A NYBODY who wants to understand
Shakespeare's plays must, unless he would rather cut the research and plump boldly for ' modern dress,' know something of the conditions of life in England at the time when they were first produced. This series of talks, which will continue on Wednesdays until the end of June, will build up a background to the plays by giving short sketches of life in Elizabethan England, illustrated by readings from the works of Shakespeare himself and his contemporaries. This afternoon Mr. Stobart and Miss Somerville will start by discussing what is known of Shake speare's own life-which is, as a matter of fact, not very much.