Zone Two Be Or Not Zone Two Be

Chiswick stations renamed as Shakespeare characters

Image copyright Transport for London and Shakespeare's Globe

Chiswick's tube stations have been renamed as Shakespeare characters on a new tube map.

To commemorate the 400th anniversary on April 23rd of the death of William Shakespeare, Transport for London (TfL) and Shakespeare’s Globe have partnered to create a special edition map - replacing station names with famous characters, plays and modern adaptations of the Bard’s works.

The area hasn't been given particularly distinguished characters with all four local stations being named after fools. Turnham Green is called Launce and Chiswick Park is renamed Speed both 'clownish' servants in Two Gentlemen of Verona. Stamford Brook is also named after a servant, Dromio of Ephesus from Comedy of Errors with Ravenscourt Park being his twin Dromio of Syracuse. Gunnersbury fares slight better being redesignated as Flavius a minor character from Julius Caesar.

The map, which will be available to buy as a 24" x 36" maxi poster or as an art print, can be purchased online or directly from Shakespeare’s Globe and the London Transport Museum, from April 18. The poster will cost £3.99 while the art print will cost £15.00. A large scale vinyl of the map will also be installed at Bankside Pier near the Shakespeare’s Globe.

Each London Underground line on the map has been given a specific subject, with station names then changed to relate to the line’s theme. Icons have been added to help distinguish the plays by genre and highlight the characters who disguised themselves as male or female in Shakespeare’s time.

There are also interesting links across the map that lovers of Shakespeare’s work will appreciate. These include:

• The Waterloo & City line (which only has two stops) is called “Patronage” with Elizabeth I and James I, the royal patrons of Shakespeare, replacing Bank and Waterloo stations

• The Emirates Air Line is called “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern” after the characters in Hamlet

• The map shows three of the theatres where William Shakespeare’s plays were performed - the Globe Theatre, Blackfriars Theatre and the Curtain Theatre in Shoreditch, which was rediscovered recently

• The warring neighbours of Montague and Capulet from Romeo and Juliet are located next to each other on the Fathers & Kings (Jubilee) line

• Areas of the map have also been clustered together to focus on different themes such as the London Overground from New Cross to West Croydon, which are song titles inspired by Shakespeare.

Where possible, plays and characters have also been allocated to ‘interchange’ stations where they would naturally fit on both lines. For example, Macbeth (Embankment station) is on both the “Plays” line (Circle Line) and the “Villains” line (Northern Line) and Lady Macbeth (Charing Cross) is both next to Macbeth and placed at the interchange of the “Heroines” (Bakerloo) and “Villains and Rivals” lines.

At the top end of the Overground towards Watford Junction, modern adaptations have also been combined with female actors to give continuance to the “Heroines” line. The same can be seen at the northern end of the “Heroes” (Piccadilly) line with famous male actors.

Dr Farah Karim-Cooper, Head of Higher Education & Research, Globe Education, said: “What this wonderful keepsake reveals is that Shakespeare’s work, his characters and themes intersect with each other in fascinating ways. To think about navigating the plays in the same way we think about getting around the underground reminds us that as complex as they are, the works of Shakespeare are entirely accessible to everyone.”

You can also pre-order the map, or view other merchandise.

April 13, 2016