Responding to recent theoretical discussion of the archive as both alluring and an object of hostility, this article examines this hostility towards the archive (evidenced in the work of Helen Freshwater in particular), claiming for workers in the archive a degree of awareness of theoretical critiques of archive use that shows an understanding both of the agency of the archive worker and of the implications that agency holds. It also draws upon the author's personal experience as a curator in order to discuss the presence of Shakespeare in the Theatre & Performance department of London's Victoria & Albert Museum (formerly the Theatre Museum): the largest of its kind in the world. By acknowledging the inherent ephemeral nature of performance, the essay centralises the role of the archive worker as an active agent in the archive's creation process, as well as its literal and metaphorical protector, offering insight into the mediated relationship between archive worker and researcher. By way of response to the notable absence of Shakespeare scholars from the V&A's archive, the article also seeks to highlight the breadth and depth of the collections' Shakespeare holdings by offering a brief survey of some of the archive's most interesting and esoteric items relating to Hamlet.
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