Birds of Shakespeare
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Birds of Shakespeare: The greylag goose
Artist Missy Dunaway concludes her Birds of Shakespeare series with the greylag goose, the subject of Romeo and Mercutio’s rapid-fire puns in Romeo and Juliet.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The peregrine falcon
Falconry plays an important role in Shakespeare’s world, and Shakespeare peppers falconry terminology throughout his dialogue, Missy Dunaway explores.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The carrion crow
Although Shakespeare favors the crow as a symbol of doom, it carries various meanings and appears in several forms.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The snipe
In Othello Iago refers to Roderigo as a snipe to indicate that he only spends time with him in order to take advantage of him.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The loon
The loon appears just once in Shakespeare’s plays, in a line from Macbeth.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The seagull
The word “gull” is used twelve times in Shakespeare’s plays, appearing the most in Twelfth Night, a play full of pranks and hijinks.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The grey heron
Hamlet uses the heron, or “handsaw,” to reference his power struggle with his uncle, Claudius.
![Magpie painting a magpie in flight below a magpie perched on a branch surrounded by foliage](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/05/Magpie-painting-missy-dunaway-fb.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
Birds of Shakespeare: The magpie
Artist Missy Dunaway explores the thieving magpie’s ominous appearances in Shakespeare’s plays.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The partridge
In 1536 Henry VIII forbade killing partridges to ensure populations could support falconry. Shakespeare refers to the partridge twice, both as examples of slaughtered prey.
![European robin painting Four European robins surrounded by eggs, feathers, honeybees, and the branches and fruit of the European crab apple](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2023/03/European-robin-painting.jpeg?fit=10%2C10)
Birds of Shakespeare: The European robin
According to Renaissance folklore, robins were kind and adored humans so deeply that if one came upon a person who had passed away, it would place flowers on the body.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The turtle dove
The turtle dove as a symbol of love appears in Shakespeare’s romances, tragedies, and comedies.
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Birds of Shakespeare: The lark
Shakespeare mainly employs the lark as a beloved symbol for the morning, the herald of the dawn. Most of the lark’s 27 appearances in Shakespeare’s works feature it welcoming the start of each day with a sweet song.