Starlings in Shakespeare's England
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Starlings in Shakespeare's England
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Summary
In Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, Hotspur delivers a chilling threat against King Richard:
"I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak
Nothing but 'Mortimer,' and give it him
To keep his anger still in motion."
It's a line rooted in the politics of kingship and rebellion—but it also hinges on something strikingly practical. The idea of teaching a starling to speak wasn't poetic fancy. It was entirely possible. In fact, it was happening in Shakespeare's lifetime.
This week, we're stepping beyond the metaphor to explore the real bird behind the threat. What was the behavior, temperament, and reputation of the starling in early modern England? Were they truly trained to mimic speech? Were they kept as pets—or even raised for the table alongside other fowl?
Here to guide us into the world of the early modern starling is Lee Raye, author of Creatures of Story and Song: Tracing Britain's Lost Species. Lee's work traces the historical presence of wild animals and plants, and today, they help us uncover how fact and drama intersect in the history of one of the world's most fascinating birds.