In similar way as I did with sea language, I also created a list of all the shipwrecks in the plays. Similar to the use of “sea quotes” in general, the employment of shipwrecks—along with storms and pirates—appears more frequently in the latter half of Shakespeare’s writing career.
In this table, I also attempted to visualise the progression in the theatrical depiction of shipwrecks.
One star (*) means, that the shipwreck is mentioned or conversationally referred to.
Two stars (**) denote a longer report or narration.
Three stars (***) mean, that the immediate consequences of the shipwreck are actually displayed on the stage, and
four stars (****) refer to an actual performance of the shipwreck—as far as theatrical means permit to do so.
The table further includes all appearances of pirates, as well as the storms without shipwrecks (in JC and KL; for abbreviations of the titles, see here).
What do you think of the table? Is this way to display the information helpful or interesting to you?
Shakespeare's Shipwrecks 