The Library at Elsinore, 2007, books, acrylic and pigment ink 151.7 x 114 x 20 cm

Senate House, the central library of the University of London, has opened its doors for its first major exhibition, Shakespeare: Metamorphosis, which runs until 17 September 2016.

Curated by Dr Karen Attar and Dr Richard Espley and inspired by the famous ‘seven ages of man’ speech from As You Like It, Shakespeare: Metamorphosis traces and explains this transformation over 400 years by highlighting and displaying over 30 rare texts from seven significant ages of development.

Included in the exhibit are two installation works by Tom Phillips which explore the legacy of Shakespeare in our language and literature. The Library at Elsinore is a bookshelf of works that take their titles from Hamlet, and The Library at Elsinore Fragment contains only titles from Hamlet's 'to be or not to be' soliloquy. Both works can be seen in the reception area of Membership on the fourth floor of the library.

Shakespeare: Metamorphosis runs from 9am – 5.30pm, Monday – Friday, and 10am – 5pm on Saturdays, from 14 April to 17 September 2016. Senate House Library is located in Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU.
Visit the website for a complete overview of the exhibition and associated events http://shakespeare.senatehouselibrary.ac.uk

 The Library at Elsinore, detail