Vancouver Art Gallery turns First Folio page—oh so carefully—to Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare’s famous love story marks Valentine’s Day at the exhibition
TO MARK VALENTINE’s Day, the Vancouver Art Gallery has turned the page on William Shakespeare’s First Folio to theatre’s most famous love tragedy.
Viewers can now see the opening of The Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet under the glass at the exhibit For All Time: The Shakespeare FIRST FOLIO exhibit, celebrating UBC Library’s acquisition of the nearly 400-year-old rare book. Its first lines, of course:
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
The priceless red-leather first edition of 36 of Shakespeare’s plays had previously been displayed at the gallery with its pages open to Macbeth.
Rest assured the page turning was no quick flip, but a meticulous affair requiring gloves and expertise. The book was acquired last year with the help of Christie’s and an army of anonymous donors across North America,
The book, formally titled William Shakespeare's Comedies Histories and Tragedies, is on view with three other rare folios at the gallery until March 20. You can read more about the show here.
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