Shrewsbury School kindly sent us this new portrait of William Shakespeare.
This artwork delves into the connection between Shakespeare’s character “Old Sir Rowland” in As You Like It and the historical Sir Rowland Hill of Soulton
Sir Rowland Hill played a significant role in establishing Shrewsbury School in 1552 through petitions to King Edward VI, (and seemingly the payment of fines to the Lord Chancellor).
Hill was also a key figure in the early development of English drama, predating the rise of Shakespeare, to whom he was related via Mary Arden. Notably, Shrewsbury School itself has a strong theatrical tradition.
Interestingly, Hill was involved in the publication of the Geneva Bible (1560), a translation quoted over 1,000 times by Shakespeare in his works.
New Shakespeare Portrait – the work of artists at Shrewsbury School
