Shakespeare and the New Palace of Westminster (1834–1927)

The New Palace of Westminster, home to the UK's Houses of Parliament, embodies 'Shakespearean' aesthetics that theatricalize political and artistic goals while projecting a unified sense of British national history. Through three case studies spanning 1840s–1920s, this study reveals how artists leveraged Shakespeare—both explicitly and implicitly—to shape constitutional expressions of British identity during a pivotal imperial era. By integrating print, theatrical, art history, architecture, and archival analysis, the research offers an interdisciplinary lens to understand Shakespeare's evolving role in national conception at the seat of parliamentary power.

Davies, C. (2023). Shakespeare and the New Palace of Westminster (1834–1927). Shakespeare, 21(1), 49–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450918.2023.2246441