Shakespeare and his contemporaries, with Darren Freebury-Jones
What does it mean to be called an “upstart crow”? In 1592, a pamphlet titled Greene’s groats-worth of witte described William Shakespeare, in the first allusion to him as a playwright, with this phras...
19 Dec 202433min
Directing Romeo and Juliet, with Sam Gold
2024 has been the year of the iconic lovers Romeo and Juliet, and director Sam Gold has brought a bold new production of the timeless tragedy to Broadway. With a fresh, contemporary approach, Gold tr...
13 Dec 202435min
The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, with Helen Castor
What happens when a king believes he rules by divine right yet loses the trust of his people through his tyrannical actions? In this episode, acclaimed historian Helen Castor brings us into the world ...
26 Nov 202444min
Studying Shakespeare Now
Forget dusty textbooks and silent classrooms—the Folger Shakespeare Library has released new teaching guides designed to make the Bard’s works more engaging, accessible, and inclusive than ever before...
20 Nov 202436min
Farah Karim-Cooper on The Great White Bard (Rebroadcast)
Can you love Shakespeare and be an antiracist? Farah Karim-Cooper’s book The Great White Bard explores the language of race and difference in Shakespeare’s plays. Dr. Karim-Cooper also looks at the wa...
5 Nov 202432min
How Shakespeare Revolutionized Tragedy, with Rhodri Lewis
Shakespeare is often associated with tragedy, but did you know that he changed the genre? In this episode, Rhodri Lewis, professor of English at Princeton University and author of Shakespeare’s Tragic...
22 Okt 202433min
Tabitha Stanmore on Practical Magic in Shakespeare’s England
Forget witches, broomsticks, and cauldrons bubbling over—when it came to real magic in Shakespeare’s time, most people turned to their local cunning folk. These magical practitioners wielded spells to...
8 Okt 202430min
Will Tosh on the Hidden Queer Lives of William Shakespeare
How did Shakespeare engage with the complexities of gender and sexuality in his time? Was his portrayal of cross-dressing and same-sex attraction simply for comedic effect, or did it reflect a deeper ...
24 Sep 202435min
