To mark the 400th anniversary on Saturday April 23rd of William Shakespeare’s death a special edition Tube map has been produced. The 14 Underground lines with their 367 stations have all  been replaced with characters and plays from Shakespeare’s works, along with play locations, actors and patrons:

• Bakerloo Line: Heroines Line
• Central Line: Lovers Line
• District Line: Servants and Friends
• Jubilee Line:  Fathers and Kings

Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are interchange stations on the Northern Line. Westminster station near the UK Houses of Parliament is known as King Lear.

Shakespear’s greatest supporters have stations.  Queen Elizabeth 1 (Bank Station) is linked to James 1 station (Waterloo in real life) by the appropriately named Patronage Line (Waterloo and City).

Paddington Station becomes Merry Wives of Windsor. Romeo and Juliet’s families the Montagues and Capulets  are  next to each other on the Fathers and Kings line. I was pleased to see Maggie Smith station, one before Kathryn Hepburn. Richard Burton station is not far away. They join other actors and actresses who have performed in Shakespeare plays.

I have not heard that Transport for London are planning to replace any names at real stations!

The map also includes three theatres where Shakespeare plays were performed — the Globe Theatre, which has been rebuilt close to its original site next to the River Thames, and the Blackfriars and Curtain theatres, which no longer exist.

The map became available last Monday, with posters being sold by the London Transport Museum and The Globe theatre for £3.99 and art prints £15. Studying

Studying Shakespeare may become easier by following the lines to find the characters! Great excuse to visit London methinks!