How Elizabethan History, Shakespeare and Mathematics are fascinatingly intertwined
Shakespeare grew up in a world fizzing with discovery, from the new concept of ‘zero’ to Galileo’s revolutionary breakthroughs in astronomy. Blending history, literature, and mathematics, this website is linked to Rob Eastaway’s book Much Ado About Numbers and explores how numbers shaped everyday life in Shakespeare’s time, and influenced his writing in unexpected ways.
Lively, accessible, and full of surprises, Much Ado About Numbers celebrates a time when every subject was connected — and learning was full of wonder.
The Shows
Rob Eastaway presents shows and talks on the fascinating history of numbers in Shakespeare’s lifetime. Based on his entertaining book, the shows range from events for teenagers (aged 13-18) covering core subjects and educational enrichment that are a must for all schools, to talks and presentations aimed at adult audiences.
About
Much Ado about Numbers began as a book by Rob Eastaway, inspired by a trip to a teacher conference in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2022. He has since developed a series of interactive shows about Shakespeare and Elizabethan mathematics for schools and the general public. Since 2024 Rob has given Much Ado talks to nearly 3,000 adults and 20,000 teenagers across the UK. He has also spoken at conferences for the Historical Association and the Bell-Shakespeare Company.
Rob’s other books on everyday maths include the bestselling Maths On the Back of an Envelope and Why Do Buses Come In Threes? His first book was What Is A Googly?, an explanation of cricket to non-cricketers. He is the former puzzle adviser for New Scientist magazine, and has appeared many times on the award-winning BBC Radio 4 podcast More or Less.
