Transport for London launched a new set of Poems on the Underground to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.
The three works by Shakespeare that will be featured on Tube trains across the network are Sonnet 116, Ariel's merry song from The Tempest and more sober lines from King Lear.
Also featured are three poems written in response to Shakespeare's works, by the Romantic poet P.B. Shelley and by two contemporary poets; the distinguished Belfast poet Michael Longley and Carol Ann Duffy, the UK's Poet Laureate.
The poems - which will be displayed for twelve weeks - form part of London's wider celebration of the playwright, which included a special edition Tube map where station names were replaced with famous characters, plays and modern adaptions of the Bard's works.
Eleanor Pinfield, head of Art on the Underground, said, "Poems on the Underground is a much loved part of our city, and it is fitting that for this year, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, the selection brings a range of his work from sonnets to his plays. Showing Shakespeare's work alongside contemporary poets inspired by him is a wonderfully fitting tribute."
Judith Chernaik, writer, editor and founder of Poems on the Underground, said, "It's a special pleasure to be joining celebrations of Shakespeare, the most international of great English poets, whose works have been translated into every world language and whose plays are performed by theater companies, amateurs and schoolchildren across the world."
Poems on the Underground, founded in 1986, aims to bring poetry to a mass audience. It helps to make journeys more stimulating by showcasing a diverse range of poetry, including classical, contemporary and international poets in Tube train carriages across London. The program has inspired similar displays on public transport in cities worldwide, from New York and Paris to Moscow and Shanghai. Poems on the Underground is supported by Transport for London, Arts Council England and the British Council.
