The History Of European Theatre
A podcast tracing the development of theatre from ancient Greece to the present day through the places and people who made theatre happen. More than just dates and lists of plays, it explores the social, political, and historical context that fostered the creation of dramatic art.
Episodes
The Winter’s Tale: ‘What a Fool Honesty Is’.
Episode 236:During the days when the theatres were closed due to the plague, we don’t know if Shakespeare accompanied the King’s Men of tour, holed up in London or returned to Stratford-Upon-Avon for an extended stay, but when he emerged from whatever the Jacobean version of lockdown was, he had a new play ready for the 1611 reopening of the theatres and it was one that carried on with his recent
The Alchemist as a Plague Comedy: A Conversation with Kay Daly
Episode 235:Last time I took a first look at ‘The Alchemist’ where Ben Jonson mixed farcical comedy with satire and more serious commentary on the society of the 1610s. The play is notable, among other things, for having the time of plague as it’s setting. It is, I think, the only play from that time to do this. And that was the jumping off point for my conversation with Kay Daly who makes a welco
The Alchemist: ‘No Country’s Mirth is Better Than Our Own’
Episode 234: In 1610 Ben Jonson was penning what is often considered to be his most comic of comedies. Johnson was well into his middle age, being thirty-eight years old in 1610 and had several years of producing masques for the court behind him, but with the initial failure of ‘Epicene’ the previous year on the public stage still, no doubt, ringing in his ears. How much
If This Be Magic – Translating Shakespeare: A Conversation with Daniel Hahn
Episode 233:Did you know that in 2023 you could have seen the play at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London presented in Juba Arabic using a translation by Joseph Abuk which he had produced for the South Sudan Theatre Company in 2011? Cymbeline like all Shakespeare plays has been translated and performed in many languages and productions and publications using translations account for a
Cymbeline: 'Tis Slander, Whose Edge is Sharper Than the Sword’
Episode 232: Although ‘Coriolanus’ is officially Shakespeare’s last Roman tragedy his next play, ‘Cymbeline’, is set in the Roman period, but in England, and suggests that Shakespeare was still deeply attracted to Roman history, although in this case his plundering of Roman history was not directly from Plutarch, but another of his favourite sources. There are some themes in ‘Cymbe
Death by Shakespeare: A Conversation with Kathryn Harkup
Episode 231: Shakespeare in noted for the diversity of deaths in the plays and the way that he represents the mechanics of those deaths. My guest for this episode has written a book on this very subject, ‘Death by Shakespeare’, who’s subtitle ‘Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts’, gives just a hint of that diversity. In the book Kathryn Harkup casts a scientific eye
Coriolanus: ‘What is the City but the People?’
Episode 230:Shakespeare probably did not realise it, but his next offering would be his last tragedy and his last Roman play, but for this one he reached back into a much earlier Rome than the world of Caesar, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra that he had previously mined. ‘Coriolanus’, the choice of the story of the legendary Caius Martius, a 5th century BC Roman general who was both fat
Shakespeare on Sex: A Conversation with Marc Berley
Episode 229:It has been long recognised that Shakespeare included a lot of sex references in his plays, many of which are now quite obscure to the modern viewer. Recently a book called ‘Shakespeare on Sex’ caught my eye and I had an entertaining time reading it and thinking on the different perspective it offers on Shakespeare when seen through the lens of how Shakespeare thought about
Epicene: ‘Silence in a Woman is Like Speech in a Man’
Episode 228:About the same time that Shakespeare was retelling the story of Pericles Ben Jonson was writing ‘Epicene, or the Silent Woman’, a play set very firmly in his home turf of London. It had been three years since Jonson had written for the public stage, which is not to say that his last play ‘Volpone’ was not a success, but he was occupied with producing masques for the King and
Lighting the Indoor Theatre: A Conversation with Nic Brownlee
Episode 227One of the questions that immediately arises when we consider the indoor theatres is how they were lit, although there are also many other questions about how performing indoors was informed by the experience of the touring companies and how it changed the nature of playing itself.Very early in my journey through Shakespeare for the podcast I met Nic Brownlee who was then in the throes
Pericles: ‘Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss’
Episode 226: Last time I took you through Macbeth, still one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays, but now we come to one that is rarely seen and vies with ‘King John’, ‘Two Noble Kinsman’ and ‘Timon of Athens’ as the least performed Shakespeare play. ‘Pericles’ is also a play that did not appear in the first folio and in fact did not make it into a folio edition until 1664 with t
Shakespeare and Biblical Allusion: A Conversation with Paul Fried - Part 2
Episode 225:Last time my guest Paul Fried and I discussed Biblical Allusion in Shakespeare with particular reference to Hamlet. This is the second part of our conversation, so please do make sure you have listened to part one before continuing here, things will make a lot more sense if you do. I first came across Paul’s Blog, Hamlet’s Bible, when I was researching my episodes on Ki
Shakespeare and Biblical Allusion: A Conversation with Paul Fried - Part 1
Episode 224: While I was looking into some details while I was preparing for the episodes on King Lear I came across an article that was part of a blog called ‘Hamlet’s Bible’, which is written by Paul Fried and was very pleased to find a series of very interesting posts relating to Biblical allusion in Shakespeare, so, of course, I asked the author of the blog, Paul Fried, if he w
Macbeth Part 2: 'What’s Done Cannot Be Undone’
Episode 223: Last time, in the first part of my look at ‘Macbeth’, I took you through the plot of the play and discussed the themes of ambition and guilt in it, with a focus on the character of Macbeth himself. I also looked at some of the language in the play and at the possibility that Thomas Middleton updated it for a revival in the 1610s or 1620s, and how he probably developed
Macbeth Part 1: ‘Look Like the Innocent Flower, But Be the Serpent Under’t’
Episode 222:We can’t say for sure that ‘Macbeth’ was Shakespeare's next offering after 'Anthony and Cleopatra' as precise dating of these early 17th century plays is next to impossible, but whatever the case, it certainly has a very different feel and focus from it’s near contemporises. Although recounting historical events it is dominated by the presence and effect of the supernat
Anthony and Cleopatra: ‘Age Cannot Wither Her, Nor Custom Stale Her Infinite Variety’
Episode 221:Last time I took you into the world of the court masque with the help of Kristen Macdermott who, I think you will agree, painted a very detailed picture of that very particular theatrical form and the way the Stuart court embraced it. As we heard, masques were often written by playwrights and performed by actors who also wrote for and performed in the public playhouse, so it
Masques of Difference: A Conversation with Kristen McDermott part 2
Episode 220: This is the second part of my conversation with Kristen McDermott about the court masque. In this part we discuss two masques and the later history of the art form.Kristen McDermott is professor of English at Central Michigan University and co-author with Ari Berk of ‘William Shakespeare his life and times’ and the collection ‘Masques of Difference’, as well as numerou
The Origins and Development of Masques: A Conversation with Kristen McDermott part 1
Episode 219:In this episode I take a look at the court masques of the Jacobean period. To do this I’m very lucky to have the guidance of Kristen McDermott who edited and wrote an extensive introduction to a collection of Jonson’s Masques called Masques of Difference. It is a volume that has been in print for an impressive twenty years and one that I found immensely useful in
King Lear Part 2: ‘Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise’
Episode 218:Last time I looked at the first part of ‘King Lear’ from the opening scene where Lear makes his disastrous decision to split his kingdom between his children, through to the renowned scene where the ex-king and his fool are caught in a raging storm on the moor and saved only by the loyalty of Kent. On the way I looked at the deliciously evil Edmund, the poor judgement of his
King Lear Part 1: ‘How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth it is to Have a Thankless Child!’
Episode 217:‘King Lear’, the play that is now often regarded as Shakespeare’s finest and deepest work is most often compared to the other two great tragedies of this period in Shakespeare’s writing, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Othello’, and of course there are thematic comparisons that can be made with those plays, but it has to be pointed out that ‘King Lear’ is also a very different play in tone and structure
Reading Shakespeare’s Mind: A Conversation with Steve Sohmer
Episode 216: For today’s guest episode I had the pleasure of talking to Steve Sohmer, author of a book titled ‘Reading Shakespeare’s Mind’. In his book Steve examines how Shakespeare’s relationship with several contemporary authors is exposed in his plays. This involves a very close reading of the text and an endlessly enquiring mind and it’s fascinating to read through
Timon of Athens: ‘Nothing Emboldens Sin So Much as Mercy’
Episode 215:Last time Ben Jonson regained his stride in the public theatre with his comedy ‘Volpone’, an at moments sparkling satire of greed and avarice. Just about the only parallel I can draw between this and Shakespeare’s next offering, ‘Timon of Athens’, is that the study of greed appears in both, but they are very different plays in tone, character and intent. Sha
Much Ado About Numbers: A Conversation With Rob Eastaway
Episode 214:For today’s guest episode I was pleased to get the chance to talk to Rob Eastaway, author of a book all about Shakespeare and his relationship to numbers and mathematics. Rob’s book ‘Much Ado About Numbers’ is a very entertaining read, whatever your level of understanding maths might be and quite an eye opener when considering how much maths permeates into Shakespeare’s plays.&nbs
Volpone: ‘What a Rare Punishment is Avarice to Itself’
Episode 213:In the spring of 1606, a new Ben Jonson play premiered, not on this occasion at the Blackfriars theatre performed by one of the child companies, but at the Globe and performed by the King’s Men. The reasons for why Jonson sold his play to the King’s Men are not completely clear. Having a play performed by the Kings Men was, of course, prestigious in itself, and so
Collecting Thomas Kyd: A Conversation with Darren Freebury-Jones
Episode 212:For today’s guest episode it is a warm welcome back to the podcast for Darren Freebury Jones. On this occasion Darren is here to discuss Thomas Kyd and the works that have been attributed to him in a new two-volume edition of his collected works, for which Darren is the associate editor. It is always a pleasure to talk to Darren and as a friend of the podcast he n
All’s Well That Ends Well: ‘The Web of Our Life is of a Mingled Yarn’
Episode 211:Through the last few episodes on Shakespeare’s plays, we seem to have seen a playwright in a serious mood, even when he was writing comedies. ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘Measure For Measure’ are often referred to as having an autumnal tone, something serious underlying the comedy and of course we also have the even darker worlds of the tragedies of ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Othello’. The next
What’s in a Name? A Conversation with Susan Amussen
Episode 210:In her new book ‘What’s in a name? How historians know Shakespeare was Shakespeare’ Susan Ammunsen sets out to show how that in early modern England it was entirely possible that a glover’s son could transform into a successful actor and playwright. She does so by detailing a society that was in a moment of flux and opportunity in many aspects of life. It is a com
Eastward Ho: ‘He That Rises with Ease, Alas, Falls as Easily’
Episode 209: After the failure of ‘Sejanus His Fall’ Jonson’s next play was a collaboration with John Marston and George Chapman, a new play for the Blackfriars’s theatre and it’s resident company of boy actors. Jonson maybe needed the collaboration to restore his confidence in his writing, although from what we know of his character perhaps more likely it was the hope of a decent
Consent and Other Big Questions in ‘Measure for Measure’: A Conversation with Roberta Barker
Episode 207:It was just about this time last year I talked to Roberta Barker about her work on the boy actors of the Elizabethan period and she mentioned at the time that she was then working on a new edition of ‘Measure for Measure’ for Cambridge University Press and I’m pleased to say that she agreed to carve some time out of her busy schedule to discuss the play with us today. Having
Podcast Announcement - Advertisements
Hello everyoneI’m interrupting your day for a small announcement about the podcast. If you have listened to any episodes recently you will have noticed that advertisements are now playing at the start, middle and end each episode. Placing advertisements in the podcast is a way of helping to recoup the costs of putting the podcast out for free, which is why I took the plunge a
Measure For Measure: ‘Some Rise by Sin, and Some by Virtue Fall’
Episode 207 Whereas the larger-than-life characters in ‘Othello’ left us with no moral ambiguities, but plenty of questions about the nature of the outsider and society’s attitude towards those who are different. Shakespeare’s next offering, ‘Measure for Measure’ was a very different piece with few of those certainties.The dating and earliest performance of the playThe early print
Othello part 2: ‘Farewell the Tranquil Mind, Farewell Content’
Episode 206Last time I discussed the dating and sources for Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Othello’, the early performance history, and some points about the structure and poetry in the play. Then I took you through the first part of the play, up to the point where Iago had managed to sow seeds of doubt into Othello’s mind about the constancy of women and get his professional rival Michael Cass
Othello part 1: ‘O, Beware, my Lord, of Jealousy’
Episode 205:Last time Ben Jonson’s retelling of a slice of Roman Imperial history failed to impress at the Globe theatre. As an actor in that play Shakespeare had first-hand experience of the way the audience in the theatre could turn on the poet and the players alike, but it is difficult to think that his confidence in his own work was much dented by the experience. His next
Beyond Shakespeare: A Conversation with Robert Crighton
Episode 204:For today’s guest episode we welcome Robert Crighton to the podcast. Robert is the guiding light behind ‘Beyond Shakespeare’ a project that aims to shine a light on very early theatre through to Early Modern theatre. As the name ‘Beyond Shakespeare’ suggests Robert is keen to look at plays not written by Shakespeare and indeed, as you will hear, much of Robert’s w
Sejanus His Fall: ‘Ambition Makes More Trusty Slaves Than Need’
Episode 203: We now stay in the world of the Elizabethan interpretation of classical history and myth with Ben Jonson’s next play ‘Sejanus His Fall’. Rooted more firmly in history than myth Jonson’s play uses the story of a power struggle motivated by personal ambition to look at the nature of power, justice and politics. This was quite evidently dangerous ground for a p
Why did Shakespeare write ‘Troilus and Cressida’?: A Conversation with Rachel Aanstad
Episode 202:For today’s guest episode it is a very warm welcome back to Racheal Aanstad. You will remember that Racheal and I have discussed Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the podcast and now she returns to discuss ‘Troilus and Cressida’. As you will hear Racheal was able to bring thoughts about the history of the play and it’s sources, particularly Homer’s Iliad, which,
Troilus and Cressida: ‘Men prize the thing ungained more than it is’
Episode 201‘Troilus and Cressida’, is a challenging piece by pretty much everybody’s estimation. Although it is no surprise that Shakespeare looked to the Homeric tales for his next inspiration which part of that story he chose to dramatize perhaps is and what he chose to do with it has perplexed commentators ever since. Ambiguous is the word most often used, but ultimately o
Shakespeare and Brecht: A Conversation with Stephen Unwin
Episode 200For today’s guest episode it is a welcome return to the podcast for Stephen Unwin. I spoke to Stephen earlier in this Shakespeare and Jonson season to discuss his book ‘Poor Naked Wretches’ which examines the way Shakespeare portrayed working people and their significance in the plays. For his next published work Stephen has produced a work that examines Berthold B
Twelfth Night: ‘Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun: it shines everywhere’
Episode 199: The line I have used for the title of today’s episode is spoken by Feste the fool, a central character in ‘Twelfth Night’. Fools have already played significant roles in Shakespeare’s previous plays and as you will hear there are possible connections between them and Feste, but significant as he is, and fools will be in forthcoming Shakespeare plays, there is so much m
The Poetaster: ‘Good Ignorance, I’m Glad Thou Art Gone’
Episode 198:As Ben Jonson was writing ‘The Poetaster’ in 1601 the Elizabethan age was drawing to a close. Elizabeth would live until March 1603, but by 1601 any hope of a natural heir was long past and her court and councillors were playing a waiting game and with different degrees of secrecy were trying to manipulate the situation over the accession to their own advantage. J
Illustrated Tudors: A Conversation with Simon Sandys Winsch
Episode 197: For today’s guest episode I had the pleasure of talking to Simon Sandys Winsch, author of the Illustrated Tudor Dictionary. Given Simon’s broad knowledge of the period I took the opportunity to talk to him about some of the entries in the dictionary that give us a view of what life was like for the Elizabethan’s who went to the London theatres. We started by
Cynthia’s Revels: ‘O That Joy So Soon Should Waste’
Episode 196:The origins of the play written for the court and the Children of the Chaple playing companyWhy this type of play is a fit for the child playing troupesThe print history of the playA brief synopsis of the playMyth, Satire and Masque - the complexities with getting an understanding of the playThe minor role of plot compared to words and music in the playThe performance style of the boy
Playing Polonius: A Conversation with Colin David Reese
Episode 195 Last time I completed my review of ‘Hamlet’, although it is probably wrong to say that one’s thoughts on Hamlet are ever complete. I am not alone in finding that every time I see the play, and it is I think, as it is for many, the Shakespeare play I have seen most often, I find something new in it to think on. To complete this quartet of episodes on the play
Hamlet Part 2: ‘Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark’
Episode 194: Last time I left things hanging for Hamlet as, having seen the ghost of his father and resolved on revenge, he had seen his planning go awry as he mistakenly killed the old councillor Polonius while he hid behind a wall hanging. We have seen his daughter Ophelia begin her descent into madness, school friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern become embroiled in Hamlet’s fei
Speaking Hamlet: A Conversation with Colin David Reese
Episode 193For today’s guest episode it is a very welcome return to the podcast for Colin David Reese, who I last spoke to in early 2023, when we discussed his play ‘Shakespeare Unbound: A Gift to the Future’ and Shakespeare in general. If you missed those episodes you will find them as part of season five, first released in February and April 2023.On this occasion I asked Colin to disc
Hamlet Part 1: ‘That One May Smile and Smile and Be a Villain’
Episode 192:And so, we come to perhaps the biggest challenge in all of Shakespeare's work, ‘The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark’. Over the next two episodes and a special guest episode I hope I can get close to doing this monumental play justice.The dating of the play and the complication of the ‘ur-Hamlet’The early print history of the play and the three versionsThe possible sourc
Staging Julius Caesar: A Conversation with Ricky Dukes
Episode 191:For today’s guest episode it is a welcome return to Ricky Dukes, artistic director of Lazarus Theatre Company. Following on from our conversation about ‘Henry V’ Ricky and I went on to discuss ‘Julius Caesar’. Not surprisingly our conversation pulled out some alternative points to those I raised in my episode on the play, especially when it came to talking about a
Julius Caesar: ‘It is the Bright Day That Brings Forth the Adder’
Episode 190:'Julius Caesar' has proved to be one of Shakespeare’s most malleable plays through the centuries as it’s political narrative has been applied to just about every period of history since it was first performed, either in the moment or retrospectively. In most people’s estimation it is one of Shakespeare’s truly great plays, but that does not mean that there is always a consen
Neighbourly Relationships in Early Modern Drama: A Conversation in Dr Iman Sheeha
Episode 189:For today’s guest episode it is my pleasure to welcome Dr Iman Sheeha to the podcast. Her book ‘Neighbourly Relations in early modern drama has been published recently so it was a great opportunity to talk to her about her research after she had just completed a summer tour of conferences.Her work is a close examination of neighbourly relationships in early modern English dr
As You Like It: ‘I Can Suck Melancholy Out of a Song as a Weasel Sucks Eggs’
Episode 188:Following on from the last episode before the run of summer guest conversations we take a sharp swerve from ‘Henry V’ to ‘As You Like It’. Although we cannot be quite sure about the chronology in which Shakespeare wrote his plays, or how much the writing of one crossed over with the writing of another, whatever the precise order it is pretty clear that Shakespeare could move
Who is King Henry?: A Conversation with Ricky Dukes
Episode 187:This episode is both an ending and a beginning. An ending because it is the last of the recent run of consecutive guest episodes – next time we will be returning to Shakespeare, Jonson and their plays – but it is also the first of what I hope will be a series of guest episodes attached to each of the very significant Shakespeare plays that are coming up soon. With the v
Robert Armin – Shakespeare’s Other Clown: A Conversation with Tim Fitzhigham
Episode 186:In this continuing series of guest episodes, it is a very welcome return to the podcast for Tim Fitzhigham. You may remember I spoke to Tim in episode 140 about his work at the Kings Lynn Guildhall where the Elizabethan period Stage had recently been uncovered and hit the headlines in the UK as a stage that Shakespeare and the Queen’s Men had actually played on as they toure
‘The Shakespeare Ladies Club’: A Conversation with Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth
Episode 185:For today’s guest episode it’s a warm welcome to the podcast for Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth, co-authors of the recently published book ‘The Shakespeare Ladies Club’.Their book explores the lives of four ladies who were crucial in ensuring the original work of Shakespeare was not forgotten in the 18th Century and beyond. In 1736, these three ladies of quality, two from the a
‘A Trojan Woman’: A Conversation with Sara Farrington
Episode 184:Today’s episode is part of my summer run of guest episodes and feels very special as rather than talking about a long dead playwright I got to talk to a living one. Sara Farrington is a New York based playwright who has written an adaptation of ‘The Trojan Women’ by Euripides, called ‘A Trojan Woman’, which has had several productions in Europe and Nort America and Sara kind
The Dream Factory: A Conversation With Daniel Swift
Episode 183:Today’s episode is the first of a short run of guest episodes to see us through the end of the English summer and first up is Daniel Swift, author of ‘The Dream Factory: London’s First Playhouse and the making of William Shakespeare’. Given that title I don’t think Daniel’s book needs any further introduction other than to say that I found it a fascinating read and I hope th
Henry V: ‘A Valiant Flea That Dare Eat His Breakfast on The Lip of a Lion’
Episode 182:Although it feels like a while since Shakespeare had produced a history play, we must remember that all the plays I have discussed so far were written and played in a very compressed timescale. If we take Henry 6th part 1 as being from 1591 then eight years and eighteen plays later, we get to Henry 5th.The sources for the playThe dating of the playThe printing history o
Leicester's Men: A Conversation with Laurie Johnson
6.68Leicester’s Men: A Conversation with Laurie JohnsonEpisode 181:For today’s guest episode it’s a pleasure to welcome Laurie Johnson to the podcast. Laurie’s book ‘Leicester’s Men and their Plays’ is a fascination study of one of the most influential of the playing troupes of the Elizabethan period and the story of how they lived and functioned under one of the most influential nobles
Much Ado About Nothing: 'A College of Wit-Crackers Cannot Flout Me Out of My Humour'
Episode 180:Much Ado About Nothing remains one of the more popular comedies where the characters of Benedick and Beatrice are usually thought of as the leading characters, but this play is much more of an ensemble piece than might be usually remembered.The dating of the playThe print history of the playEarly performances of the playThe sources for the playThe significance of the titleA Synopsis of
Jonson’s World View: A Conversation with Kay Daly
Episode 179:For today’s guest episode it is a welcome return for Kay Daly to the podcast. In our second conversation Kay discusses Jonson’s world view and how it differed from Shakespeare’s, which we discussed in our first conversation plays. If you have not already done so, listening to that conversation, which is episode 177, and my recent episodes on Jonson’s early plays ‘
Every Man Out of his Humour: ‘Art Hath an Enemy Called Ignorance’
Episode 178:Ben Jonson's humours play 'Every Man in His Humour' was a big success and Jonson chose to name his next comedy in a very similar way, just substituting ‘in’ for ‘out’, no doubt to capitalise on the success of the earlier play by letting the public know that this was going to be a play in a very similar vein, and although there are no points where the plots or characters cross over duri
Shakespeare’s World View: A Conversation with Kay Daly
Episode 177:For today’s guest episode it is a warm welcome for Kay Daly to the podcast. In our conversation Kay took the opportunity to give an overview of Shakespeare’s world view as seen through his earlier plays and particularly the comedies. As you will hear we strayed a little into some later plays, but Kay’s thoughts seemed particularly useful at this point as we are ab
Every Man in his Humour: ‘Learn to be Wise and Practice How to Thrive’
Episode 176:In ‘Every Man In His Humour’ Jonson pays a debt to Roman comedy, but also shows us, in an almost fully formed way, his very own style. This is not the biting satire of many of his plays, but something a little gentler in that he is not taking aim at specific people and certainly not at the court, as he was to do later. ‘Every Man in His Humour’ is a city comedy wi
Shakespeare on the Radio: A Conversation with Andrea Smith
Episode 175:On today’s guest episode we welcome Andrea Smith to the podcast. Andrea’s book ‘Shakespeare on the Radio’ has just been published and she kindly agreed to come on and give us some highlights from her very detailed review of Shakespeare on BBC radio in the last one hundred years.Andrea Smith is a lecturer at the University of Suffolk, specialising in Shakespeare and audio dra
The Case is Altered: ‘It Is the Pleasure of Our Fates That We Should Thus Be Wracked on Fortunes Wheel’
Episode 174:Ben Jonson's erliest play. Here we have the bricklayer’s son trying to make his way in the theatre and with the court. Until James came to the throne, he was pretty unsuccessful in the latter and as far as we can tell more of less from the off his life writing for the public theatre was controversial. I recounted the events surrounding Johnson and Nashe’s play ‘T
Nothing Goes to Plan in Love’s Labour’s Lost: A conversation with Eleanor Conlon
Episode 173:For this guest episode it is a very welcome return for Eleanor Conlon, who you will remember discussed Titus Andronicus with me in Episode 22 of this season. Having picked over the brutal actions of that play with Eleanor I was pleased to hear that she was interested in a return visit and to discuss the very different piece that is Love’s Labour’s Lost. As you wil
Love’s Labour’s Lost: ‘Assist Me, Some Extemporal God of Rhyme’
Episode 172:The dating of the playThe early publication history of the playThe sources for the playA synopsis of the playA play that explores language and it’s limitsThe opening sceneConstable DullThe central ‘reveal’ scene and it’s poetryThe character and behaviour of CostardThe longest word in the Shakespeare cannonThe pageant of the nine worthiesThe character of JacquenettaShakespeare’s parody
Shakespeare in the Restoration: A Conversation with Stephen Watkins
Episode 171: For today’s guest episode it is a warm welcome to Stephen Watkins who is going to take us a little way forward in the timeline to the world of Restoration England where after fourteen years of closures theatres were again legally opened and where, as we shall hear, performance of Shakespeare plays formed a significant part of the repertoire, and this discussion does focus very mu
The Merry Wives of Windsor: ‘Wives May be Merry and Yet Honest Too’
Episode 170: The dating of the playThe tradition of the queen Elizabeth commissionThe tradition of the connection to the Garter CeremonyThe Question of who played FalstaffA summary of the plotThe early publication history of the play in short quarto editionsThe sources for the playThe very specific location of the playThe character of FalstaffThe way the dominating prose of the play is used t
Performing Medieval Theatre: A Conversation with Kyle Thomas
Episode 169A welcome return for Kyle Thomas to the podcast where we discussed Kyle’s work on preparing three of the York Cycle plays for performance this summer in Toronto. As you will hear Kyle is part of a team that are going to perform the fifty-play cycle on the 7th June 2025 in the grounds of the University of Toronto.Link to the York Cycle Plays performed at Toronto Universit
Henry IV Part 2: ‘We Have Heard the Chimes at Midnight’
Episode 168:Although Shakespeare's completion of the events of Henry IV’s reign is very much a continuation of the story from part one it is a play with a very different vibe. The vigour of the battle scenes and the exuberance of prince Hal and Falstaff’s relationship are replaced in part two with a more sombre and elegiac tone. The effects of old age and the passing to time
The Origins of Medieval Theatre: A Conversation with Kyle Thomas
Episode 167A conversation with Kyle Thomas where we discussed the long transition period between Roman theatre and medieval theatre. As you may remember from my episodes on the medieval theatre this is a very opaque period where details are few and far between. In my episodes in season three of the podcast I mostly followed the view that medieval theatre grew out of parts of
Henry IV Part 1: ‘Nothing Can Seem Foul to Those Who Win’
Episode 166:As with 'Richard II' 'Henry IV part 1' handles some complex English history as it examines the relationships between the King, his son and the powerful Percy family. After the deposition of Richard II Henry ruled for fourteen years until his death. Having ended 'Richard II' with Henry’s accession to the throne and Richard’s death in prison Shakespeare opens this play ju
Shakespeare’s Tutor: A Conversation with Darren Freebury-Jones
Episode 165In today’s guest episode it is a very welcome return to the podcast for Darren Freebury-Jones. Darren appeared previously to discuss his book ‘Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers’ and I asked him back on this occasion because his earlier book ‘Shakespeare’s Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd’ is now published in a paperback edition by Manchester University Press, making it a much
The Merchant of Venice: ‘The Quality of Mercy is not Strained’
Episode 164Fate, as in Romeo and Juliet, plays a large part in ‘The Merchant of Venice’, as do deep seated grudges, but these are more societal than familial. We are still in Italy, but no longer in close knit Verona, but mercantile and outward looking Venice. As Shakespeare wrote this play London was becoming orientated around increasing global trade and English trading ship
A Statue in Verona: The Afterlife of Romeo and Juliet
Episode 163My background reading while preparing the episode on Romeo and Juliet took me to many stories about and thoughts on the afterlife of the play and its continuing influence on western culture, what follows is just a few stories and thoughts that illustrate that continuing influence.Verona and Juliet’s StatueJuliet’s tombCibber’s JulietFranco Zeffirelli’s film for the ‘love generation’West
Romeo and Juliet:‘These violent delights have violent ends.’
Episode 162In today’s episode I look at Shakespeare’s early tragedy and one of his enduringly popular plays ‘Romeo and Juliet’.The dating of the playThe early printings of the play in quarto editionsThe origins of the story and Shakespeare’s direct sourcesThe opening chorusViolence and the hand of fate underlying the actionThe opening brawl and the threat of violence to womenThe calming voice of w
Poor Naked Wretches: A Conversation with Stephen Unwin
Episode 161In today’s guest episode I will be discussing Shakespeare’s characterisations of the lower classes and looking at the role they play with Stephen Unwin, who’s book ‘Poor Naked Wretches’ explores the variety of working people in Shakespeare's plays as well as a vast range of cultural sources from which they were drawn and argues that the robust realism of these characters makes them so m
King John: ‘New Made Honour Doth Forget Men’s Names’
Episode 160A synopsis of the playThe sources and dating of the playThe problems with a historical drama in verseThe historical accuracy of the playKing John as neither a hero nor anti-heroPhilip the bastard as a central character in the playThe theme of self-identity and changing fortune in the playBlanche as a representation of innocence manipulatedQueen Eleanor as the power behind the throneCons
The Theatre Couple in Early Modern Italy: A Conversation with Serena Laiena
Episode 159For today’s guest episode we are going back to the Italian renaissance theatre and the world of the Commedia Dell’arte. You will remember that I covered the Commedia and other early Italian theatre in season five of the podcast, but in this conversation with Serena Laiena we have much more detail about a particular theatrical couple and the world of 16thcentury Italian theatr
Richard II: ‘Sad Stories of the Death of Kings’
Episode 158Picking up the journey through Shakespeare's plays with 'Richard II'A brief summary of the playThe early performance history of the playThe early print history of the playThe variations in the quarto editions concerning the deposition sceneThe sources for the playThe role of the play in the Essex rebellionThe historical accuracy of the playThe dramatic arcs travelled by Richard and Boli
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