MARMOSET

4th May 2024

Photo Credit: Michael Viard (Getty Images), CANVA

QUOTATION

I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grown,

And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts,

Show thee a jay’s nest, and instruct thee how

To snare the nimble marmoset.

CALIBAN: The Tempest, Act 2, Scene 2

MARMOSET (Common Marmoset: Callithrix jacchus)

The only mention of Marmosets is this reference in the Tempest in which Caliban promises to show the stranded sailors how to find found on the island. Marmosets are a group of over 20 species of South American Monkeys in the family CALLITRICHIDAE. There are several mentions of Marmosets as pets among the elite and in portraits in the Tudor period.

On the IUCN Red List of species the vast majority of the Marmoset species are declining and a significant number are actively classified as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered.

More Information

Folger Shakespeare: Search Shakespeare’s Works

IUCN Red List: Marmosets

Mountain Marmosets Conservation Programme: Visit Site