Oak trees at the Shakespeare Garden

Only the rose receives more attention from Shakespeare than the mighty oak. There are 34 explicit references to the oak, with four references to acorns. Shakespeare used the oak as a symbol of strength, but also describes them as “stout,” “sound,” “knotty,” “gnarled,” and “unwedgeable”. Symbols of solidity and fortitude are also mentioned, as are longevity and abundance. In The Tempest, the oak might become a place of imprisonment. He also uses the tree as a landmark in several plays.

Perhaps the most illustrative reference occurs in Macbeth. The three witches predicted correctly! The Birnam Oak branches of the trees in Birnam Wood camouflaged the army that was advancing against Macbeth.

Shakespeare was aware of the oak’s symbolic importance, but was almost certainly not aware of it ecologically. The oak is considered a keystone species by providing food and habitat for a huge diversity of organisms. There are over 450 species of oaks that are key to cleaning the air, sequestering CO2, and absorbing pollution. They grow in zones 3-8 or in higher altitudes. Oaks like fertile soil and full to dappled shade. It might take as much as 100 years for an oak to fully mature.