ANN ARBOR— Like so many Shakespeare plays, maps from the Bard’s late 16th century England also project historical or contemporary themes of wealth, prestige and power. And some even cause controversy.

In conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s residence at the University of Michigan, the Clements Library has mounted a selection of maps from its rich cartographic collections that reflect some of the geographical information available to

educated Britons of Shakespeare’s time. These images also record a few of the contemporary events that helped create a part for England on the international stage.

” With so much maritime activity, conflict and exploration underway during William Shakespeare’s lifetime, it seems puzzling that, with one possible exception, the Americas do not figure in his plays,” said Brian Dunnigan, curator of maps at the Clements.

That one exception appears to be ” The Tempest,” a play that some contend was based upon a 1609 notorious shipwreck off the Bermuda Islands, giving rise to theories that Shakespeare didn