The Strangers’ Case: The Greatest Shakespearean Speech No One Knows

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On May 1, 1517, riots broke out in London because some citizens, convinced that “foreigners” were taking their jobs and livelihoods, demanded the removal of all “strangers.” Thomas More, then a city official, attempted to intervene and restore the peace.

Many years later, William Shakespeare contributed to a collaboratively-written play titled Sir Thomas More (c. 1591–93). Scholars believe that he penned a powerful  speech for More, delivered as he resists the mob and defends the so-called “strangers.” Known as “The Strangers’ Case,” this stirring defense of immigrants and refugees is the greatest Shakespearean speech that no one knows and, according to some scholars, these lines represent the only example of a creative work written in Shakespeare’s own hand.

To mark the anniversary of the 1517 riots and More’s speech, join UCSB Library and the Department of English on May 1 as  a few intrepid souls perform “The Strangers’ Case” at a pop-up event in the Library’s Mountain Courtyard (1st Floor, Mountain Side).

This event is held in connection with the exhibition Infinite Variety: The Many Lives of Shakespeare’s Texts, on display through June 12 in the Sara Miller McCune Arts Library (1st Floor, Mountain Side).

This event may be photographed or recorded.

Image Description: Calligraphy style writing on old paper