Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE; through Oct. 26, free; 202-544-4600. (Capitol South) The spear was probably a play on the Bard’s name, says manuscript curator Heather Wolfe.

But by 1596, the Bard sought something more to cement his standing among the Elizabethan upper crust: A family coat of arms. Acquiring the ultimate medieval status symbol was no small thing.

For generations, people have been using coats of arms as a way of promoting themselves, and projecting their personalities on to the world. Shakespeare is probably making some obscure joke about ...

Having scoured Elizabethan archives, Dr Wolfe has unearthed evidence including previously unknown depictions of Shakespeare's coat of arms from the seventeenth century which cast new light on ...

His son pursued the issue, Sylvia Morris at The Shakespeare Blog reports, eventually getting a coat of arms for his family in 1596 based on his great-grandfather’s military service and John ...

In the 15th century, Richard III incorporated the English heralds, who organised such matters, and installed them in the College of Arms ... reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

By 1596 Shakespeare’s father, John had been granted a coat of arms and it’s probable that Shakespeare had commissioned them, paying the fees himself. A year later he bought New Place ...

The historian added that living in a place like London would have “enhanced Shakespeare’s status as he developed his career, sought a family coat of arms and planned to buy an impressive and ...

The historian added that living in a place like London would have “enhanced Shakespeare’s status as he developed his career, sought a family coat of arms and planned to buy an impressive and ...