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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 more to Twelfth Night than just that one character. It is a play where other Shakespearean comedic characteristics also feature – identical twins, empowered and quick-witted women, variants on the braggart soldier character, and an exotic, virtually mystical, setting, spring to mind. If ever there was a comedy where Shakespeare was completely in his stride then this, for me, is the one.
The early performance history of the play
The dating of the play
The early print history of the play
The sources for the play
The establishing of social roles in the play
The positions of the knights Sir Toby and Sir Andrew
The role of Feste, the fool.
The impact of Feste’s songs
Feste as a portrait of Thomas Nashe
The centrality of Malvolio to the themes of the play
Feste’s sung epilogue to the play
Love, desire and infatuation in the play
The play as a knowingly theatrical story
The performance history of the play
Some of the critical reaction to the play
Link to Rachel Aanstad’s ‘A Bawdy Twelfth Night’ for UK customers:
Link to Rachel Aanstad’s ‘A Bawdy Twelfth Night’ for US customers:
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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. Jonson, I’m sure, had an eye and an ear on those politics, but the comedy he was writing was more concerned with the politics of the theatre than those in the court. In the previous episode on ‘Cynthia’s Revels’ and in my episodes on Thomas Dekker, that you can still find on the podcast archive, I have touched on ‘the war of the poets’ and this episode on ‘The Poetaster’ will bring these matters to a close. Although it’s not essential you might find listening to those earlier episodes useful, if you have not done so already, before listening to this one.
The early performance of the play and it’s place in the ‘war of the poets’
The print history of the play
The theme of the role of the poet
A short synopsis of the play
The caricature of John Marston
The Poetaster and Satiromastix
The feud as fuelled by the rivalry between playing troupes
The poet as councillor and companion to the monarch
The exposing of the poetasters
The change in title
Reference to the Essex rebellion
The attempted censoring of the play
The epilogue
The end of the ‘Poetomachia’
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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 going back a few years into the reign of Henry 8th and discussed actions of his, the legacy of which the Elizabethans were still living with which led onto conversations about some of the struggles of the ordinary Elizabethan life.
Simon Sandys Winsch graduated from Aberystwyth university with a degree in History and international politics and then became a history teacher working in various schools. It was during that career that he realised the importance of knowing topics in depth as well as the need to keep lessons informative and interesting as possible and he now puts those skills to use in writing history books.
Link to the Tudor Illustrated Dictionary on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Illustrated-Tudor-Dictionary-Simon-Sandys-Winsch/dp/1036101983/ref=sr_1_1?
Link to the Tudor Illustrated Dictionary on Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Tudor-Dictionary-Simon-Sandys-Winsch/dp/1036101983/ref=sr_1_1?
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Episode 196:
The origins of the play written for the court and the Children of the Chaple playing company
Why this type of play is a fit for the child playing troupes
The print history of the play
A brief synopsis of the play
Myth, Satire and Masque - the complexities with getting an understanding of the play
The minor role of plot compared to words and music in the play
The performance style of the boy playing companies compared to the adult companies
The verbal sketching of characters as part of the satiric intent
The play as part of the battle of the poets
Unpicking the satiric portraits in the play
The introduction of the Poetaster
The masque and it’s role in the play
Jonson’s coded support for the Earl of Essex in the play
Early responses to the play and the longer historical view
Link to European Review of History Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/european-review-of-history-podcast/id1695812614
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www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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 we have the second part of my conversation with Colin David Reese about the play and in this segment, which is much shorter than the previous conversation, we focussed on the character of Polonius, although as you will near Colin also brought in other thoughts generated by the play and his knowledge of other Shakespeare plays. I certainly was not expecting to hear about ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ in the context of this conversation, but I’m glad we went there and it just illustrates how any Shakespeare conversation can lead you to all sorts of places.
Before we get to Colin’s thoughts, I thought I would share with you some of the views of the play and Polonius from critics and commentators from the past. This is, of course, a tiny selection given the vast amount that has been written about Hamlet, but they are pieces that I have come across and found particularly interesting. If this piques your interest in Shakespeare criticism through time I have produced a series on that very subject for members on Patreon where I traced criticism and praise for Shakespeare from the praise poems in the First Folio to the 19th century romantics. To find out more about that just pop over to the website or to patreon.com.
John Dryden
Samuel Jonson
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Hazlitt
A C Bradley
Colin Dave Reese on Polonius
Colin’s Website and access to ‘Shakespeare Unbound: A Gift to the Future’: https://shakespeareunbound.org
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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 feigned madness and Claudius prompted into a desire to pray, having seen the players perform a piece that replicated his actions in the matter of his brother’s murder.
That quick summary in no way does the play any sort of justice so please do listen to the previous two episodes on ‘Hamlet’, my look at the first half of the play and my conversation with Colin David Reese about the language in the play, if you have not done so already. I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back.
Continuing a summary of the play picking up from the murder of Polonius, with Hamlet leaving and dragging the body behind him.
The Character of Gertrude
The female characters and the players who portrayed them
The rise of boy playing troupes reflected in ‘Hamlet’
The political position of Claudius in the Danish nation
The character of Osric and his role in the play
The themes of death and decay
The character and actions of Hamlet
Hamlet as a tragic hero
The graveyard scene
A brief overview of the performance history of the play
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Episode 193
For 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 discuss Shakespeare’s use of language, with particular reference to Hamlet, and how that language is used to create character. Colin goes in some depth into two of Hamlet’s most famous speeches from the play, so, although it is not essential you might find it useful to have a copy of the speeches to hand to follow along. You will need ‘To be or not to be’, from Act three scene one and ‘O what a rogue and peasant slave am I’ from act two scene two. We also spoke about the differences between the quarto and folio versions of the play with examples of the language from them, and as this have become a long, but very richly detailed episode, I have split it into two and will share the part dealing with characterisation and particularly Polonius after my second episode discussing the play.
Colin David Reese has not only a lifetime of acting experience behind him, but a lifetime of Shakespeare study too. That started in his family life where his actor father had a Shakespeare quote for every occasion and continued with his first professional engagement when aged twelve, he played Shakespeare’s illegitimate son. Along with his many acting roles he has run his own acting company and undertaken in depth study of Shakespeare and the Commedia Dell’arte
Link to RSC To Be Or Not to Be sketch on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEs8rK5Cqt8
Link to Colin's website: https://shakespeareunbound.org
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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 versions
The possible sources for the play
The opening of the play
The character and significance of Fortinbras
The character of Polonius
The ghost of Hamlet’s father and the responsibility of revenge
The position and character of Ophelia
Ophelia and the meaning of flowers
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – appearances and honesty
The players and their play as an insight to acting genres and techniques of the time
The success of ‘The Murger of Gonzago’
The centrality and irony of Claudius at prayer
Hamlet, Gertrude and the ghost
Part two of this review of ‘Hamlet’ will follow as episode 194 (season 6 episode 81)
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www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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 aspects of staging the play and the impact of the female roles in the play, which I did not mention in any detail previously. So, please see these two episodes as complimenting each other, but as long as you are familiar with the play you don’t need to have listened to my episode first, or, for that matter, our earlier discussion of ‘Heny V’, to enjoy this one.
Ricky Dukes is an 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. Ricky has gone on to direct over 40 productions for Lazarus Theatre Company including: The Changeling, Hamlet, Doctor Faustus, Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, Macbeth, Marlowe’s Edward II, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Tis Pity She’s A Whore, and Dido, Queen of Carthage. Ricky also runs workshops for actors under the ‘Lazarus Gym’ banner, and I have put links in the show notes to his activities so you can follow that up further if you wish.
Check out Lazarus Theatre here: https://www.lazarustheatrecompany.co.uk
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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 consensus of opinion over the details of the plot or the motivations of the main characters, but by now that is pretty much what we have come to expect from Shakespeare.
The dating of the play
The early performance history of the play
The publication history of the play
The sources for the play
A brief synopsis of the play
Why did Shakespeare choose to write about Roman history?
The play as Ceasar’s tragedy
The play as the tragedy of Brutus
Anthony as the playboy and political strategist
The role of words, letters and misunderstandings in the play
The death of Cinna the poet
The later performance history of the play
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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 drama, placing a select number of plays alongside other contemporary materials such as wills, pamphlets and sermons and other sources that give us a glimpse of the early modern lived life. The plays span the period between the 1550s and the 1620s, belong to different genres, were aimed at different audiences, and were written for different kinds of playhouses, which allows for conclusions to be drawn about the way genre shapes the treatment of neighbourly relationships, as well as revealing continuities and changes during the period.
Iman Sheeha is a Senior Lecturer in Shakespeare and Early Modern Literature at Brunel University of London and co-General Editor of New Mermaids Classic Plays series. She has wide-ranging interests within the fields of Shakespeare and Early Modern Literature, including gender, race, devotional literature, service, and domesticity and she works with PhD candidates working on these and related topics.
She is the author of two books: Household Servants in Early Modern Domestic Tragedy, and Neighbourly Relationships in Early Modern Drama. She has co-edited a special issue on liminal domestic spaces for Early Modern Literary Studies. Her research has appeared or is forthcoming in Shakespeare Survey, Early Theatre, The Journal of Early Modern Cultural Studies, Early Modern Literary Studies, and American Notes and Queries and she contributed a chapter to People and Piety: Devotional Writing in Print and Manuscript in Early Modern England (MUP, 2019).’ She has written the introduction for the Oxford World’s Classics edition of ‘The Tragedy of Master Arden of Faversham’ which is due to be published by Oxford University Press in April, 2026.
Links to books by Iman Sheeha
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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 freely between the History and Comedy genres and within those how he was always pushing at the edges of the forms and conventions of the theatre and playwrighting to see what could work on stage and with language. ‘As You Like It’ is no exception to that.
The Dating of the play
The sources for the play
The possible first performance date
A brief synopsis of the play
The use of poetry and prose in the play
The play as part of the ‘Pastoral’ genre
The location of the play and influence of the forest
The character of Jacques
The character of Rosalind
The character of Touchstone
The ending, Hyman, and the masque
A summary of the performance history of the play
The epilogue
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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 very well-known and arguably greatest of Shakespeare’s plays the task of providing some meaningful commentary is, I have found, very daunting, so I thought it would be a good idea to have another view on these plays to bring another perspective to them besides my own. I am also keen for those views to be born from the practical experience of producing the plays and understanding them from an actor’s perspective and therefore as a result of close exploration of the text.
Ricky Dukes is an 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. Ricky has gone on to direct over 40 productions for Lazarus Theatre Company including: The Changeling, Hamlet, Doctor Faustus, Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, Macbeth, Marlowe’s Edward II, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Tis Pity She’s A Whore, and Dido, Queen of Carthage. Ricky also runs workshops for actors under the ‘Lazarus Gym’ banner, and I have put links in the show notes to his activities so you can follow that up further if you wish.
The photos used on social media posts for this episode are from the 2015 production of 'Henry V' with Colette O'Rourke as the king at the Union Theatre. Photo credit: Adam Trigg.
Check out Lazarus Theatre here: https://www.lazarustheatrecompany.co.uk
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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 toured the country. Since then the work has continued and through the summer of 2025 it has been possible for the public to view the timber floor, which was built in 1419. If you do get to Kings Lynns and want to see what is going on at the Guildhall and the theatre do have a look at the website that I have linked to in the show notes to check on what work is currently underway and how that might affect opening times.
Tim Fitzhigham is the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Creative Director appointed to oversee the revival of St George’s Guildhall. As well as leading this extensive project he is currently completing his PhD on Robert Armin, an actor in The King’s Men who originated many of the clown and fool roles in all but the earliest Shakespeare plays and was a well-known playwright and author in his own right.
Link to King's Lynne Guildhall website: https://stgeorgesguildhall.com/
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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 aristocracy and one a writer who ran a stationery shop, formed the ‘Shakespeare Ladies Club’. All three were so enraptured by the plays of William Shakespeare that they met to read and discuss his them and his genius. Not content with this, they used their power and influence to campaign for a statue of their literary idol to be placed in Westminster Abbey. They were successful in that endeavour, but their role in these achievements has never been properly recognised. Along with other scholars Christine and Johnathn’s book is part of the process of putting that right. It is a very entertaining and informative read that I thoroughly enjoyed as I hope you will our conversation with just a taster of some of the details Christine and Jonathan have revealed.
Christine and Jonathan Hainsworth live in Adelaide, South Australia and have a passion for historical investigation and challenging the 'conventional wisdom' regarding famous historical subjects.
Christine spent several decades working for the Australian government in social services. Her work on a program to re-connect lone parents with training, education and employment opportunities gave her a unique insight into family and societal challenges.
Jonathan was educated in Britain and Australia and has over thirty years of experience as a high school teacher of Modern and Ancient History, and English Literature. He is a graduate of The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.
Link to Christine and Jonathan's website: https://hainsworthwardagius.com
Link to The Shakespeare Ladies Club on Amberley Publishing: https://www.amberley-books.com
Link to The Shakespeare Ladies Club on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shakespeare-Ladies-Club-Forgotten-Rescued/dp/1398127442/ref=sr_1_1?
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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 kindly agreed to come onto the podcast to discuss her interpretation of Euripides.
Sara Farrington is a New York based Playwright and co-founder of Foxy Films Theatre. Her plays include: ‘Mickey & Sage’, ‘Leisure, Labor, Lust’, ‘A Trojan Woman’, ‘CasablancaBox’, which was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards and ‘The Rise & Fall of Miles & Milo’, which won the award for outstanding playwriting @ FringeNYC. She also works as a script supervisor and costume designer.
Link to ‘A Trojan Woman’ published Edition: https://www.broadwayplaypublishing.com/the-plays/a-trojan-woman
Link to Sara’s Substack ‘Theatre Is Hard’: https://substack.com/@theaterishard
Sara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladyfarrington/
Link to Sara’s website: https://www.ladyfarrington.com
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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 this episode gives. You a taster of Daniel’s work and the research he has undertaken.
Daniel Swift is associate professor of English at Northeastern University, London, and has written books on Shakespeare, Ezra Pound, and the poetry of the Second World War and articles for The New York Times, The New Statesman and The Spectator.
Links to'The Dream Factory':
Yale University Press London: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300263541/the-dream-factory/
Macmillan New York https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374601270/thedreamfactory/
Amazon UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Factory-Londons-Playhouse-Shakespeare/dp/0300263546/ref=sr_1_1?
Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Factory-Londons-Playhouse-Shakespeare/dp/0374601275/ref=sr_1_1?
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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 play
The dating of the play
The printing history of the play
The early performance history of the play
A brief synopsis of the play
A play that works on several levels
The central role of the Chorus
The multiple linguistic registers in the play
The conclusion of Henry’s character arc
The different aspects to Henry’s character
Henry’s meditations on the responsibilities of kingship
The supporting characters – the soldiers
Princess Katerine and her English lesson
The demise of Pistol
The later performance history of the play
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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6.68
Leicester’s Men: A Conversation with Laurie Johnson
Episode 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 in the land. As you will hear Laurie’s research to try to draw an ever-better picture of the players and playing in the period is ongoing and leading to some interesting postulations.
Laurie Johnson is Professor of English and Cultural Studies at University of Southern Queensland and a Fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Historical Society. His current roles include President of the Marlowe Society of America, Research Dramaturg for the Oxford Marlowe Project, Academic Adviser to the Museum of Shakespeare, Shoreditch, and Project Researcher for the Weather Extremes in England’s Little Ice Age,1500-1700 database. His publications include The Earl of Leicester’s Men and their Plays and Shakespeare’s Lost Playhouse: Eleven Days in Newington Butts.
UK Link to 'Leicester's Men': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leicesters-Men-their-Plays-Elizabethan/dp/1009366491/ref=sr_1_1?
US Link to 'Leicester's Men': https://www.amazon.com/Leicesters-Men-their-Plays-Elizabethan-ebook/dp/B0CG28GHN9/ref=sr_1_1?
Link to the Oxford Marlowe Project: https://research.kent.ac.uk/marlowe-works/
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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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 play
The print history of the play
Early performances of the play
The sources for the play
The significance of the title
A Synopsis of the play
The views of the male character, all soldiers, in the play
The pairings of Hero and Claudio and Beatrice and Benedick
Margaret and her views on marriage
Communication and miscommunication
The changes Shakespeare made to his sources
Public honour and public shaming
Pride and pridefulness
Dogberry and the watch
Why didn’t Shakespeare dramatize the fooling of Claudio?
Reality and imagination in the play
‘Much Ado About Nothing’s relationship with ‘The Taming of the Shrew’
The performance history of the play
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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