Some may say that William Shakespeare, the great master of theatre, died four hundred years ago. But I believe this could not be further from the truth after bearing witness to his immortality at Shakespeare in Ten Acts, a fascinating British Library exhibition held between April 15 and September 6. The exhibition celebrates the Bard’s legacy in all its glory, through ten revolutionary performances of his plays.

There are two sides to this exhibition that are worth highlighting. The first category is that of the curiosities, which, amongst other treasures, include a skull inscribed by the French literary master Victor Hugo and presented by himself to Sarah Bernhardt for her performance in Hamlet; there are also rare prints and documents such as Shakespeare’s First Folio.

The other, and in my opinion, more meaningful face of this exhibition is the one exploring true turning points in the history of performance, and as a consequence, of society. Two latent themes throughout the exhibition are gender and race, explored through literature documenting the first female performer to feature in a Shakespeare play in the 1600’s, and the first British performance of Othello by a black actor, nearly two hundred years later.

Another exhibition highlight – one that perhaps falls under both of my categories – is the only surviving literary manuscript in Shakespeare’s hand, in which he calls for sympathy for the difficult situation of refugees. When walking through Shakespeare in Ten Acts and contemplating its display I had a sense of relief when I thought about how much had changed in our world over the past 400 years…however, in hindsight, I can’t help but wonder if I might be kidding myself as, just as Shakespeare’s work, so many of the issues discussed in this exhibition are still as alive and relevant as ever.

An immersive experience, Shakespeare in Ten Acts isn’t your average object display. Instead, the smartly curated exhibition explores crucial moments in the history of Shakespeare’s plays, and more importantly, in the history of performance as a product and reflection of its context. Inviting you to see beyond what meets the eye, this exhibition encourages us to reflect on our past, our present and on the kind of future we want to build for ourselves.