Green World: Michelle Ephraim on Discovering Shakespeare and Reevaluating The Merchant of Venice

Green World: Michelle Ephraim on Discovering Shakespeare and Reevaluating The Merchant of Venice

In her new memoir, "Green World," Shakespeare scholar Michelle Ephraim tells the story of how she came to Shakespeare relatively late in her education. Although she didn’t grow up with Shakespeare, Ephraim became transfixed by "The Merchant of Venice" as a grad student. In particular, she found herself drawn to Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, and the mysteries of their relationship. That curiosity led Ephraim to discover a novel Biblical interpretation of some lines from the play as she researched her dissertation. In Ephraim’s memoir, "Merchant" refracts through the changing dynamics of her own family, as her Holocaust-survivor parents age and she becomes a mother herself. She shares her story with host Barbara Bogaev. Michelle Ephraim teaches Shakespeare at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. She’s the co-author of a cocktail recipe book called Shakespeare, Not Stirred, and the co-host of the Everyday Shakespeare podcast, both with Caroline Bicks. Her memoir Green World: A Tragicomic Memoir of Love & Shakespeare won the Juniper Award for Creative Nonfiction, and is out now from University of Massachusetts Press. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast series. Published March 12, 2024. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode was produced by Matt Frassica. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Ben Lauer is the web producer. Leonor Fernandez edits a transcript of every episode, available at folger.edu. We had technical help from WICN in Worcester and Voice Trax West in Studio City, California. Final mixing services provided by Clean Cuts at Three Seas, Inc.

Jaksot(296)

The Yorkist Pretender, with Jo Harkin

The Yorkist Pretender, with Jo Harkin

Who was Lambert Simnel—the boy who nearly claimed the Tudor throne? In late 15th-century England, identity wasn’t just a matter of birth—it could be a political weapon, a tool for rebellion, and somet...

22 Huhti 202535min

Surekha Davies on the Making of Monsters

Surekha Davies on the Making of Monsters

Historian Surekha Davies joins us to explore how ideas of wonder, race, and the monstrous shaped European thought in the age of empire. These weren’t just abstract concepts—they were embedded in scien...

7 Huhti 202533min

Reimagining Judith Shakespeare with Grace Tiffany

Reimagining Judith Shakespeare with Grace Tiffany

Judith Shakespeare’s life is a mystery. While history records her as the younger daughter of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, much of her story remains untold. In her new novel, The Owl Was a Ba...

25 Maalis 202535min

Julia Armfield Reimagines King Lear in a Drowning World

Julia Armfield Reimagines King Lear in a Drowning World

How does Shakespeare’s King Lear resonate in a world facing climate catastrophe? Novelist Julia Armfield explores this question in Private Rites, a novel set in a near-future London reshaped by rising...

11 Maalis 202529min

Lauren Gunderson on the Women of Hamlet

Lauren Gunderson on the Women of Hamlet

What if Gertrude had more power than we thought? What if Ophelia’s fate wasn’t sealed from the start? And what does it really mean to mother a prince who might be losing his mind? Playwright Lauren G...

24 Helmi 202534min

Shakespeare’s Narrative Poems

Shakespeare’s Narrative Poems

How did early modern England understand race and how has that influenced our thinking? Race is often considered a recent construct, but Shakespeare’s works—both his plays and poetry—reveal a diverse ...

6 Helmi 202533min

Nisha Sharma on Adapting Shakespeare for Modern Romances

Nisha Sharma on Adapting Shakespeare for Modern Romances

How do Shakespeare’s timeless themes translate to the South Asian diaspora? Could the man from Stratford himself be reimagined as a meddling auntie? Novelist Nisha Sharma’s If Shakespeare Were an Aunt...

23 Tammi 202531min

Olivia Hussey: The Girl on the Balcony (Rebroadcast)

Olivia Hussey: The Girl on the Balcony (Rebroadcast)

Olivia Hussey, whose spirited portrayal of Juliet when she was just a teenager herself became iconic for generations of people watching the 1968 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, died on December...

8 Tammi 202533min

Suosittua kategoriassa Premium

nikotellen
anni-jaajo
jaljilla
tuplakaak
olipa-kerran-otsikko
antin-matka
grekovit
hei-baby-3
maanantaimysteeri
i-dont-like-mondays
sita
terveisia-perheesta
palmujen-varjoissa
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
kaksi-aitia
murhan-anatomia
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
the-harlin-show
backmanholmavuo
ihan-oikeesti