Discover the extraordinary mathematical world of Tudor England.
‘A fascinating and hugely entertaining guide to Shakespearean mathematics.’
Prof Sarah Hart, author of Once Upon A Prime
Much Ado About Numbers
by Rob Eastaway
What do Shakespeare and maths have in common? A lot, as it turns out!
Shakespeare grew up in a time of remarkable mathematical innovation. From astronomy to probability, music to multiplication, new mathematical ideas were taking off – and much of this was reflected in his work. In this highly engaging book, award-winning author Rob Eastaway explores the surprising and entertaining ways that maths and numbers crop up in Shakespeare’s plays.
Find out how the Tudors multiplied, why Shakespeare never ended a line with the word orange, and why dice-playing was a serious hazard for the unwary. With historical asides about games, optics, astronomy, music and magic, you will never think about maths, history or Shakespeare the same way again.
‘Instead of cleaving maths and English in twain, Eastaway brings them together to surprise and delight the reader.’
Dr Rebecca Fisher, The English Association
Behind the scenes
This book began as a tongue-in-cheek teacher workshop in Stratford upon Avon in 2022 with my old friend Andrew Jeffrey. But then I began to discover much deeper, more interesting connections to Shakespeare. One of them was sparked by the old joke ‘Did Shakespeare use a pencil? And was it 2B or not 2B?’ I then discovered that the year of Shakespeare’s birth, 1564, was also the year that Elizabeth I established the Company of Mines Royal, which discovered a rich seam of graphite (‘plumbago’) in the Lake District, and thus began the famous pencil industry. And yes, Shakespeare quite possibly DID use a pencil. Of my many travels across the country to research the book, the private tour of an original German graphite mine tunnel in a remote hillside Borrowdale was the most memorable.
‘This quirky little book will multiply the fun for any general reader interested in adding to their understanding of Shakespeare.’
The Washington Post