It’s that time of year again to look back at what happened on the Ides of March many years ago and consider how badly the conspirators fumbled the ball.
While I will be celebrating March 15 my favorite way, by posting jokes on social media, I wanted to take the time to collect some general thoughts about the assassination of Julius Caesar and the relevance of Shakespeare’s play.
When I covered it last year, I thought that the action of play definitely felt relevant, but that the general reception of it seems to fall a little flat. Is there a way to make the play feel more immediate to a modern audience?
This year, as the events of the late Roman Republic feel more immediate than ever, I wanted to think about what we might take away from Julius Caesar, the conspirators, and the play Julius Caesar itself. What new takeaways can we draw from old material and how can we contend with those conclusions?
If you want to listen to my original episodes on the Ides of March and Julius Caesar:
Bonus Episode 4: Beware the Ides of March
Episode 14: Can Julius Caesar Still Feel Relevant?
Further Reading and Listening
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive view of Roman history as a whole, I cannot recommend Mike Duncan’s The History of Rome podcast highly enough. Or if you want to focus in on the late Roman Republic, Duncan wrote a book about it: The Storm Before the Storm
This episode is a true example of what happens when you don't make yourself stop falling down the research rabbit hole.
We're back with more The Taming of the Shrew and looking specifically the two main romantic leads. What is Petruchio's deal? What is Kate's? And why is everyone so obsessed with them?
I wade my way through a reading of the play, several books, and a number of articles to see what people have said about these two characters to get a better idea of why the conversation surrounding this play is so lively.
Initially, I thought this was something I could get through quickly. But it turns out, I had way more feelings about it than anticipated. So enjoy a discussion of a romantic male lead who might actually be the worst person ever and a romantic female lead who maybe makes no sense?
Enjoy, and gird your loins for an eventual part three!
Further Reading and Watching
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (I read the Arden edition, which always has lovely introductions)
Shakespeare and feminist performance: ideology on stageby Sarah Werner
"Performing Marriage with a Difference: Wooing, Wedding,and Bedding in 'The Taming of the Shrew" by Amy L. Smith
Shakespeare for Students: Book 2 by Catherine C Dominic
"Comic Structure the Humanizing of Kate in The Tamingof the Shrew" by John C. Bean, chapter in In The Women’s part: feminist criticism of Shakespeare, edited by Carolyn Lenz
"From Shrew to Subject: Petruchio's Humanist Education ofKatherine in 'The Taming of the Shrew'" by Elizabeth Hutcheon
"The Taming of the Shrew" with Morgan Freeman, episode of Shakespeare Uncovered from PBS
Further Listening
Episode 35: The Taming of the Shrew, Context and Confusion
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Our long-awaited Shrew series has begun! And I have discovered that I committed myself to doing three episodes surrounding a play that maybe I don’t like?
But regardless of whether I’m going to banish Petruchio to my rejected list, there are still interesting things to talk about concerning The Taming of the Shrew, because of course there are! It’s Shakespeare. There’s always something to talk about.
So let’s do that. In this episode we’re talking the plot ofthe play, why so much of it involves men putting on disguises and pretending to be someone else, what is up with the Christopher Sly setup that seemingly goes nowhere, and the play’s complicated relationship with another play that hasalmost exactly the same title.
As always, I did discover a couple things to appreciateabout this play after doing some intensive reading. It never fails to delight me how research can make my experience of a Shakespeare play better. Enough to redeem this particular play? Time will tell.
Join me for an introduction to this complicated play that has proved to be tricky for modern audiences. Then, next episode, we’ll really get into the controversy surrounding this one.
Further Reading
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (I read the Arden edition, which always has lovely introductions)
Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber, the “The Taming of the Shrew” chapter
“‘I Will Be Master of What Is Mine Own’: Fortune Hunters and Shrews in Early Modern London" by Eleanor Hubbard (This is the article that talks about a real divorce case in early modern England)
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
The Academy recently announced its Best Picture nominees,and while there’s been plenty of discussion over how good those nominees are, not even enough people are discussing how Shakespeare these movies are.
I’m here to the change that by starting with the only nominee I’ve seen so far: Conclave. How Shakespeare is this movie about electing the pope?
Well, seems like it has the potential to be pretty Shakespeare, doesn’t it. Join me on my first foray into a little series I’m calling “How Shakespeare Is It” as I look at this interesting little Best Picture nominee and the parts of it that are Shakespeare (or not) and then rate it.
Then, give me some suggestions for what else I rate based onhow Shakespeare it is! Or which Best Picture nom I should tackle next.
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
This episode is brought to you by the newsletters about books that I subscribe to and my ability to sometimes overthink things. This time around we are talking books! First-person perspective! Theater! Soliloquy!
Do you find it true that in the modern books you read, there’s more action than introspection and thought? Do books seem to be cinematic, already poised perfectly for an adaptation to the screen? If we remove the insight into a character’s mind, how effective is the book?
We love books for how close they bring us to characters and often turn a side eye when movies tried to capture that interior knowledge through voiceover. What about when we turn it over to the stage? How can the theater capture characters, their inner thoughts, and show the perspective of a single person? And how did Shakespeare do that?
Some fun musings abound this episode. Thinking about interiority in theater, how Shakespeare lets us get into character’s thoughts (or not), the purpose of stage directions, and ultimately land on the position that all art is interconnected and what a beautiful web we weave.
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
How often have you seen a quote on a beautifully colored background with the claim that the words are from William Shakespeare himself?
If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet, then probably at least a handful of times.
But there are pitfalls when it comes to taking what seems to be good advice from Shakespeare himself. One of them being that most of what was written by Shakespeare are words said by characters in his plays who often have other things going on that have nothing to with being generally inspirational.
Join me as I consider why it’s helpful to more thoughtfully consider inspirational quotes being passed off as Shakespeare and look at a couple of popular quotes people do like to use. We’ll determine the original context of those quotes and what they mean once you ground them in the plays they’re from.
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Do you consider something to be a Shakespeare adaptation if it features a female protagonist who dresses up as a boy? Is this basic concept now considered quintessentially Shakespearean? Or does there need to be an added je ne sais quoi to make it count?
That is the central question concerning the 1985 teen comedy Just One of the Guys, which the internet claims is loosely based on Twelfth Night. The phrase “loosely based” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this case.
In this episode we consider the elements of Just One of the Guys that make the case for it being a Twelfth Night adaptation, how it deals with gender presentation in a more serious way than you’d expect from a goofy comedy, and whether teen comedies lend themselves in general to Shakespearean adaptation.
Happy new year, everyone!
Further Listening
Ep. 25: Shakespeare in Adaptation
Ep. 10: Twelfth Night and Gender Exploration
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
It has come to my attention that I recently uploaded this with the wrong audio attached. Cool! It's about T.S. Eliot now, I promise.
This episode we are discussing my man T.S. Eliot, who wrote era defining poetry but also penned probably the most famous one-star review of the Hamlet that exists. What was his problem with Hamlet (the play) and Hamlet (the character), exactly?
We’ll be looking at that notorious essay and the argument that Eliot crafts in it. Then we will also consider some other factors that play into this Hamlet opinion, including why Eliot’s real ire might lie with an entirely different group of poets, and his Shakespeare opinions in other critical essays that he wrote throughout his life.
Did I end up reading more critical essays than I expected to when putting this episode together? Yes. Did I feel like I gained new insight into the squabbles that happen in the land of literary criticism? You bet. And we love literary-based petty squabbles.
Listen to find out why T.S. Eliot called Hamlet an “artistic failure,” what play he hated more than Hamlet, and how relatable Eliot is for finding his younger self cringe.
Further Reading
“Hamlet” by T.S. Eliot (Also known as “Hamlet and His Problems.” The essay that started it all.)
“T. S. Eliot's Impudence: "Hamlet", Objective Correlative, and Formulation" by Bradley Greenburg (This is the article that talks about Eliot’s real target of his Hamlet essay.)
“T. S. Eliot and Shakespeare” by Phillip L. Marcus (This article walks through multiple references to Shakespeare throughout Eliot’s works.)
“Soiled in the Working: Hamlet and Eliot” by Theodore Weiss (A rebuttal of Eliot’s essay.)
“Seneca in Elizabethan Translation” by T.S. Eliot (Read Eliot diss Titus Andronicus for yourself.)
“Ben Jonson” by T.S. Eliot (A defense of Ben Jonson, but he also has some nice things to say about Shakespeare.)
Further ListeningEpisode 16: One-Star Shakespeare, Hamlet Edition with Guest Ben Roman
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Happy long weekend surprise episode drop! We are having fun this time with various tales of Shakespeare lore that I've stumbled across in my reading over the last year of doing the show but haven't included because most of these stories have been judged to be dubious in some way.
But just because something isn't true doesn't mean it isn't also a fun story or bit of gossip. And honestly who isn't interested in a story who shows off Shakespeare as maybe a bit of a saucy fellow?
When it comes to Shakespeare as with many other famous figures from hundreds of years ago, sometimes it can be hard to distinguish fact from fiction and you have to consider a whole series of factors before you can place a story in the "probably true" or "probably not true" column. In the case of a couple of these stories, I'm willing to be swayed!
Enjoy some Shakespeare myths, as a little treat.
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
We’re back with more Ben Jonson! This episode we consider Jonson’s works, his plays for public and private theater, his poetry, and his relationship with the court.
When it comes to how he conducted his career, was also look at the how he differed from Shakespeare. Not as a point of judgement, but just to give us a more complete picture about what men did with their writing and how this (ironically) makes it more unfair to try to compare them.
Ultimately, knowing more about Jonson helps us know more about the sixteenth and seventeenth century stage, and that can only be a good thing. Plus, it’s always fun to run across a new Jonson quip.
Further Reading
Ben Jonson: A Life by Ian Donaldson
The Cambridge Companion to Ben Jonson by Richard Harp
The Complete Critical Guide to Ben Jonson by James Loxley
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Hi, everyone! Things got a little away from me this week, what with a national election demanding all my attention and energy, so I'm bringing back an old episode.
In this episode, I talk about the Shakespeare we had to read in high school, what those plays were, and some thoughts about why that is.
Whether you loved or hated the Shakespeare unit in high school, you probably had to suffer through at least one play. (And, it was probably Romeo and Juliet!)
How do you feel about Shakespeare now? Have you tried reading or watching a play since high school? Or were you scarred by that unit, turned away, and never looked back?
Welcome back, gentle listeners, to season 2 and the long-awaited discussion of Ben Jonson! Shakespeare’s colleague, friend, maybe sometimes frenemy, it’s up to us to decide. But definitely someone who knew him and admired (perhaps somewhat begrudgingly) his work.
After diving into the world of biography and various survey and companion type books, I now have a more complete picture of Ben Jonson the guy, and am delighted to inform everything that there is the same amount of nerdy minutia to dive into as there for Shakespeare.
In this episode, we’ll talk about Ben Jonson’s life, what we know about him and why we know it, what we don’t know about him, and how we can look at him in relation to Shakespeare. Having more context on the time and people is always a helpful exercise when you want to understand history better and might I suggest that we stop writing Shakespeare biographies and maybe start reading about his fellow playwrights too?
Next time, I’ll be looking at Jonson’s works, his relationship to the theater, why he kept getting in trouble with the censors, and how he’s the same (or not) as Shakespeare.
It’s good to be back, friends!
Further Reading
Ben Jonson: A Life by Ian Donaldson
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
What’s it like to go to the theater to see Shakespeare but then see a play about his works instead of seeing one of his works? Pretty rad, actually! In this episode, I’m covering The Book of Will, a play by Lauren Gunderson about the efforts behind the printing of the First Folio.
The First Folio is one of the most revered books in the English language and often has this air of grandeur about it that makes it feel unreal. Is it the untouchable work of a complete genius and we can only grovel at its feet?
Not exactly. The First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays was the result of years of effort from his friends to get them compiled, edited, typeset and printed. Once you started reading into the publication of the book, you start to learn all these fun quirks about it and the errors it contains that make it very human.
Gunderson’s play largely captures the human element of the story, what Henry Condell and John Heminges went through to get the First Folio printed and why they wanted to do it in the first place. It’s an accessible story that holds Shakespeare’s words in high esteem without asking you to be intimately familiar with all his works.
This is the last short episode before we start the next season in two weeks! Can’t wait to get into it.
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Are you interested in an early 90s indie film that has some Shakespearean elements and has also become a queer cult classic? Let’s all just assume the answer is yes here.
In this episode, I revisit the 1991 film My Own Private Idaho, which some people claim is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, and that’s true…ish.
If you decide to watch because of the Shakespearean elements, then stay for an interesting story performed movingly by a young River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.
We’ll get a little into the plot of the movie, how it involves Shakespeare and how much the Shakespeare bits even count. Then we’ll consider the emotional core of both the Henry plays and this movie.
Season two is drawing closer! One more short to go before kicking off with full-length episodes again.
Further watching
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Ghostlight is an indie film that at first blush seems to be dealing with some pretty well-worn tropes: we have a family dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event and has the lead character develops his emotional intelligence through the power of theater.
Sound like a bunch of other movies? It does, but this film is a testament to the fact that if you do a familiar trope well, the result can still end up being impactful.
This movie exercises drama and humor while also approaching Romeo and Juliet in a fresh new way. While Romeo and Juliet itself can feel overdone, especially if your exploring the first stirrings of young love, Ghostlight offers a new perspective not often explored.
Thanks to my guest, Amanda Bain-Wysocki, for bringing this movie to my attention, seeing it with me, and then discussing it with me! I’m guessing that you probably haven’t heard of this small little indie film, but I’d recommend checking it out if you’re of the Shakespearean persuasion. (And even if you’re not, there’s still something you can get from the film.)
This is the first of three shorts before the start of season 2 in October!
Further watching and listening
Drive My Car (2021) – Not related to Shakespeare but also worth watchingEpisode 8: Romeo + Juliet (1996) with guest Amanda Bain-Wysocki
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Welcome to the end of season 1 and our year in review!
In this episode, I reflect a little on the year I just had, how I got the podcast started and chose a title, the topics I’ve covered, any new opinions or insight I have and a look into my most (and least) popular episodes.
We close out with some pretty awesome questions asked by all of you! Just stumbled across this episode and didn’t get a chance to submit your question beforehand? Reach out anyway! I’ll get it answered in a future episode.
Thanks to everyone who has joined me in the first year. We’ve had some fun. Here’s to year two!
Further listening
Might I suggest any of my previous episodes?
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Another episode, another silly movie about Shakespeare. This time, I forced my brother to watch Anonymous, the 2011 Roland Emmerich film that puts forth the hypothesis that Edward de Vere was the real author of Shakespeare’s plays.
Whatever you think about the authorship question and the validity of the Oxfordian theory of authorship, can we all agree that this movie is not very good nor very convincing?
We touch on several of the main characters in the movie, which portrayal we liked the most and least, and get a little bit into some of the main points the movie is trying to promote. This is not a deep dive into the world of Shakespeare doubters. We’re just having some fun.
There is a secret cut of this episode where we get more into it, but as Ben said, gotta save that for the Patreon. And because the Patreon doesn’t exist, the air of mystery remains.
Next time I’ll be back with reflections on one year of podcasting! Don’t forget to send any questions you might have my way.
Further reading and watching
Anonymous (2011) (Although I have to admit, I don't really recommend this one.)
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
We are back and this week we are talking Shakespeare adaptation! What are the different types of adaptation, what do they accomplish, and what makes some stand out from the rest?
We’re talking movies, books, and plays in this episode, featuring a collection of Shakespeare content I’ve been consuming as I try to think through what makes something stand out and what makes something merely meh.
On the docket we’re thinking about: high school Shakespeare adaptation, movies that reference Shakespeare but don’t fully commit to the bit, the “person who gets cast in a Shakespeare production and then their life becomes Shakespeare” film, what is making commentary on Shakespeare, and then some pieces that think about his life and his works.
There’s so much out here! The list could have grown, but I wanted to think in categories and themes, and as such, there’s a lot still to think about. But this has been a helpful exercise in starting to guide my thoughts on what I want to catch and what I might want to miss.
We’re coming up on a year of Something Shakespeare This Way Comes! Please reach out with any comments, questions, or suggestions as I put together the year-end recap!
Further Reading
Episode 5: Shakespeare in Love (1998) with Ben Roman
Episode 13: Saltburn (2023) and Dead Poets Society (1989) with Gabbi Miller
Further reading and watching
10 Things I Hate About You (film)
The Lion King (original animated film)
Anyone But You (film)
These Violent Delights and These Violent Ends by Chloe Gong (books)
My Own Private Idaho (film)
Were the World Mine (film)
Ghostlight (film)
Macbitches by Sophie McIntosh (play)
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (book)
The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson (play)
Shakespeare in Love (film)
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Spoiler alert for this week’s episode: Judi Dench is super cool and also has a ton of interesting stuff to say about Shakespeare.
This episode we’re talking Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, a collection of conversations about Shakespeare’s plays and character between Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea, a longtime actor and director who has a history of working with Dench.
Even if you are not the world’s biggest Shakespeare fan, I seriously think picking up this book (or listening to it!) could be worth your while. I discuss some aspects of the book I found illuminating, some of which probably reveals that I’ve never acted onstage and should never be allowed to do so. These items include, Dench’s take on a couple of well-known characters, her approach to acting, and some tips for performing Shakespeare.
Also, you’ll find out which Shakespeare play Judi Dench hates. Ooh, intriguing right?
Literally, how can you resist.
Further Reading
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench, Brendan O’Hea
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
Would you classify yourself as a straight up astrology nerd or someone who barely knows your sign and that’s where you’d like to leave it? What about when it comes to Shakespeare?
In the spirit of having fun, in this episode I talk to repeat guest Gabbi Miller about which astrological signs different Shakespeare characters would be. I come supplying the knowledge about Shakespeare, she comes with the details about popular astrology.
I came up with this idea mostly because I thought it would make for an interesting conversation, but I was curious to know how much a role astrology would have played in the lives of Shakespeare’s contemporaries. Turns out, astrology was thriving in early modern England and you can find Shakespeare grappling with that fact in the text of his own plays.
Of course he did.
Join us on a silly little romp through some of Shakespeare’s most notable characters and even a quick glance at the man himself.
Further Reading
"Causes in Nature: Popular Astrology in King Lear" by Phebe Jenson. Published in Shakespeare Quarterly (Winter 2018)
Further Listening
Episode 13: Saltburn (2023) and Dead Poet's Society (1989) (to hear more Gabbi)
Episode 17: What Your Favorite Shakespeare Play Says About You (for more silliness)
Credit where credit is due
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg
