A Shakespearean Botanical by Margaret Willes: book review

A Shakespearean Botanical (2015) is a compendium of plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

The contents page says The Plants, without further detail.

There are actually 49 plants, listed in alphabetical order, with three pages dedicated to each plant (with a gorgeous sketch, the Shakespearean quote, and explanatory text): Aconite, Apple, Apricot, Broom, Cabbage, Camomile, Carnation, Carrot, Cherry, Columbine, Crab apple, Crown imperial, Daffodil, Daisy, Deadly nightshade, Eglantine, Fig, Gooseberry, Hazel, Honeysuckle, Iris, Lady’s smock, Lily, Long purples, Mandrake, Marigold, Medlar, Mistletoe, Mulberry, Oak, Pansy, Parsley, Pear, Poppy, Potato, Primrose, Pumpkin, Quince, Rhubarb, Rose, Rosemary, Rue, Saffron, Samphire, Strawberry, Sweet marjoram, Violet, Walnut, and Wormwood.

As readers can see by the list – and other plants not listed as a major heading – there is much to enjoy, and many Shakespeare quotes to read.

One of my favourites is from the popular and famous lines from Oberon in Midsummer Night’s Dream (II.1.249-252): ‘I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine.’

The flowers and herbs of Tudor and Jacobean England are exotic, medicinal, decorative, symbolic, and often edible. There is a rich history on every page, with beautiful illustrations by herbalist and botanist John Gerard (1545-1612), providing a flashback to Shakespearean times. It is a fascinating reference book of the bard’s botanicals.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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