; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
“Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse,” The Comedy of Errors, illustration by Kenny Meadows; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
The Tempest Full Page Introductory Illustration, illustration by Kenny Meadows; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act II Header, illustration by Kenny Meadows; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
“Falstaff Gets a Beating,” The Merry Wives of Windsor, illustration by Kenny Meadows; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
King Lear Full Page Introductory Illustration, illustration by Kenny Meadows; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
“The Hobby Horse,” Love’s Labour’s Lost, illustration by R. W. Buss; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
“Shylock, Jessica and Launcelot,” The Merchant Of Venice, illustration by H. C. Selous; Courtesy Michael John Goodman, The Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive
Emily Temple
Emily Temple is the managing editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020. You can buy it here.
