Podcasts about neverending minute

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini-episode, we sit down with author Julie Hammonds to discuss her debut novel, Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Set against the backdrop of a fictional Shakespeare festival in the Arizona mountains during the 2009 financial crisis, the story follows theater director Richard Keane, company manager Kate Morales, and enigmatic actor Peter Dunmore as they strive to save their beloved open-air stage. Julie shares insights into how Shakespeare's works inspired the novel's structure and themes, the challenges of portraying the behind-the-scenes world of theater, and the enduring relevance of the Bard's plays in times of personal and collective hardship. Whether you're a Shakespeare aficionado, a theater enthusiast, or a lover of character-driven narratives, this conversation offers a compelling look into the intersections of art, community, and resilience. Blue Mountain Rose is now available at booksellers near you and on our Bookshop.com storefront. About Julie Hammonds Julie Hammonds fell in love with Hamlet during a high school trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and has nurtured her passion for Shakespeare ever since. She learned to run a light board on an Army base in South Korea, studied the plays on her own and in school, stage-managed The Winter's Tale and Much Ado About Nothing, and became the founding board president of the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. Along the way, she decided to complete the canon as an audience member by seeing Shakespeare's plays performed on as many different stages as she can reach. The quest has taken her from a community hall in Juneau, Alaska, to the noteworthy festivals in Stratford, Ontario, and Cedar City, Utah, to Shakespeare's Globe in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. She has four plays to go. This is her first novel. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Hammonds, Julie C. Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Soulstice Publishing, LLC, 2025.  

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In today's episode, we are exploring the English relationships with foreigners and immigrants from other European countries. First, we'll discuss what the experience of immigrant communities was like in England during the Tudor and early Stuart periods--were the English people xenophobic or welcoming to others? We'll look specifically at experiences of Dutch and French immigrants, who made up the majority of immigrants to England in the mid-late 1500s.  Then, we'll take a look at England's attempt to colonize Ireland through Essex's campaign in the late 1590s and how English anxieties about foreign invasions while also attempting to invade Ireland may have influenced Shakespeare's writing of King Henry V. We'll also discuss the characters of Macmorris, Jamy, and Fluellen and how they represent contemporary English relations with the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh.  We have previously explored England's proto-colonial practices and treatment of people of the global majority outside of Europe, and their legacies in the following episodes: Mini: Shakespeare and the Colonial Imagination Mini: Shakespeare's World: Immigrants, Others, and Foreign Commodities Mini: "Decolonize the Mind" through Shakespeare Mini: Intercultural and Global Shakespeare in a Postcolonial World Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Goose, Nigel. “Immigrants and English Economic Development in the Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries.” Immigrants in Tudor and Early Stuart England, edited by Nigel Goose and Lien Luu, Liverpool University Press, 2013, pp. 136–60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.4418193.12. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025. Goose, Nigel. “‘Xenophobia' in Elizabethan and Early Stuart England: An Epithet Too Far?” Immigrants in Tudor and Early Stuart England, edited by Nigel Goose and Lien Luu, Liverpool University Press, 2013, pp. 110–35. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.4418193.11. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025. Highley, Christopher. “‘If the Cause Be Not Good': Henry V and Essex's Irish Campaign.” Shakespeare, Spenser, and the Crisis in Ireland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. 134–163. Print. Cambridge Studies in Renaissance Literature and Culture.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. This week, we are bringing you something a little different and unlocking our Patreon bonus episode on the 1998 film, Shakespeare in Love. Over on our Patreon, we regularly watch/read and discuss Shakespeare-adjacent media. Shakespeare in Love, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and directed by John Madden, follows a fictional love affair between William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and a noblewoman, Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), during the writing of Romeo and Juliet. The film also features performances by Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck and Judi Dench. Shakespeare in Love received 7 Oscars, including Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards.  We originally released this episode in February 2023 as a Patreon-exclusive. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Stoppard, Tom, and Marc Norman. Shakespeare in Love. Panorama, 1998.  

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In today's episode, we will be exploring the lives of common and working people of Shakespeare's time. While Shakespeare's plays tend to feature nobles, monarchs, and other people of higher status as their main characters, they also feature a variety of characters from lower ranks of society. We will discuss the overall representation of common people in Shakespeare's plays, dive into the specific occupations represented within Shakespeare's play, King Henry V, and then give an overview of other occupations held by the lower ranks of society in Shakespeare's time. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Gillings, Mathew. “Shakespeare and Social Status.” Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's Language, University of Lancaster, 21 Nov. 2019, wp.lancs.ac.uk/shakespearelang/2017/06/05/shakespeare-and-social-status/. Olsen, Kirstin. "Occupations." All Things Shakespeare: A Concise Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's World, Greenwood World Publishing, Oxford / Westport, CT, 2007. Olsen, Kirstin. "Servants." All Things Shakespeare: A Concise Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's World, Greenwood World Publishing, Oxford / Westport, CT, 2007. Unwin, Stephen. “Introduction.” Poor Naked Wretches: Shakespeare's Working People, Reaktion Books, London, UK, 2022. Unwin, Stephen. “Inns, Taverns and Brothels.” Poor Naked Wretches: Shakespeare's Working People, Reaktion Books, London, UK, 2022. Unwin, Stephen. “Soldiers, Sailors and Men at Arms.” Poor Naked Wretches: Shakespeare's Working People, Reaktion Books, London, UK, 2022.                

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. Have you ever wondered where those colorful Folger paperback editions of Shakespeare plays got their name? Or how the Folger Shakespeare Library came to have the largest collection of First Folios in the world? Or if there was any relation to the coffee brand?  In today's episode, we are going to be exploring the life of Henry Folger, his wife Emily Jordan Folger, their quest for copies of the First Folio, and how their collection forever changed our modern understanding of Shakespeare and the early modern period.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Grant, Stephen H. Collecting Shakespeare: The Story of Henry and Emily Folger. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014 Mays, Andrea E. The Millionaire and the Bard: Henry Folger's Obsessive Hunt for Shakespeare's First Folio. Simon & Schuster, 2016.  "Purchasing Power Today of a US Dollar Transaction in the Past," MeasuringWorth, 2025. Staff, Folger Shakesepeare Library. “Andrea Mays on the Millionaire and the Bard.” Folger Shakespeare Library, 18 Nov. 2015, www.folger.edu/podcasts/shakespeare-unlimited/shakespeare-unlimited-episode-36/. Staff, NPR. “A Fortune in Folios: One Man's Hunt for Shakespeare's First Editions.” NPR, NPR, 14 May 2015, www.npr.org/2015/05/14/406470976/a-fortune-in-folios-one-man-s-hunt-for-shakespeare-s-first-editions. Witmore, Michael. "Henry Clay Folger." Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Jun. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/money/Henry-Clay-Folger. Accessed 5 March 2025.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In today's episode, we are exploring the realities of military life in early modern and medieval England and how those realities are reflected (or not!) in Shakespeare's King Henry V. We will discuss historical misrepresentations of the English military during Shakespeare's lifetime and how recent scholarship has discovered a wealth of narratives that prove those previous understandings to be incorrect.  We will also discuss the rules of war that existed historically during the reign of King Henry V and how accurately Shakespeare portrays and navigates those historical norms within the fictional world of the play. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Lawrence, D.R. (2011), Reappraising the Elizabethan and Early Stuart Soldier: Recent Historiography on Early Modern English Military Culture. History Compass, 9: 16-33. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-0542.2010.00748.x  Meron, Theodor. “Shakespeare's Henry the Fifth and the Law of War.” The American Journal of International Law, vol. 86, no. 1, 1992, pp. 1–45. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2203137. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In today's episode, we'll be talking about early modern English nobility. Shakespeare's history plays are about monarchs and royal lineages, and the world he was writing in was organized by ranks and degrees. So, we think it's important to talk about these pivotal ranks from kings to landed gentry. And we want to acknowledge that this mini-episode is strictly focusing on the social ranks from the Crown down to the landed gentry. We will be discussing additional ranks and social classes of England in forthcoming episodes. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "baron". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/baron. Accessed 9 February 2025. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "duke". Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Feb. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/duke. Accessed 9 February 2025. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "earl". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Jul. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/earl-title. Accessed 9 February 2025. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "marquess". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/marquess. Accessed 9 February 2025. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "peerage". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/peerage. Accessed 9 February 2025. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "viscount". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Jun. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/viscount. Accessed 9 February 2025. Debrett's, The Editors of. “The Baronetage.” Debretts, Debretts, 10 Dec. 2024, debretts.com/peerage/the-baronetage/. Debrett's, The Editors of. “Debrett's Guide to the Ranks and Privileges of the Peerage.” Debretts, Debretts, 10 Dec. 2024, debretts.com/peerage/the-peerage/ranks-and-privileges-of-the-peerage/. Debrett's, The Editors of. “The Knightage.” Debretts, Debretts, 10 Dec. 2024, debretts.com/peerage/the-knightage/. Ruggiu, François-Joseph . "Nobility and Gentry in the Early Modern Atlantic World". In obo in Atlantic History. 9 Feb. 2025. . Wikipedia contributors. "Landed gentry." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Jan. 2025. Web. 9 Feb. 2025. Wikipedia contributors. "Social class in the United Kingdom." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Jan. 2025. Web. 9 Feb. 2025. Zelazko, Alicja. "British nobility". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Jul. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/British-nobility. Accessed 9 February 2025.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this week's episode, we are exploring the historical record to better understand the difference between the facts of the historical record and the history-making and myths in Shakespeare's King Henry V. We will share brief biographies of the historical figures presented in Shakespeare's play and discuss how understanding where Shakespeare embellished or elided history can help us understand the values of the audiences of his day and how this understanding can potentially inform performances and readings of Shakespeare's play today.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Are you a teacher who teaches upper grades (US 9-12 or equivalent) and teaches Shakespeare or wants to teach Shakespeare? We want to hear from you: https://www.shakespeareanyone.com/teachersurvey Works referenced: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Charles VI". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-VI-king-of-France. Accessed 26 January 2025. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Edward of Norwich, 2nd duke of York". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Oct. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-of-Norwich-2nd-duke-of-York. Accessed 26 January 2025. Carpenter, Christine. "Beauchamp, Richard, thirteenth earl of Warwick (1382–1439), magnate." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  October 03, 2013. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Catto, Jeremy. "Chichele, Henry (c. 1362–1443), administrator and archbishop of Canterbury." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  September 23, 2004. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Griffiths, R. A. "Holland [Holand], John, first duke of Exeter (1395–1447), soldier and magnate." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Harriss, G. L. "Beaufort, Thomas, duke of Exeter (1377?–1426), magnate and soldier." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Harriss, G. L. "Humphrey [Humfrey or Humphrey of Lancaster], duke of Gloucester [called Good Duke Humphrey] (1390–1447), prince, soldier, and literary patron." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  June 11, 2020. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Harriss, G. L. "Richard [Richard of Conisbrough], earl of Cambridge (1385–1415), magnate." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  September 14, 2023. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Hughes, Jonathan. "Arundel [Fitzalan], Thomas (1353–1414), administrator and archbishop of Canterbury." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  May 24, 2007. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Jones, Dan. Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King. Viking, 2024. Pollard, A. J. "Neville, Richard, fifth earl of Salisbury (1400–1460), magnate." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Stratford, Jenny. "John [John of Lancaster], duke of Bedford (1389–1435), regent of France and prince." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  September 22, 2011. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Tuck, Anthony. "Edmund [Edmund of Langley], first duke of York (1341–1402), prince." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  September 14, 2023. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Tuck, Anthony. "Neville, Ralph, first earl of Westmorland (c. 1364–1425), magnate." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Vale, Brigette. "Scrope, Henry, third Baron Scrope of Masham (c. 1376–1415), soldier and administrator." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Walker, Simon. "Erpingham, Sir Thomas (c. 1355–1428), soldier." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 27 Jan. 2025 Wikipedia contributors. "Charles II, Duke of Lorraine." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 Jan. 2025. Web. 27 Jan. 2025. Wikipedia contributors. "Isabeau of Bavaria." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 Jan. 2025. Web. 27 Jan. 2025. Wikipedia contributors. "Louis, Duke of Guyenne." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Nov. 2024. Web. 27 Jan. 2025.

To kick off our series on Shakespeare's King Henry V, we are (as always) starting with an overview of basic facts about the play and an introduction to the major themes and motifs of the play.  Location of the Battle of Agincourt Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Shakespeare, William. King Henry V. Edited by T. W. Craik, Arden Shakespeare, 1995. SparkNotes Editors. “King Henry V” SparkNotes.com, SparkNotes LLC, 2005, https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henryv/

We are starting off 2025 and Shakespeare Anyone's fifth year with our first History (and also a play with the number five in its title): King Henry V. In this episode, we will provide a detailed summary of the plot, breaking down the action of the play scene by scene. To quote this play, "once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more," or...let's dive in! Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Shakespeare, William. King Henry V. Edited by T. W. Craik, Arden Shakespeare, 1995.    

Over this past year, we quietly went back to where we began this podcast and worked on revising our Intro Series, "Stuff You Should Know." We updated the original episodes quietly in September. When we started thinking about what we wanted to release for the end of 2024, we feel like nothing encapsulates how we've grown as podcasters and scholars over the past four years better than these revised episodes, so we wanted to revisit them and share these episodes again.  -- This is Part 3 of our intro series “Stuff You Should Know,” which covers some background and context into the life and times of Shakespeare, because art isn't created in a vacuum. In this episode, we'll be covering some basic information about Shakespeare. And when we say basic, we mean basic. And, even though Shakespeare is a famous figure, scholars and historians actually know quite little about William Shakespeare the man. We will discuss what scholars know about Shakespeare's early life in Stratford-upon-Avon and what a typical education for a young man of Shakespeare's background. We will also discuss some popular theories about what Shakespeare may have done in life before arriving in London. We will then give an overview of Shakespeare's career of an actor and playwright, his family, and his later life.  Want more about Shakespeare the man? Check out these episodes that go more in depth on topics we touch on in this episode: Mini-Episode: Christopher Marlowe Mini: Ben Jonson, Shakespeare's Colleague and Competitor Mini: Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's Wife Shakespeare Anyone? is created, written, produced, and hosted by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Episode written and researched by Kourtney Smith with contributions by Elyse Sharp. Revised September 2024. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Dale, Liam, director. William Shakespeare: the Life and Times. 1091 Pictures, Cobra Entertainment, 3 Apr. 2017. Accessed 16 Sept. 2020, from www.youtube.com/watch?v=qafnuBH8KPs Mcarafano. (2020, February 25). Shakespeare's Life. Accessed 16 Sept. 2020, from https://www.folger.edu/shakespeares-life William Shakespeare Biography. (n.d.). Accessed 16 Sept. 2020, from https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/william-shakespeare/william-shakespeare-biography/

Over this past year, we quietly went back to where we began this podcast and worked on revising our Intro Series, "Stuff You Should Know." We updated the original episodes quietly in September. When we started thinking about what we wanted to release for the end of 2024, we feel like nothing encapsulates how we've grown as podcasters and scholars over the past four years better than these revised episodes, so we wanted to revisit them and share these episodes again.  -- This is Part 2 of our intro series “Stuff You Should Know,” which covers some background and context into the life and times of Shakespeare, because art isn't created in a vacuum. In this episode, we'll be covering some basic information about early modern England during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. And when we say basic, we mean basic. This is a quick overview of early modern England, more importantly the England that influenced Shakespeare.  In this episode, we'll be covering some basic information about the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, as well as the public theatres during those respective eras. We'll review how the transition from feudalism to mercantilism changed English society and discuss facets of early modern English society such as fashion, social mobility, religious freedom, and public health. We will give an overview the history of the public theatre in England and discuss some key features of what theatre-making was like for Shakespeare and his contemporaries.  Want more about the Elizabethan and Jacobean England & Theatre? Check out these episodes that go more in depth on topics we touch on in this episode: Mini: Commerce and Trade in Shakespeare's Time King Lear: Mental Health and Disability in Shakespeare's Time Mini-Episode: The Gunpowder Plot Mini-Episode: The Four Humours Hamlet: Ophelia, Gertrude, and Female Agency Mini: Plague, Quarantine, & Shakespeare Mini: Shakespearean Vengeance: Exploring Revenge Tragedies in Early Modern England Mini-Episode: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Mini: Traveling Theatre Companies Mini: Shakespeare's Folios and Quartos Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Episode written and researched by Kourtney Smith with contributions by Elyse Sharp. Revised September 2024. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Brown, John Russell, and Peter Thomson, editor and author. “Chapter 6 English Renaissance and Restoration Theatre.” The Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre, pp. 173 - 200. Oxford University Press, 2001 Sherry, Joyce. “Elizabethan Theatre.” YouTube, 4 Jan. 2014, Accessed 6 Sept. 2020, from www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_cTCdkCAcc

Over this past year, we quietly went back to where we began this podcast and worked on revising our Intro Series, "Stuff You Should Know." We updated the original episodes quietly in September. When we started thinking about what we wanted to release for the end of 2024, we feel like nothing encapsulates how we've grown as podcasters and scholars over the past four years better than these revised episodes, so we wanted to revisit them and share these episodes again.  -- This is Part I of our intro series, “Stuff You Should Know,” which covers some background and context into the life and times of Shakespeare, because art isn't created in a vacuum. In this episode, we'll be covering some basic information about the monarchy and English Renaissance. And when we say basic, we mean basic. This is a quick overview of early modern England, more importantly the England that influenced Shakespeare.  In this episode, we'll be covering some basic information about the English monarchy and English Renaissance. We will give an overview of the history of the English monarchy during the English Renaissance, through the early modern period and a little beyond Shakespeare's lifetime. We will discuss how the Renaissance differed from the medieval period that came before it and how the English Renaissance differed from the Italian Renaissance.  Want more about the English Renaissance? Check out these episodes that go more in depth on topics we touch on in this episode: Mini: Shakespeare and Petrarch Mini: Shakespeare and the Colonial Imagination Mini: Shakespeare's World: Immigrants, Others, and Foreign Commodities Mini: "Decolonize the Mind" through Shakespeare Mini: Commerce and Trade in Shakespeare's Time Hamlet: Ophelia, Gertrude, and Female Agency Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Episode written and researched by Kourtney Smith. Revised September 2024. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com Works Referenced: Cooper, Dr. Tanya. “Elizabeth I and Her People”. National Portrait Gallery, The Weiss Gallery, 7 Oct. 2013. Accessed 8 Sept. 2020, from www.npg.org.uk/whatson/elizabethi/film Elizabethans - Religious Settlement. (2018, September 23). Accessed 24 Sept. 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylP6oZgSeuI Fox, Dr. James, creator and writer. A Very British Renaissance, Episode 1: The Renaissance Arrives. A BBC Arts Production, 2014. Accessed 16 Sept. 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtc1cY3ZDTs Fox, Dr. James, creator and writer. A Very British Renaissance, Episode 2: The Elizabethan Code. A BBC Arts Production, 2014. Accessed 16 Sept. 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCCjOck6cd4 Fox, Dr. James, creator and writer. A Very British Renaissance, Episode 3: Whose Renaissance?. A BBC Arts Production, 2014. Accessed 16 Sept. 2020, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03yzflc/episodes/guide William, Professor Kate, presentor. The Stuarts - A Bloody Reign, Episode 101: King James I. Timeline, A 3DD Production in association with Yesterday imagined by UKTV, 31 July 2018. Accessed 16 Sept. 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zfgxzk3UtY

It's time for our annual bonus episode! Join us as we revisit the Shakespeare plays we covered this year. We've gone back and re-read both Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing, and we will discuss what has changed in our readings of these plays after completing our research as well as what we would like to see more (or less) of in future productions or research relating to these two plays.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing: Revised Edition. Edited by Claire McEachern, 2nd ed., Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. Shakespeare, William, and René Weis. Romeo and Juliet: Revised Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2012.

Each year, in recognition of the National Day of Mourning/Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, we examine how British colonialism is irrevocably intertwined with Shakespeare through close reading of Jyotsna Singh's Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory. In this week's episode, we will explore how Shakespeare's plays can be interpreted and performed in a postcolonial society. This practice involves shifting our perceptions of Shakespeare's plays as timeless and universal to timely and particular, especially in the context of performance. We will discuss a few postcolonial readings and performances from both Western and Global Shakespeare scholars and practitioners. We will also explore how these specific productions prompt and answer the questions of: “Why this play?” and “Why now?” Who is producing this play? Who is on the stage playing these characters? What interpretive choices are being made? Where is this play being performed? These are all questions we invite all to ask as we apply this framework to our own scholarship and theatre practice. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Singh, Jyotsna G. Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory, The Arden Shakespeare, Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 2020.

In today's episode, we will be finishing up our exploration of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing by watching and discussing three productions.  First, we will discuss Kenneth Branagh's 1993 film version, starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. Then we will take a look at the 2019 Public Theatre's Shakespeare in Park production directed by Kenny Ortega and starring Danielle Brooks and Grantham Coleman. Last but not least, we will round out our viewings with the 2011 Wyndham's Theatre production starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate.  Want more Much Ado About Nothing adaptations? Over on our Patreon, we also have a discussion of the 2023 film Anyone But You starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: "Much Ado About Nothing." Great Performancess, directed by Kenny Leon, performances by Danielle Brooks and Grantham Coleman, et.al, season 47, episode 9,   Thirteen / WNET, 2019. PBS, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shakespeare-in-the-park-much-ado-about-nothing-about/9822/.  Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, performances by Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, et.al.  The Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1993. Prime Video. Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Josie Rourke and Robert Delamere, performances by Catherine Tate and David Tennant, et.al. Wyndham's Theatre. 2011. Digital Theatre.    

In today's episode, we are exploring the life of Shakespeare's contemporary, Aemilia Bassano Lanyer (whose name is also spelled as Emilia Lanier), who was one of the first women in England to publish her writing and is the author of the first published book of poetry by an English woman.  First, we will explore Aemilia's early life before discussing her groundbreaking volume of poetry, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum. We will talk about what is known of the rest of Aemilia's life before giving a brief overview of what she is most known for today: her possible ties to William Shakespeare. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Benson, Pamela. ‘Emilia Lanier', A Critical Introduction to the Casebooks of Simon Forman and Richard Napier, 1596–1634, https://casebooks.lib.cam.ac.uk/using-the-casebooks/meet-the-patients/emilia-lanier, accessed 6 October 2024. Cooley, Ron. “Aemilia Lanyer  Biographical Introduction.” Aemilia Lanyer, Biographical Introduction, University of Saskatchewan English Department, 8 Aug. 1998, drc.usask.ca/projects/emet/phoenix/lanyerbio.htm. Greenstadt, A. Eliza . "Aemilia Lanyer". In obo in Renaissance and Reformation. 6 Oct. 2024. . Grossman, Marshall, editor. Aemilia Lanyer: Gender, Genre, and the Canon. 1st ed., University Press of Kentucky, 1998. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt130jkm3. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024. Lanyer, Aemilia. “Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum.” Edited by Risa S. Bear, Renascence Editions , Luminarium/The Univeristy of Oregon, 21 Nov. 2009, www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/lanyer1.html. Lanyer, Aemilia. “The Description of Cooke-Ham.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2024, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50661/the-description-of-cooke-ham.  McBride, Kari Boyd (2008) Web Page Dedicated to Aemilia Lanyer Archived 25 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 06 Oct. 2024 McDonough, M.G., host. “More than the Dark Lady: Aemelia Lanyer's “Eve's Apology in Defense of Women.” The Classic English Literature Podcast, season 1, episode 65, 05 May 2024. https://theclassicenglishliteraturepodcast.buzzsprout.com/2024786/episodes/15012587-more-than-the-dark-lady-aemilia-lanyer-s-eve-s-apology-in-defense-of-women. Accessed 05 October 2024. Teysko, Heather, host. “Amelia Lanier: England's first Female English Poet.” Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors, season 1, episode 220, 10 January 2024. https://www.englandcast.com/podcast-archive/. Accessed 05 October 2024.  

In today's episode, we are exploring the historical and theatrical context for bastard characters in Shakespeare's plays and other plays of the early modern period. We'll explore the cultural norms that existed for illegitimate children during the Elizabethan and Jacobean and the legal, financial, and social prejudices they and their parents experienced. We will also discuss how the experience of illegitimacy intersects with class in early modern England. Then, we will explore how the early modern theatre mirrored the experience of illegitimate children and how bastard characters were used as a tool by dramatists for the early modern theatre.   Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Findlay, Alison. Illegitimate Power: Bastards in Renaissance Drama. United Kingdom, Manchester University Press, 2009.

In today's episode, we are joined by Shakespeare scholar, Darren Freebury-Jones, to discuss his soon-to-be-released book, Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers, which explores how Shakespeare was influenced by his fellow contemporary dramatists like John Lyly, Ben Johnson, and Christopher Marlowe, and how he also influenced their work.  We'll discuss Darren's research process and the methods he used to analyze the works of Shakespeare and Shakespeare's contemporaries. We will also learn from Darren what this research reveals about the playwrighting and theatrical community of early modern London, and what readers and theatre-makers can learn from having a broader knowledge of early modern drama beyond Shakespeare.  About Darren Freebury-Jones Dr Darren Freebury-Jones is author of the monographs: Reading Robert Greene: Recovering Shakespeare's Rival (Routledge), Shakespeare's Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd (Manchester University Press), and Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers (Manchester University Press). He is Associate Editor for the first critical edition of The Collected Works of Thomas Kyd since 1901 (Boydell and Brewer). He has also investigated the boundaries of John Marston's dramatic corpus as part of the Oxford Marston project and is General Editor for The Collected Plays of Robert Greene (Edinburgh University Press). His findings on the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries have been discussed in national newspapers such as The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Observer, and The Independent as well as BBC Radio. His debut poetry collection, Rambling (Broken Sleep Books), was published in 2024. In 2023 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contributions to historical scholarship. About Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers  A fascinating book exploring the early modern authors who helped to shape Shakespeare's beloved plays. Shakespeare's plays have influenced generations of writers, but who were the early modern playwrights who influenced him? Using the latest techniques in textual analysis Shakespeare's borrowed feathers offers a fresh look at William Shakespeare and reveals the influence of a community of playwrights that shaped his work. This compelling book argues that we need to see early modern drama as a communal enterprise, with playwrights borrowing from and adapting one another's work. From John Lyly's wit to the collaborative genius of John Fletcher, to Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson, Shakespeare's borrowed feathers offers fresh insights into Shakespeare's artistic development and shows us new ways of looking at the masterpieces that have enchanted audiences for centuries. Order Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers through bookshop.org (Note: this is an affiliate link, which means by clicking and ordering, you'll get a great book and support the podcast and local bookshops) Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced:  Freebury-Jones, Darren. Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers. Manchester University Press, 2024.    

In today's episode, we are exploring how Shakespeare was influenced by The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione as he was writing Much Ado About Nothing. We'll discuss how close reading of both Shakespeare's play and Castiglione's Renaissance etiquette book uncovers layers of intertextuality and references to The Courtier in Shakespeare's writing. First, we'll discuss some parallels between The Courtier and Much Ado About Nothing. Then we will dig deeper into Book 3 of The Courtier and how its messages on joking, jesting, and laughter can be read in Much Ado About Nothing. We will also briefly discuss how Hero and Beatrice reflect The Courtier's ideal for Renaissance women.  Finally, we will closely examine the courtiers in Much Ado About Nothing and how the characters of Benedick, Claudio, Don Pedro, and Don John can be read through the lens of good (and bad) courtier behavior as outlined in The Courtier. We will also discuss which of these courtiers comes the closest to Castiglione's ideal courtier, and what early modern English behaviors Shakespeare may have been commenting on through this play.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Collington, Philip D. “‘Stuffed with All Honourable Virtues': ‘Much Ado about Nothing' and ‘The Book of the Courtier.'” Studies in Philology, vol. 103, no. 3, 2006, pp. 281–312, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4174852.  Ghose, Indira. “Courtliness and Laughter.” Shakespeare and Laughter: A Cultural History, Manchester University Press, 2008, pp. 15–51. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt155jd06.5. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.

Today's episode is another part of our series on Shakespeare's Language Framework, or how Shakespeare's use of language can inform our understanding of his works. In today's episode, we are going to explore a device Shakespeare uses throughout his plays (but very notably in the comedies and histories): malapropisms.  We will start by defining the term malapropism, then we will explore a linguistic study on malapropisms to determine how Shakespeare's malapropisms are linguistically constructed. We will also discuss whether or not early modern audiences would have understood these malapropisms as intentional wordplay, and how scholars know that they are intentional, instead of a printing or editing error.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: “Acyrology, N.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/4304815537. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "malapropism". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Jul. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/malapropism. Accessed 20 August 2024. "Dogberryism." Oxford Reference. . . Date of access 21 Aug. 2024, https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095724827 Keller, M. (2017). “Saying Thus or to the Same Defect”: A Linguistic Analysis of Shakespeare's Malapropisms. English Studies, 98(3), 244–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013838X.2017.1283119 Livingstone, David. (2024). "If We Offend, It Is With Our Good Will”: Malapropisms, Mispronunciation and Garbling of Language in Shakespeare's Plays. FOLIUM. 4. 160-166. 10.32782/folium/2024.4.23.   

In today's episode, we are investigating Shakespeare's comic constable in Much Ado About Nothing, Dogberry, and why this character is portrayed as a clown. We'll look at a survey of historical records from Shakespeare's time to determine if early modern constables were truly as ineffective as Dogberry appears to be and if there is a contextual reason that Shakespeare's audience would want to see them depicted as foolish on stage.  We will also discuss what the job of the early modern constable entailed, how it developed, and who the "real-life Dogberry" would have been in their communites. Finally, we will discuss how this context can shift our understanding of the character Shakespeare wrote.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Kent, Joan. “The English Village Constable, 1580-1642: The Nature and Dilemmas of the Office.” Journal of British Studies, vol. 20, no. 2, 1981, pp. 26–49. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/175635. Accessed 4 Aug. 2024. Spinrad, Phoebe S. “Dogberry Hero: Shakespeare's Comic Constables in Their Communal Context.” Studies in Philology, vol. 89, no. 2, 1992, pp. 161–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4174417. Accessed 4 Aug. 2024.

In today's episode, we are joined by friend-of-the-pod, Dr. Danielle Rosvally to discuss her new book, Theatres of Value: Buying and Selling Shakespeare in Nineteenth-Century New York City, and how Shakespeare had value for New Yorkers in the 1800s, and how Shakespeare came to be so prominent in American culture. About Danielle Rosvally: Danielle Rosvally is an assistant professor of theatre at the University at Buffalo. Her work examines Shakespeare as cultural capital, particularly iterations that intersect with performance and theatrical labor. Her book Theatres of Value: Buying and Selling Shakespeare in Nineteenth-Century New York City explores how nineteenth-century New York theatre makers bought and sold the commodity of Shakespeare, and how these performances of value intersect with American nation building and national identity. Her next project, Yassified Shakespeare, is a multimedia exploration of how iterations of Shakespearean performance and Shakespeare's cultural capital critically intersect with drag and drag aesthetics. Danielle is a fight director, director, actor, and dramaturge. Her work has been published in Theatre Topics, Studies in Musical Theatre, Borrowers and Lenders, Early Modern Studies Journal, several edited collections, and Shakespeare Bulletin, as well as on TikTok: @YassifiedShax About Theatres of Value: Theatres of Value explores the idea that buying and selling are performative acts and offers a paradigm for deeper study of these acts—"the dramaturgy of value." Modeling this multifaceted approach, the book explores six case studies to show how and why Shakespeare had value for nineteenth-century New Yorkers. In considering William Brown's African Theater, P. T. Barnum's American Museum and Lecture Hall, Fanny Kemble's American reading career, the Booth family brand, the memorial statue of Shakespeare in Central Park, and an 1888 benefit performance of Hamlet to theatrical impresario Lester Wallack, Theatres of Value traces a history of audience engagement with Shakespearean cultural capital and the myriad ways this engagement was leveraged by theatrical businesspeople. Want to read Theatres of Value? Request a copy at your library and DM Danielle a screenshot at @DRosvally on X (Twitter), and Danielle will send you some cool stickers For the month of July 2024, post a picture of you and a slice a pizza with hashtag #theatresofvalue and tag @DRosvally and @SUNY on X (Twitter), and Danielle will DM you a code for 30% off through SUNY Press.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod.

In our first deep dive episode into the world of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, we are examining early modern gender norms and how they influence the world of Messina and Leonato's household in Shakespeare's play. Join us as we discuss the spectrum of womanhood represented by Hero and Beatrice and examine the early modern anxieties that fuelled representations of cuckoldry on stage (and where did the idea of horns come from?). We'll also explore the early modern ideal of the silent wife and the trope of women at windows before talking about how modern theatremakers can choose to address these themes. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod. Works referenced: Berger, Harry. “Against the Sink-a-Pace: Sexual and Family Politics In Much Ado About Nothing.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 3, 1982, pp. 302–13. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2869734. Accessed 9 July 2024. Cohen, Stephen. “‘No Assembly but Horn-Beast': The Politics of Cuckoldry in Shakespeare's Romantic Comedies.” Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2004, pp. 5–34. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40339529. Accessed 16 July 2024. Friedman, Michael D. “‘Hush'd on Purpose to Grace Harmony': Wives and Silence in ‘Much Ado about Nothing.'” Theatre Journal, vol. 42, no. 3, 1990, pp. 350–363, https://doi.org/10.2307/3208080. Lewis, Cynthia. “‘You Were an Actor with Your Handkerchief': Women, Windows, and Moral Agency.” Comparative Drama, vol. 43, no. 4, 2009, pp. 473–96. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23038006. Accessed 9 July 2024. McEachern, Claire. “Why Do Cuckolds Have Horns?” Huntington Library Quarterly, vol. 71, no. 4, 2008, pp. 607–31. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/hlq.2008.71.4.607. Accessed 16 July 2024. THOMSON, LESLIE. “Window Scenes in Renaissance Plays: A Survey and Some Conclusions.” Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England, vol. 5, 1991, pp. 225–43. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24322098. Accessed 9 July 2024.

To kick off our series on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, we are (as always) starting with an overview of basic facts about the play and an introduction to the major themes and motifs of the play.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced:   Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing: Revised Edition. Edited by Claire McEachern, 2nd ed., Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. SparkNotes Editors. “Much Ado About Nothing.” SparkNotes.com, SparkNotes LLC, 2005, https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/muchado/section1/.  

It's time for our next play, and we are so excited to dive into the world of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. As always, we will start off with a detailed plot summary, breaking down the action of the play scene by scene. Let's dive in! Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing: Revised Edition. Edited by Claire McEachern, 2nd ed., Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.    

In today's episode, we are joined by Ricky Dukes, Artistic Director of the Lazarus Theatre Company, to discuss the work of the Lazarus Theatre Company, why classical plays, including Shakespeare, are still relevant for audiences today, and the upcoming (and timely) Lazarus Theatre Company production of Julius Caesar.  About Ricky Dukes Ricky is a working-class, award-winning Director, Practitioner and Teacher based in the West Midlands and London. In 2007 he founded Lazarus Theatre Company and is the company's current Artistic Director for which he won Best Artistic Director in the 2012 Fringe Report Awards. His work is ensemble led with actor detail at its heart creating large scale visual, visceral, and vibrant theatrical experiences. Founded in 2007 Ricky has gone on to direct over 40 productions for Lazarus Theatre Company. He is currently working on a new production of Shakespeare's Rowley's Julius Caesar which will open at Southwark Playhouse in Sept 2024. Notable productions include: The Changeling, Middleton & Rowley, Southwark Playhouse, 2023. Hamlet, Shakespeare, Southwark Playhouse, 2023. Doctor Faustus, Marlowe, Southwark Playhouse, 2022. Salomé, Oscar Wilde, Southwark Playhouse, 2021. Macbeth, Shakespeare, Greenwich Theatre, 2020. Edward II, Christopher Marlowe, Tristan Bates Theatre / Greenwich Theatre, 2017 /2018. Caucasian Chalk Circle, Brecht, Jack Studio Theatre / Greenwich Theatre, 2016 /2017. Tis Pity She's A Whore,  John Ford, Tristan Bates Theatre, 2016. Dido, Queen of Carthage, Christopher Marlowe, Greenwich Theatre, 2013. About Lazarus Theatre Company Lazarus Theatre Company is an award-winning ensemble, reimagining and revitalising classic plays in visual, visceral and vibrant productions. Follow them on Instagram and Twitter at @LazarusTheatre About Lazarus Theatre Company's 2024 production of Julius Caesar Lazarus Theatre Company will return to Southwark Playhouse Borough with a glimpse into the behind the scenes of government politics in a multimedia reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Set within a government spin room, this uncanny insight into the inner workings of politics and media engages with what we are fed and how we consume news. In what is set to be a hotly contested electoral year in the UK, US and across Europe, Julius Caesar's investigation into what we can trust in the media and through our screens presents a crucial look at the current landscape of media, AI and public opinion. A striking reimagining, which exposes the plots and betrayal at the forefront of the classic story, this political thriller will use an innovative blend of technology and staging to present both sides of the political coin. Expect dramatic and striking theatrics as Lazarus's ensemble present a raucous and bloody production that sees The Thick of It meets West Wing. Julius Caesar will run Friday September 6th – Saturday October 5th, 2024 at Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Large, 77-84 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD.  Captioned Performance Saturday 21st September 2024 Relaxed Performance Saturday 28th September 2024, 3pm, 7.30pm Streamed Performance Thursday 17th October 2024 Tickets are available online at https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/julius-caesar/ ---- Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com/ Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod  

It's hard to believe it is finally here, but we are wrapping up our Romeo and Juliet series this week by watching and discussing two productions. First, we will discuss Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the title roles. Then, we will move into the National Theatre at Home production of Romeo and Juliet directed by Simon Godwin and starring Jessie Buckley and Josh O'Connor.  Not enough Romeo and Juliet? Paid Patreon members can access our bonus episodes on Gnomeo & Juliet and the 2022 film Rosaline and suggest other adaptations we should watch for future Patreon bonus episodes! Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Godwin, Simon, director. Romeo and Juliet. National Theatre at Home, National Theatre, 2021, https://www.ntathome.com/romeo-juliet. Accessed 2024. Luhrmann, Baz, director. William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1996.    

In today's episode, we are joined in discussion with Kelly Hunter, MBE, to discuss her work producting Shakespeare for autistic audiences. We will discuss Kelly's professional journey that led her from working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and on the West End to founding The Flute Theatre and developing the Hunter Heartbeat Method in collaboration with autistic individuals. Kelly Hunter, MBE began working in theatre aged 17 playing The Mistress in Evita in the West End in 1980. Since then she has been creatively engaged in theatres, performing and adapting and directing Shakespeare. Kelly has also taught and directed students across the world. Kelly is the author of Cracking Shakespeare, which serves to demystify the process of speaking Shakespeare's language, offering hands-on techniques for drama students, young actors and directors who are intimidated by rehearsing, performing and directing Shakespeare's plays, and Shakespeare's Heartbeat: Drama Games for Children with Autism. Kelly developed the Hunter Heartbeat Method,  a series of sensory drama games, which allow autistic individuals to share how it feels to be alive and celebrate their identity. Autistic individuals have created this award-winning methodology across the world, working with Kelly over the last twenty years.  Kelly is the artistic director of The Flute Theatre, which produces award winning productions of Shakespeare and runs long term community projects for people marginalised by autism. The Flute Theatre is  renowned for our innovative productions of Shakespeare including specialised shows for autistic individuals, refugees and those displaced by war. These productions use the award-winning Hunter Heartbeat Method. The Flute Theatre performs internationally, adapting the language of their performances to the needs and ears of their audience. They also perform in the UK and internationally with refugees and those displaced by war. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod  

In today's episode, we are exploring the historical context for the family feud and violence between the Capulets and Montagues in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. We'll briefly revisit the history of medieval bloodfeuds that we examined in our episodes on Macbeth, then we will dive into the pratices of vendettas and dueling in the Italian renaissance and how this form of violence was imported into England, Scotland, and Wales in the late 1500s and early 1600s. We will examine the rise in popularity of dueling among young men of the English nobility and gentry, how the public theatres romanticized and dramatized dueling, and how Shakespeare wove this trend and reactions to it into the plot of Romeo and Juliet.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Bowen, Lloyd. “The Duel in Elizabethan and Jacobean England and Wales.” Anatomy of a Duel in Jacobean England: Gentry Honour, Violence and the Law, NED-New edition, Boydell & Brewer, 2021, pp. 68–83. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv18x4j9z.11. Accessed 14 Apr. 2024. Dean, Trevor. “Marriage and Mutilation: Vendetta in Late Medieval Italy.” Past & Present, no. 157, 1997, pp. 3–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/651079. Accessed 14 Apr. 2024. Quint, David. “Duelling and Civility in Sixteenth Century Italy.” I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance, vol. 7, 1997, pp. 231–78. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4603706. Accessed 14 Apr. 2024.  

In today's episode, we are exploring the life and works of one of Shakespeare's contemporaries: Ben Jonson. Often called "Shakespeare's rival," Ben Jonson was an early modern actor turned playwright who came from humble beginnings to achieve success on the London stages. We'll dive into the parallels between Shakespeare and Jonson's lives, and we'll discuss how Jonson may be the person who we should thank for Shakespeare's First Folio.    Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced:  Donaldson, Ian. "Jonson, Benjamin [Ben] (1572–1637), poet and playwright." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  October 03, 2013. Oxford University Press. Date of access 9 Apr. 2024, Editors of Poetry Foundation. “Ben Jonson.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2024, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ben-jonson. Jonson, Ben. “To the Memory of My Beloved the Author, Mr....” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2024, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44466/to-the-memory-of-my-beloved-the-author-mr-william-shakespeare. Leech, Clifford. “Ben Jonson.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 7 Apr. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Ben-Jonson-English-writer. Mabillard, Amanda. “Preface to The First Folio (1623).” William Shakespeare's First Folio: The Preface to the First Folio, 21 Jan. 2022, www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/firstfolio.html. “Research Guides: Shakespeare Studies: Ben Jonson.” Ben Jonson - Shakespeare Studies - Research Guides at New York University, New York University, 2024, guides.nyu.edu/shakespeare-studies/ben-johnson. “Shakespeare First Folio: Folger Shakespeare Library.” Edited by Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare First Folio | Folger Shakespeare Library, Folger Shakespeare Library, 2024, www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeare-in-print/first-folio/. Shoemaker, Robert. “Punishment Sentences at the Old Bailey.” The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, Digital Humanities Institute at the University of Sheffield, autumn 2023, www.oldbaileyonline.org/about/punishment. Westminister Abbey. “Ben Jonson.” Westminster Abbey, Westminster Abbey, 2024, www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/ben-jonson.    

In today's episode, we will be discussing what is was like to be a teenager in Shakespeare's time, and how we can see early modern teenagerdom represented in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. We will build on our previous explorations of the early modern understanding of age and youth from our episodes on girlhood and manhood, then dive into the lived experiences of early modern teens and young adults. Finally, we will discuss the early modern public health crisis of suicide among children and adolescents. Content Warning: Suicide If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, you are not alone and help is available. If you are in the United States, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org You can find additional resources for your location at https://www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts/ Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Murphy, Terence R. “‘Woful Childe of Parents Rage': Suicide of Children and Adolescents in Early Modern England, 1507-1710.” The Sixteenth Century Journal, vol. 17, no. 3, 1986, pp. 259–70. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2540320. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024. Prusko, Rachel. “Youth and Privacy in Romeo and Juliet.” Early Theatre, vol. 19, no. 1, 2016, pp. 113–36. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/90018273. Accessed 22 Mar. 2024. Sparey, Victoria. “Performing Puberty: Fertile Complexions in Shakespeare's Plays.” Shakespeare Bulletin, vol. 33, no. 3, 2015, pp. 441–67. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26355127. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.

In today's episode, we are joined by Dr. Danielle Rosvally and Sydney Schwindt to discuss how fight choreographers approach staging moments of violence in theatre, specifically in Shakespeare's plays. We will discuss how they collaborate with directors and actors to safely depict violence on stage, the state of the fight direction community, and how anyone can learn more about safe, consent-based practices for staging violence onstage.  Our guests:  Danielle Rosvally, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of theatre at the University at Buffalo where she serves as resident violence coordinator. She is a fight director, actor, dramaturge, and director. Danielle has been crafting and performing staged violence for over twenty years, and has written about fight direction for venues such as Theatre Topics, Fight Master Magazine, and various edited collections. As a researcher, Danielle specializes in Shakespeare; her book on  on Shakespeare as an economic value comes out with the State University of New York press in July. Sydney Schwindt wears many hats in the theatre world; she is an actor, director, fight director, and educator. She is a resident artist with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and works frequently with SPARC Theatre. She is an advanced actor combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and is on the advisory board for the Same Boat Theatre Collective. She has taught movement and stage combat at Indiana University and the American Conservatory Theatre's Graduate program.  Sydney directed “As You Like It” with San Francisco Shakespeare Festival's Shakespeare on Tour. It is running from now until mid May 2024 all across California. Check the websites for a public performance near you! www.sfshakes.org She will be directing “Twelfth Night” with the Starling Shakespeare Company this summer. The show runs in rep with “Henry IV, Part 1” from June until September, 2024.  Learn more about Fight Direction: Society of American Fight Directors The British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat British Academy of Dramatic Combat Fight Directors Canada Danielle's HowlRound Article Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod    

In today's episode, we will be diving into the culture of courtship and marriage in early modern England. We will take a look at how the cultural norms and concerns surrounding marriage were shifting and changing in Shakespeare's time and how we can see this represented in Romeo and Juliet. We will also discuss how, at least in some parts of England and for certain classes, young people were able to resist some of the societal structures around courtship and marriage.    Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Hubbard, Eleanor. “A Room of Their Own: Young Women, Courtship, and the Night in Early Modern England.” The Youth of Early Modern Women, edited by Elizabeth S. Cohen and Margaret Reeves, Amsterdam University Press, 2018, pp. 297–314. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv8pzd5z.17. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024.   Peters, Christine. “Gender, Sacrament and Ritual: The Making and Meaning of Marriage in Late Medieval and Early Modern England.” Past & Present, no. 169, 2000, pp. 63–96. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/651264. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024.   Waddington, Raymond B. “Marriage in Early Modern Europe.” The Sixteenth Century Journal, vol. 34, no. 2, 2003, pp. 315–18. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/20061411. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024.

In today's episode, we will be continuing our series on Shakespeare's Language Framework and our Shakespeare's Sources by taking a closer look at Petrarch. First, we will dive into the biography of Francesco Petrarca, more commonly known as Petrarch in English, the 14th century poet who had a huge influence on European humanism, the Renaissance, and poetry. Then, we will explore Petrarch's influence and how it spread across Europe before covering how we can see his influence in the works of William Shakespeare.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Paster, Gail Kern. “A Modern Perspective: Romeo and Juliet.” Folger Shakespeare Library, 2024, www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/romeo-and-juliet/romeo-and-juliet-a-modern-perspective/. "Petrarchism." The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012. Credo Reference. Web. 21 January 2015.  Shakespeare, William, and Keir Elam. Twelfth Night. Arden Shakespeare, 2008. Vuillemin, Rémi. “‘love with excess of heat': The sonnet and Petrarchan excess in the late elizabethan and early jacobean periods.” XVII-XVIII, no. 71, 31 Dec. 2014, pp. 99–120, https://doi.org/10.4000/1718.395. Whitfield, John Humphreys. “Petrarch.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 25 Jan. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Petrarch.

In today's episode, we're diving deep into the world of early modern masculinity, patriarchy, and honor as we dissect Shakespeare's iconic play, Romeo and Juliet. Our discussion begins with the examination of the expectations placed upon men during the early modern period and how those pressures are reflected in Shakespeare's play – the embodiment of honor, the nuances of patriarchy, and the various faces of masculinity depicted in Shakespeare's characters. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Appelbaum, Robert. “‘Standing to the Wall': The Pressures of Masculinity in Romeo and Juliet.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 48, no. 3, 1997, pp. 251–72. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2871016. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.   Capp, Bernard. “‘JESUS WEPT' BUT DID THE ENGLISHMAN? MASCULINITY AND EMOTION IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND.” Past & Present, no. 224, 2014, pp. 75–108. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24545175. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.   Fisher, Will. “The Renaissance Beard: Masculinity in Early Modern England.” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 54, no. 1, 2001, pp. 155–87. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1262223. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.   FLETCHER, ANTHONY. “Manhood, the Male Body, Courtship and the Household in Early Modern England.” History, vol. 84, no. 275, 1999, pp. 419–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24424587. Accessed 27 Jan. 2024.    

To kick off our series on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, we are (as always) starting with an overview of basic facts about the play and an introduction to the major themes and motifs of the play.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone  or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Shakespeare, William, and René Weis. Romeo and Juliet: Revised Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2012. SparkNotes Editors. “Romeo and Juliet.” SparkNotes.com, SparkNotes LLC, 2005, URL.

It's time for a new play, which means a new synopsis! We are diving into Romeo and Juliet today, and we will be breaking down this play scene by scene.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Special thanks to Nat Yonce for guest-editing this episode. Episode written by Elyse Sharp and Kourtney Smith. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod Works referenced: Shakespeare, William, and René Weis. Romeo and Juliet: Revised Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2012.

In today's special bonus episode, we are joined by a panel of Shakespeare social media content creators in our first-ever panel episode to discuss the intersection between Shakespeare and social media. We discuss each guests' work; the different social media platforms; how and why we create Shakespeare content; the benefits of educating through memes; and what makes Shakespeare so dang memeable! Emily Jackoway is an actor, writer, and lifelong Shakespeare nerd. She earned her BFA in drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied Shakespeare at the Classical Studio. She is a former contributing writer and social media manager for Shakespeare and literary education website NoSweatShakespeare, which strives to make Shakespeare accessible for audiences and students. She also hosted their podcast, “Scurvy Companions,” which discusses Shakespeare in all his facets with actors, writers, directors, scholars, stage combat professionals and more. Favorite past roles include Juliet, Puck, and Iago. Carson Brakke is a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and is writing her dissertation on representations of hospitality in early modern English literature. In addition to hospitality, her research interests include domesticity, food studies, and women's writing. To break up the solitary work of dissertating, Carson uses her TikTok platform to talk about early modern literature and the PhD experience. You can find her @glutenbergbible, where she's always looking to chat with more people about research, academia, and the weird and surprising sides of early modern English literature! Micaela Mannix considers herself a jack of all Shakespeare. She is the artistic director of Bowls with the Bard, Denver's stoned Shakespeare company, and she hosts their podcast. Micaela is also an actor and content creator. You can find her making memes and working toward 10,000 hours of Shakespeare practice @10kshakespeare on TikTok and Instagram. Project: Bowls with the Bard is producing Stoned Cymbeline in Denver at the Coffee Joint February 22 - 25, 2024. Stephanie Crugnola has spent a very long time yelling about Shakespeare and how to start making it fun, accessible, responsible, and engaging for people who live in the 21st century. She has her MA in Early Modern English from King's College, London where she learned niche-ier words to yell with. Now, she hosts the Protest too Much podcast (@p2mpod): a Shakespeare showdown with a new guest each week and runs Walking Shadow Shakespeare Project (@wsshakes), a company focused on interactive educational performance opportunities and one-rehearsal pop-up productions. Her favorite Shakespeare play is Cymbeline because she thrives on chaos and being extra. Mia Escott is an Assistant Professor of English, Rhetoric, and Writing at Berry College. She joined the faculty in 2022 after receiving her doctoral degree in English from Louisiana State University. An Alabama native, she graduated from Auburn University and the University of Montevallo. Her research and teaching interests include early modern British Literature, Renaissance Drama, Shakespeare, Early Modern Race Studies, Critical Race Theory, and Women's and Gender Studies. Trevor Boffone went viral in 2019 and hasn't looked back. His work using TikTok and Instagram with his students has been featured on Good Morning America, ABC News, Inside Edition, and Access Hollywood, among numerous national media platforms. His work as a social media expert has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Forbes, The Atlantic, and NPR. Trevor has published two books on social media and popular culture, and has two forthcoming books exploring theatre marketing on social media. Oh, and he does the Shakespeare thing, too. He is the co-editor of Shakespeare & Latinidad and is currently co-writing a book on Yassified Shakespeare. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone.  

As we wrap up 2023, we are taking a look back at the plays we covered this year by re-reading them and discussing how our readings of the plays has changed after doing our research for our episodes. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: Shakespeare, William, and Harold F. Brooks. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Bloomsbury, 1979. Shakespeare, William, and Jonathan Bate. Titus Andronicus: Revised Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2018.  

Each year, in recognition of the National Day of Mourning/Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, we examine how British colonialism is irrevocably intertwined with Shakespeare. This year, we are taking a look at how Shakespeare's works have been used to critique the legacy of colonialism. We will look at how adaptations of Shakespeare's work from Martinique, Barbados, Cuba, and Kenya have utilized Shakespeare's stories and characters to represent and unpack the effects of colonialism. We also discuss a 2011 Palestinian production of A Midsummer Night's Dream that intentionally worked to create post-colonial version of Dream. Because of current events at the time we are releasing this podcast, we also encourage our listeners to learn more about colonialism as it relates to Palestine and have included additional resources below.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: Al-Saber, Samer. “Beyond Colonial Tropes: Two Productions of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' in Palestine.” Critical Survey, vol. 28, no. 3, 2016, pp. 27–46. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26384116. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.   Singh, Jyotsna G. Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory, The Arden Shakespeare, Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 2020. Additional resources on Palestine:  Non-fiction Books: The Question of Palestine by Edward Said The Hundreds' Year War On Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 by Rashid Khalidi The General's Son: the Journey of an Israeli in Palestine by Miko Peled Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire by Richard Becker The Revolution of 1936-1939 in Palestine: Background, Details, Analysis by Ghassan Kanafani Documentaries: The Empire Files Presents: Gaza Fights for Freedom The Empire Files Presents: The Untold History of Palestine & Israel Al-Jazeera's Ten Films to Watch About the History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict  Journalists: Motaz Azaiza @motaz_azaiza Plestia Alaqad @byplestia Rania Khalek @raniakhalek Wizard Bisan @wizard_bisan1 Photographers: Hamdan Dahdouh @hamdaneldahdouh Hamza Wael @hamza_w_dahdooh Mohamed Al Masri @mohamed.h.masri Ali Jadallah @alijadallah66 Video Creator: Ahmed Hijazi @ahmedhijazee Documenting Palestine @documentingpalestine Podcasts: The Palestinian Pod Citations Needed Podcast Episode 28: The Asymptotic ‘Two State Solution' (Part 1) and Episode 29: The Asymptotic ‘Two State Solution' (Part 2) Writer: Jenan Matari @jenanmatari Organizations: Palestinian Youth Movement Jewish Voice for Peace Answer Coalition Breaking the Silence: Israel @breakingthesilenceisrael  Aid: Anera: helps refugees and vulnerable communities in Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan @aneraorg  

This year, 2023, is the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway. Have you ever stopped to ask how much you actually know about Anne? In today's episode, we will travel back through time to explore how Anne has been depicted in Shakespeare biographies and works of imaginative fiction since her death. We explore how her inclusion (or exclusion) from Shakespeare's narrative has changed and investigate what these depictions can tell us about society's perceptions of Shakespeare. Finally, we will also dive into the historical record and share the facts of Anne Hathaway's life. And yes, we will talk about that second best bed line in William Shakespeare's will.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: AKA Group Limited, LLC, and Juliet Broadway LLC. “& Juliet: Official Broadway Website.” & Juliet | Official Broadway Website – Official Tickets for the New Broadway Musical & Juliet., Juliet Broadway LLC, 2022, andjulietbroadway.com/. Gunderson, Lauren. The Book of Will. Dramatists Play Service Inc., 2018. O'Farrell, Maggie. Hamnet. Alfred A. Knopf, 2020. Scheil, Katherine West. Imagining Shakespeare's Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway. Cambridge University Press, 2018.

In today's episode we are joined by Carson Brakke to discuss how early modern concepts and anxieties about hospitality and cannibalism influenced early modern literature and drama, most explicitly in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.  Carson breaks down the early modern concept of hospitality and shares the cultural debates and dilemmas that centered around it and its inherent dangers. Join us as she guides us through the cognitive dissonance surrounding cannibalism for early modern Europeans, who simultaneously used it to other non-Europeans while possibly participating in cannibalism themselves!  We also explore how readers and theatre-makers today can use this knowledge to interpret scenes of hospitality and cannibalism in Shakespeare and other early modern works. Content warning: cannibalism is discussed throughout this episode. Please listen with care.  Our guest: Carson Brakke is a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and is writing her dissertation on representations of hospitality in early modern English literature. In addition to hospitality, her research interests include domesticity, food studies, and women's writing. To break up the solitary work of dissertating, Carson uses her TikTok platform to talk about early modern literature and the PhD experience. You can find her @glutenbergbible, where she's always looking to chat with more people about research, academia, and the weird and surprising sides of early modern English literature! Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: Brakke, Carson. “The Dangers of Hospitality in Shakespeare: The Hostess in The Rape of Lucrece and The Winter's Tale.” Journal of the Wooden O, vol. 21, 3 June 2022, pp. 1–12, https://omeka.li.suu.edu/ojs/index.php/woodeno/article/view/265. Shahani, Gitanjali G. Tasting Difference: Food Race and Cultural Encounters in Early Modern Literature. Cornell University Press, 2021.      

Join us on a literary journey through the transformative tales of Ovid's Metamorphoses and their profound impact on the works of William Shakespeare.  Ovid's Metamorphoses, a collection of mythological stories of change and transformation, serves as a rich source of inspiration for many of Shakespeare's most iconic plays and characters. Before diving into the Shakespearean connections, Elyse and Kourtney provide an overview of key stories in Ovid's Metamorphoses, ensuring that both enthusiasts and newcomers can appreciate the context. Join us as we discover the clear parallels between Ovidian stories like Pyramus and Thisbe  and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Explore how a specific translation of Ovid's stories impacted Shakespeare and other early modern writers.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: Blake, Harriet Manning. “Golding's Ovid in Elizabethan Times.” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, vol. 14, no. 1, 1915, pp. 93–95. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27700642. Accessed 24 Sept. 2023. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Metamorphoses". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Sep. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Metamorphoses-poem-by-Ovid. Accessed 16 September 2023. Ovid. The. Xv. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, Translated Oute of Latin into English Meeter, by Arthur Golding Gentleman, a Worke Very Pleasaunt and Delectable. 1567. . Translated by Arthur Golding. London: William Seres, 1567. Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership, http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A08649.0001.001. Accessed 24 Sept. 2023. Ovid.  Ovid's Metamorphoses in fifteen books. Translated by the most eminent hands. Adorn'd with sculptures:. London: Jacob Tonson, 1717. Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership, http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A08649.0001.001. Accessed 24 Sept. 2023. “Ovid's Metamorphoses.” British Library: Collection Items, British Library, www.bl.uk/collection-items/ovids-metamorphoses. Accessed 24 Sept. 2023. Tosh, Will. “Shakespeare and Ovid's Metamorphoses.” Shakespeare's Globe: Blogs & Features, Shakespeare's Globe, 22 Sept. 2021, www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/blogs-and-features/2021/09/22/shakespeare-and-ovids-metamorphoses/#0.    

In today's episode, we are joined by the brilliant Dr. Mia Escott to embark on a journey through the complex intersections of race, Shakespeare, and the early modern era. Dr. Escott provides crucial context to help us understand how people of the early modern era were socially categorized based on nationality, religion, and social status. It's a crucial foundation for dissecting Shakespeare's approach to race. Aaron, the enigmatic character from Titus Andronicus, takes center stage. Dr. Escott walks us through the complexities of this character, a Moor in a world where stereotypes and villainy are often intertwined. We explore key moments and lines that shed light on Aaron's character and the racial dynamics at play. We also discuss Blackness and race within Shakespeare's broader canon, as Dr. Escott sheds light on how Shakespeare both humanized and socially othered his Black characters. Woven throughout our discussion are Dr. Escott's insights into how the worlds of academia and theatre can better approach race and discussions of race, especially when it comes to Shakespeare.  Dr. Mia Escott  is an Assistant Professor of English, Rhetoric, and Writing at Berry College. She joined the faculty in 2022 after receiving her doctoral degree in English from Louisiana State University. An Alabama native, she has graduated from Auburn University and the University of Montevallo. Her research and teaching interests include early modern British Literature, Renaissance Drama, Shakespeare, Critical Race Theory, and Women's and Gender Studies. Dr. Escott is the 2022 recipient of LSU's HSS Diversity Committee— Excellence in Teaching Graduate Student Award, which highlights her commitment to making academia an inclusive and equitable learning space. Most recently she has been a guest speaker at various Berry College events, sharing her love for English and Shakespeare. If you are not a Berry student then luckily you can find Dr. Escott on TikTok as @dr.shakesfeare, where she is making The Bard more accessible and comprehensible, in a humorous way. Recommended Reading:  White People in Shakespeare: Essays on Race, Culture and the Elite by Arthur L Litttle Jr.  The Great White Bard by Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone

In today's episode, we're peeling back the layers of a genre that not only fascinated audiences of the Early Modern period but also left an enduring mark on the works of the Shakespeare himself: Revenge Tragedies. Join us as we journey through time to an era of dramatic tension, dark desires, and vengeful spirits. Revenge tragedies, a genre that flourished in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, paved the way for some of Shakespeare's most iconic plays. In this episode, Kourtney and Elyse will shed light on the defining features, influential playwrights, and societal factors that contributed to the allure of these gripping tales of retribution. Delve with us into a world of poisoned chalices, secret plots, and enigmatic ghosts as we dissect the very essence of a classic revenge tragedy. We'll explore the groundbreaking works of playwrights like Thomas Kyd, whose play The Spanish Tragedy not only set the stage for the genre's popularity but also influenced Shakespeare's own exploration of vengeance on the stage. Step into the shoes of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatergoers, and discover why themes of political intrigue, power struggles, and personal vendettas struck a chord during those tumultuous times. We'll discuss the psychological complexities of characters seeking revenge, as well as the societal undercurrents that resonated with audiences then and continue to captivate audiences today. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: Findlay, Alison. “Re-Marking Revenge in Early Modern Drama.” Revenge and Gender in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Literature, edited by Lesel Dawson and Fiona McHardy, Edinburgh University Press, 2018, pp. 58–82. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv7h0vqp.7. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023. “The Maid's Revenge.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maid%27s_Revenge. “The Maid's Tragedy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maid%27s_Tragedy. Preedy, Chloe Kathleen. “‘Women's Weapons': Education and Female Revenge on the Early Modern Stage.” Revenge and Gender in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Literature, edited by Lesel Dawson and Fiona McHardy, Edinburgh University Press, 2018, pp. 181–200. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv7h0vqp.14. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023. “Seneca His Ten Tragedies, 1581.” British Library Collection Items, British Library, 2023, www.bl.uk/collection-items/seneca-his-ten-tragedies-1581. “The Spanish Tragedy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Mar. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spanish_Tragedy. Tassi, Marguerite A. “The Avenging Daughter in King Lear.” Revenge and Gender in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Literature, edited by Lesel Dawson and Fiona McHardy, Edinburgh University Press, 2018, pp. 111–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv7h0vqp.10. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023. “'tis Pity She's a Whore.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 May 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Tis_Pity_She%27s_a_Whore. Willis, Deborah. “‘The Gnawing Vulture': Revenge, Trauma Theory, and ‘Titus Andronicus.'” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 53, no. 1, 2002, pp. 21–52. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3844038. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023.

In the first half, Korey will help us grapple with the seemingly inherent misogyny of the text (is the play misogynist just because the title character is? Or is there another possible reading?). Then, Elyse will lead us through what an Early Modern audience member would have understood about Ophelia's death and Gertrude's part in it. Specifically we will focus on a cultural knowledge that has largely been lost for the modern audience, and the agency granted to these characters through that understanding.  Content warning: we will be discussing abortion, reproductive health, misogyny, and include brief mentions of assault and violence. Please listen with care.  We do not recommend any early modern medical advice. We are not doctors now or in the early modern era.  Also, we may use women, feminine, and female interchangeably to discuss issues pertaining to non-cismale bodies. While we know that people of all genders can be affected by patriarchy as well as become pregnant and need to be able to make their own decisions about reproductive health, we are aligning our language for this episode with that of the early modern writers we are analyzing.  Sources for this episode can be found on the Shakespeare Anyone? feed. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was using the stage name "Korey Leigh Smith". Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we will be discussing the portrayal of women in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus and how it reflects the evolving concept of girlhood in Early Modern England as well as popular conceptions of one specific woman involved in early modern European politics: Catherine de Medici.  Step into the past and uncover how linguistic developments in the early modern era point to an evolving understading of womanhood and how these developments appear in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.  Discover the enigmatic Catherine de Medici's profound influence on Shakespeare's iconic tragedy. Unveil the parallels between her powerful legacy and the depecition of Tamora, offering fresh perspectives on the play's timeless themes. Join us for a captivating episode that delves into history, literature, and their echoes in our world today on "Shakespeare Anyone!" Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: Carney, Jo Eldridge. "“I'll Find a Day to Massacre Them All”: Tamora in Titus Andronicus and Catherine de Médicis." Comparative Drama, vol. 48 no. 4, 2014, p. 415-435. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/cdr.2014.0034. Higginbotham, Jennifer. “‘A Wentche, a Gyrle, a Damsell': Defining Early Modern Girlhood.” The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Sisters: Gender, Transgression, Adolescence, Edinburgh University Press, 2013, pp. 20–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt20q22dc.6. Accessed 1 Aug. 2023.  

In today's episode, we are joined by New York Times bestselling author Evelyn Skye to discuss her debut adult novel THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET and her process for adapting one of Shakespeare's most famous stories into her own. THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET is available now, wherever you get your books! Join us on our Patreon later this month as we dive deeper into the book (with spoilers!) with Evelyn.  THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET is a modern reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, with a twist: Romeo has been cursed to live forever, Juliet to reincarnate and die soon after they meet. Sometimes they only have minutes together, sometimes they have years. But she always—no matter what they do to prevent it—perishes. Told in alternating dual perspectives, “this novel cleverly imagines the epilogue the lovers didn't get to have, and how curses can be blessings in disguise.” (Jodi Picoult) A STORY ORIGINATING FROM THE AUTHOR'S POIGNANT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: In 2018, just ten months after they were married, Evelyn's husband Tom underwent an emergency double lung transplant—and since the moment he woke, they have lived with the knowledge that any day could be his last. In the years following Tom's surgery, Evelyn turned to her own writing to grapple with the uncertainty and anxiety of their future. She was drawn to the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet—but instead of immersing herself in the themes of desperation and senseless loss that mark Shakespeare's best-known play, she was inspired to reimagine the eponymous characters as two regular people fighting against the heartbreaking fate that bound them together… and instead for the unshakeable, transcendent love that fate dealt them. EVELYN SKYE is the New York Times best selling author of eight novels, including The Crown's Game. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, Skye lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter. For more, follow her on Instagram at @evelyn_skye or visit evelynskye.com   Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: Skye, Evelyn. The Hundred Loves of Juliet. Del Rey Books, 2023.    

In today's episode, we are starting off our discussions on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus by discussing trauma and trauma theory and how trauma and trauma theory appear throughout the play. We will discuss the cultural effect of Lavinia's trauma and the ethics involved in reproducing that trauma onstage in both Shakespeare's time and today. Finally, we'll discuss how theatremakers and educators use trauma-informed practices to responsibly engage with early modern works that contain trauma. We reference The Pillars developed by Intimacy Directors International, which can be found here.  Content Warning: Titus Andronicus contains depictions and descriptions of acts of mutilation, graphic discussions of sexual assault and rape, overt racism, non-consensual cannibalism, and torture. Please listen with care. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Works referenced: BROCKMAN, SONYA L. “TRAUMA AND ABANDONED TESTIMONY IN ‘TITUS ANDRONICUS' AND ‘RAPE OF LUCRECE.'” College Literature, vol. 44, no. 3, 2017, pp. 344–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44504139. Accessed 11 July 2023. Mendoza, Kirsten N. “Sexual Violence, Trigger Warnings, and the Early Modern Classroom.” Teaching Social Justice Through Shakespeare: Why Renaissance Literature Matters Now, edited by Hillary Eklund and Wendy Beth Hyman, Edinburgh University Press, 2019, pp. 97–105. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctvrs912p.13. Accessed 11 July 2023. Sina, Tonia, et al. “The Pillars - IDI.” The Pillars, 2020, docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/924101_2e8c624bcf394166bc0443c1f35efe1d.pdf.  Smith, Charlene. “Staging Sexual Assault Responsibly.” HowlRound Theatre Commons, 10 July 2019, howlround.com/staging-sexual-assault-responsibly.  Solga, Kim. “Rape's Metatheatrical Return: Rehearsing Sexual Violence among the Early Moderns.” Theatre Journal, vol. 58, no. 1, 2006, pp. 53–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25069779. Accessed 19 July 2023. Willis, Deborah. “‘The Gnawing Vulture': Revenge, Trauma Theory, and ‘Titus Andronicus.'” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 53, no. 1, 2002, pp. 21–52. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3844038. Accessed 11 July 2023.