Shakespeare and the Brain

Synopsis: Science series presented by Quentin Cooper. The first item (c15mins) discusses the neurophysiological aspects of language taking Shakespeare as an example. When Shakespeare shifts words around and turns verbs into nouns for example (as in ‘companion me’) he did it for dramatic effect but Philip Davis, a Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool, and Professor Neil Roberts, physicist in the Magnetic Resonance and Brain Image Analysis Research Centre decided to see what was happening in the brain of people coping with these Shakespearean ‘functional shifts’. Quentin Cooper appeared sceptical of this work-in-progress questioning what is it that is uniquely Shakespearean, arguing that the same visceral reaction would have occurred if the people were listening to Manuel, the hapless waiter in FAWLTY TOWERS.
Series: Material World, The
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Radio
Transmission details: 14 Dec 2006 at 16:30 (Channel: BBC Radio 4)
Duration: 30 mins

Production type: Documentary/Educational/News
Subjects: Drama
Keywords: language; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Elizabethan English; Neurolinguistics

General: Professor Davis’ research is published in his book Shakespeare Thinking, Shakespeare Now, Continuum International Publishing , 2007.

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