Malvasia Malmsey was one of the three major wines exported from Greece in medieval times. (For other examples, see Rumney wine and Cretan wine). It is alleged that when Edward IV of England convicted his brother, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, of high treason, his private execution consisted of being "drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine," which is dramatized in Shakespeare's "Richard III". Both Monemvasia and Candia have lent their names to modern grape varieties. In Greece, there is a variety known as Monemvasia, evidently named after the port, though now grown primarily in the Cyclades. In western Europe,
Three Shakespeare Songs / As dreams are made on; and our little life / Is rounded with a sleep." The text of each song is derived from plays by William Shakespeare: The first song is a setting of Ariel's Song to Ferdinand from "The Tempest". It refers to Ferdinand's father — Alonso, King of Naples — who is presumed drowned in a shipwreck and whose body undergoes a magical transformation in the ocean depths. "The Tempest", Act 1 scene 2: "Full fathom five thy father lies,Of his bones are coral made;Those are pearls that were his eyes:Nothing of him that doth fade,But doth