DOLPHIN

29th February 2024

Photo Credit: toos (Getty Images Signature), CANVA

QUOTATION

His legs bestrid the ocean, his reared arm

Crested the world. His voice was propertied

As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends:

But when he meant to quail and shake the orb,

He was as rattling thunder. For his bounty,

There was no winter in ‘t; an autumn ‘twas

That grew the more by reaping. His delights

were dolphin-like; they showed his back above

the element they lived in. In his livery

Walked crowns and coronets; realms and islands were

As plates dropped from his pocket.

CLEOPATRA: Antony & Cleopatra, Act 5, Scene 2

DOLPHIN (Bottlenose Dolphin: Tursiops truncatus)

Dolphins appear in 6 of Shakespeare’s works including this glowing elegy for Antony. Dolphins are protected in the UK and are priority conservation species. Bottlenose, Common and White-beaked Dolphins are some of the species you can see in UK waters.

More Information

Folger Shakespeare Library: Search Shakespeare’s Works

Marine Life: Whale & Dolphin Conservation

Sussex Dolphin Project: Visit Site

Whale & Dolphin Conservation: Visit Site

Wildlife Trusts: Bottlenose Dolphin, Common Dolphin, White-beaked Dolphin