Podcasts by That Shakespeare Life
Hosted by Cassidy Cash, That Shakespeare Life takes you behind the curtain and into the real life of William Shakespeare.
Further podcasts by Cassidy Cash
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The Ghost Stories of Anne Boleyn from 2023-12-11T15:00
In Tudor England, it was a tradition to tell ghost stories to celebrate Christmas, particularly on Christmas Eve. One of the people about whom ghost stories might have been shared is none other tha...
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Christmas Carols and Madrigals for Shakespeare's Lifetime from 2023-12-04T15:00
During the reign of Elizabeth I, which was 1558-1603 and spans most of Shakespeare’s lifetime, England was experiencing the English Renaissance, a time when all forms of art were seeing a shift in ...
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Wool and Wool Sweaters in the 16th Century from 2023-11-27T15:00
William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, spent a great deal of time in trouble with the government over his illegal sale of wool. Several court documents show that John Shakespeare was inves...
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The Pilgrim Psalter, Book of Psalms, 1612 from 2023-11-20T15:00
The Pilgrim Psalter (originally titled “The Book of Psalms, Englished in Prose and Meter”) was produced by Henry Ainsworth in 1612. Ainsworth was a Hebrew scholar and Bible teacher among the Englis...
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Table Manners for Shakespeare's England from 2023-11-13T15:00
When we sit down to a formal dinner here in the United States, there are manners you are expected to follow like sit up straight, push your chair in, place your napkin in your lap. All of this smal...
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Napkins in Shakespeare's England from 2023-11-06T15:00
Shakespeare’s plays refer to a napkin at least 20 times, including As You Like It where Rosalind mentions a bloody napkin, in Hamlet the title character is offered a napkin to “rub thy brows.” In H...
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The Legends and Folklore of Werewolves for 16th century England from 2023-10-30T14:00
Far before the time of Shakespeare, there was a prevalent belief in the creatures known as werewolves, or lycanthrope, as they were called in the Ancient world. This belief saw a large increase by ...
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The 16th Century Legend of Robin Hood from 2023-10-23T14:00
William Shakespeare refers to the legend of Robin Hood in his play, As You Like it with the old Duke exiled to the Forest of Arden with a group of Merry Men who “live like the ol...
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How Was the First Folio Physically Made? from 2023-10-16T14:00
In the year 1623, close to a decade after William Shakespeare died, the First Folio was published, which is a collection of some of Shakespeare’s plays selected by his friends and a group of busine...
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Haunted Lover's Ballads from 2023-10-09T14:00
ForShakespeare's lifetime, ghosts and spiritual manifestations were fixture in pop culture publications like songs, ballads, and of course, plays like Shakespeare’s that feature ghosts such as Banq...
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Maria on Board the Golden Hind from 2023-10-02T14:00
During his voyage around the world in 1577-1580, Sir Francis Drake captained a ship named the Golden Hinde. On this ship lived a woman named Maria, whose plight we only know about because of a r...
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The History of English Apples from 2023-09-25T14:00
Shakespeare uses the word “apple” in his works a total of 9 times, including references to crab apples, rotten apples, and the apple of your eye, among others. The word apple was used to describe t...
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The Science of a 16th Century Football Found at Stirling Castle from 2023-09-18T14:00
In Shakespeare’s lifetime, the game we call soccer today, known as football in Europe, was a popular in Shakespeare’s lifetime. In fact, some sources say the game of football was invented in Englan...
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The 16th Century Bed That Sleeps 12 People from 2023-09-11T14:00
In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Act III, Sir Toby Belch uses the Great Bed of Ware in England as a measuring stick for something that is impossibly large. The Great Bed of Ware is a real bed, as it...
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What Was Shakespeare Really Like? from 2023-09-04T14:00
When we look back at the study of Shakespeare’s plays, the question always come to mind about how much can we know about the actual William Shakespeare from the pieces of artwork, plays, and even l...
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Expletives: Exploring 16th Century Curse Words from 2023-08-28T14:00:15
A short notice for you ahead of today’s episode, I apologize for the general gruff sounding voice today, I am recovering from a cold and struggling through a horrible cough that threatens to take m...
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Potatoes First Arrived in England in the 16th Century from 2023-08-21T14:00
In the play, Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff declares “Let the sky rain potatoes!” what’s unique about this quote, despite Falstaff calling for root vegetables to rain down from the sky which is o...
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The Wadlow Portrait of Shakespeare from 2023-08-14T14:00
After we published our episode here on That Shakespeare Life about the Duncan portrait of William Shakespeare, I received an email from Steve Wadlow, telling me about the history of a portrait that...
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Tewskbury Mustard from Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 2 from 2023-08-07T14:00
In Shakespeare’s in Henry IV, Part 2, Falstaff has the line: “his wit's as thick as Tewkesbury Mustard” (Act 2, Scene 4). Falstaff is describing his friend Ned Poins, but it presents the question o...
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Real 17thC Canon Law in Measure for Measure from 2023-07-31T14:00
In Shakespeare’s play,Measure for Measure, there’s a fictional court case against Claudio for extra-marital misconduct. The play separately asks the audience to pass judgement on Angelo re...
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The Arrival of the Exclamation Point During Shakespeare's Lifetime from 2023-07-24T14:00
In his 1611 English to French dictionary, Randle Cotgrave defines the exclamation point as “the point of admiration and detestation” While credit for the original creation of the exclamation poi...
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The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England from 2023-07-17T14:56
When it comes to stepping back into the life of William Shakespeare and walking around the streets of London to see what the sights, sounds, smells, people and places were really like, no one does ...
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A Fight Director Takes on Queen Margaret from 2023-07-10T14:00
One of Shakespeare’s strongest characters is Queen Margaret who, as a consequence of her husband’s bouts with insanity, finds it necessary to lead not only a country, but to stand at the helm of an...
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Stranger's Hall: A 16thC Home for Refugees from 2023-07-03T14:00:58
In the 16th century, one man from Norwich, Thomas Sotherton, wanted to encourage these refugees to settle in Norfolk, specifically, because the immigrant’s skills in textile weaving made them valua...
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The Establishment of Fort Raleigh in 1587 from 2023-06-26T14:00:04
In 1584, Spain dominated the coasts of Central and South America, the Carribean, and modern day Florida. England, under the rule of Elizabeth I, sought to disrupt and overthrow this control by esta...
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New Discoveries about the First Folio from 2023-06-19T14:00
During his lifetime, only about half of Shakespeare’s plays were available in printed versions.That meant that there were several of Shakespeare’s plays that weren’t available in printed form at al...
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What was it like to be handicapped or disabled in 16th Century England? from 2023-06-05T14:00
In his plays, Richard III, in his Henry Plays, and even in macbeth, Shakespeare writes about medical disabilities and phsyical deformities like a hunchback, madness, blindness, and being lame. We c...
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What was it like to be handicapped or disabled in 16th Century England? from 2023-06-05T14:00
In his plays, Richard III, in his Henry Plays, and even in macbeth, Shakespeare writes about medical disabilities and phsyical deformities like a hunchback, madness, blindness, and being lame. We c...
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What It Means to Take a 17thC Covenant in Scotland from 2023-05-29T14:00
Shakespeare mentions “covenants drawn between’s” in Cymbeline, and mentions covenants again in Henry VI when the King is negotiating a marriage to Lady Margaret, and then it concept comes up furthe...
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Huguenots arrive in England during Shakespeare's Lifetime from 2023-05-22T14:00
In this week’s episode you’ll hear me learn about how to pronounce this week’s topic correctly—it is the Huguenots (and not Huguenots as I had been saying and which you may have been tempted to say...
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Finding a Lost Aldrovandi Portrait from the 1590s from 2023-05-15T14:00
Ulisse Aldrovandi is considered by many scientists, including Carl Linnaeus, the man who formalized the modern system of naming animals, to be the father of natural history studies. During Shakespe...
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Tomatoes Make a Splash in Shakespeare's England from 2023-05-08T14:00
The fruit today known as a tomato was first introduced to Europe during Shakespeare’s lifetime. As many new things were, this fruit was received at first with skepticism, considered a kind of cu...
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Atlantic Slave Trade in England for the 16th Century from 2023-05-01T14:00:57
During the 16th century in Europe, the Portuguese dominated the African slave trade. European ships were first exposed to African slaves when privateering vessels would find enslaved Africans...
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Blackfriars, the Parish, The Puritans, and The Theater from 2023-04-24T14:00
Prior to Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1538, the section of London known as Blackfriars was as major religious institution extending along the bank of the Thames River. In its’ ent...
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Card Games That Were Popular for Shakespeare from 2023-04-17T14:00
It’s Shakespeare’s Birthday this week! Happy Birthday Shakespeare! To celebrate, we’re going to paly some card games! From Noddy and Maw to Laugh and Lie Down, card games were popular for Sha...
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Lost Plays and the Historians Who Find Them Again from 2023-04-10T14:00
Whether it’s a diary entry or a side note in a ledger or account book, history leaves us records of plays that were performed during Shakespeare’s lifetime, but their scripts never survived to the ...
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A Traditional Marriage Ceremony Including the Reading of the Banns from 2023-04-03T14:00:22
The difference in Shakespeare’s plays between a tragedy and a comedy is defined as whether or not the characters end in marriage or end in death. The comedies often showcase the promise of a marria...
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The Danby Portrait: A newly uncovered painting from life of William Shakespeare from 2023-03-27T14:00
Of all the history we know about William Shakespeare and what it was like to live in turn of the 17th century England, one of the hardest things to know for sure about the bard is what he looked li...
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The Great Fires that Ravaged Stratford Upon Avon in the 1590s from 2023-03-20T14:00
In 1594 and 1595, when William Shakespeare was 31 years old, fires tore through his hometown of Stratford Upon Avon, causing such destruction that this natural disaster is one of the few major even...
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The Hairy Girls That Captivated Europe With Their Portraits from 2023-03-13T14:00
In the late 16th century, William Shakespeare was in his 30s, and staging plays like As You Like It, where Rosalind mentions the “howling of Irish wolves against the moon.” (That’s from Act V scene...
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The Man Who Established The Lord Chamberlain's Men, Shakespeare's Playing Company from 2023-03-06T15:00:01
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men is known as “Shakespeare’s playing company” and was a group of actors for which Shakespeare wrote plays most of his career. By 1603, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were so po...
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Heads That Keep Talking After They Are Decapitated (and other wild Royal death stories) from 2023-02-27T15:00:48
In her latest book, Mortal Monarchs: 1000 Years of Royal Deaths Suzie Edge writes about the deaths of several of England’s monarchs who died in grotesque, weird, or elaborate ways. A former medi...
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1582: David Ingram Walks from Mexico to Nova Scotia from 2023-02-20T15:00:43
In 1567, a young English sailor named David Ingram signed up to work on a ship captained by English privateer John Hawkins. They would travel up and down the coasts of Africa and Mexico raiding and...
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Thomas Kyd inspires a young William Shakespeare to write plays from 2023-02-13T14:00:19
In his latest book, Shakespeare’s Tutor, Darren Freebury Jones explores the unsung history of Thomas Kyd as a master playwright who belongs in the canon of Shakespeare, Marlowe, and Lyly as one ...
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Plays Performed at Universities and How They Competed with the Playhouses from 2023-02-06T14:00
The theaters of the Globe, the Curtain, and the Swan all resided in parts of London considered outside of the law and housing disreputable players. In a strange twist of irony for Shakespeare’s Eng...
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Did your barn float away? Floods, Storms, and Frozen Rivers in the 17th Century from 2023-01-30T14:00
Shakespeare mentions a “weather-cock” in his plays Merry Wives of Windsor, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Love’s Labour’s Lost, which is a kind of weather vane used for measuring wind direction. Duri...
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Mandrakes That Scream and Look Like People Was An Elaborate 16th Century Scam from 2023-01-23T15:00
Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, talks about the shrieking mandrake while Henry IV and Henry VI use the word mandrake as an insult. These very real plants took on legendary qualities due in pa...
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Writing letters in Renaissance England using special tricks and antiquated tools from 2023-01-16T14:00:36
There are many examples of letter writing from Shakespeare’s plays, including letters getting lost in transit and even examples of letter forgery! While many of the examples from Shakespeare’s play...
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The Astronomically High Deaths on the First Voyages of the East India Trading Company from 2023-01-09T15:00:32
In April of 1601, four ships set out from England with hopes of establishing trade with Asia. Remembered by history as the first voyage of the East India Company that launched a momentous relations...
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Twelfth Night Celebrations Every January Including Music and Misrule from 2023-01-02T14:00:02
This Thursday, January 5, is Twelfth Night, the official end of the 12 Days of Christmas. For Shakespeare’s lifetime, celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas was a huge occasion, and one which inc...
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Cony Trapper with Ari Friedlander from 2022-12-26T14:00:03
There were several pamphlets published during Shakespeare's lifetime featuring a menacing giant rabbit, sometimes even wielding a sword and looking very scary. It would be easy to think this charac...
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Santa Claus did not exist for Shakespeare, but happily, Sir Christmas did from 2022-12-19T15:00
It’s Christmastime again this year and our thoughts are full of sugar plums, candy canes, and hopefully some beautiful winter snow. Growing up children of the 20-21st century are very familiar with...
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Nutmeg: So Luxurious it was Given as a Christmas Gift to the Queen from 2022-12-13T02:00
Shakespeare mentions the spice of nutmeg in his plays three times, once in Henry V to comment on the color of of this spice, once in Love’s Labour’s Lost to talk about a “gift nutmeg” which was a g...
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Eleanor of Aquitaine from 2022-12-05T15:00
In Shakespeare's play,King John, Eleanor of Aquitaine is portrayed as "Queen Elinor," who is decrepit and old, but strong willed and highly intelligent. For many Shakespeareans, the real h...
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Sport fishing in Shakespeare's England from 2022-11-28T14:00
William Shakespeare mentions fish over 70 times in his plays including certain kinds of fish like dwarfish, a finless fish, and even a dogfish. Types of fish, being a fishmonger, and applying all m...
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Squanto with David and Aaron Bradford from 2022-11-21T14:00
One of the heroes of American history and the story of the survival of the English colonists at Plymouth in the mid 17th century is a man named Squanto. His given name was Tisquantum, but he came t...
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Gresham College with Valerie Shrimplin from 2022-11-14T13:00
Thomas Gresham served as Royal Agent to the King t in England under Edward VI, Henry VIII, Mary, and Elizabeth I. A hugely influential man of his time, Thomas Gresham’s legacy continues today at Gr...
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Cesarean Section with Mary Fissell from 2022-11-07T13:00
Famously in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the title character becomes convinced he cannot be killed because the witches tell him he cannot be killed a man “of a woman born.” It is only when...
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Pirates and Privateers with James Seth from 2022-10-31T13:00
From 1560 until her death in 1603, Queen Elizabeth employed a group of privateers to raid, pillage, and rob ships that were acting against English interests. This group of private sailors known as ...
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Pumpkins and The Great Pompion from 2022-10-24T13:00
In November of 1621, English colonists celebrated what’s known today in the US as The First Thanksgiving. Indian natives and English colonists gathered around a celebration of their first successfu...
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Coffee and Tea for Shakespeare's Lifetime from 2022-10-17T13:00
Coffee, tea, and chocolate may be regular items in the daily lives of the English today, but for Shakespeare these items were not on the everyday menu. In fact, drinking coffee or tea was seen with...
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Waffles and Waffle Irons in 16th Century England from 2022-10-13T15:47
In William Shakespeare’s Henry V Part II, Scene 3, Pistol uses the phrase “men’s faiths are wafer-cakes.” Wafer cakes were thin baked breads that would eventually become what we know today as waffl...
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English Accents with Valerie Fridland from 2022-10-03T13:00
One of the most common issues with Shakespare’s plays is understanding the language. He used not only words that have fallen out of fashion for today’s English language, but the pronunciation and e...
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Acrobats and Tumblers with Clare McManus from 2022-09-26T13:00:23
In Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, he writes about a tumbler wearing colours in their hoop. This reference is to a specific act of theater performance called tumbling. If you’ve already studied...
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Sweetbreads with Neil Buttery from 2022-09-19T13:00:52
When I’m not recording That Shakespeare Life, I’m usually researching for DIY History, my YouTube channel where I look into games, recipes, and crafts for Shakespeare’s lifetime that you can do at ...
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Susanna's Garden with Ailsa Grant Ferguson from 2022-09-12T14:49:17
When you visit Stratford Upon Avon, you can stop in and see a place called Hall’s Croft. It is right down the road from Shakespeare’s Birthplace and is the house where William Shakespeare’s oldest ...
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Armadillos with Peter Mason from 2022-09-05T13:00:48
Armadillos are a fascinating animal, and for the 16th century they were an object of luxury. Many members of the nobility in 16th century England made a hobby out of collecting wild and exotic spec...
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Curse Words with John Spurr from 2022-08-29T13:00:33
Forsooth and by the saints, we are exploring curse words today from Shakespeare’s lifetime. The changeover from Catholic to Protestant England may have changed the way people worshipped but it didn...
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Fireworks with Simon Werrett from 2022-08-22T13:00:13
The technology of explosions to celebrate or mark an occasion of jubilation that we know today as fireworks was a new thing for Shakespeare’s lifetime. Shakespeare mentions the word “firework” only...
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Dragons with Carolyne Larrington from 2022-08-15T13:00:09
When William Shakespeare talks about dragons in his plays, he mentions these creatures as fire-breathing, flying, cave dwelling, night stalking, fearsome fighters in over 20 references across his w...
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Hobby Horses with Natalia Pikli from 2022-08-08T13:00:51
When you hear the term “hobby horse” you may be tempted to recall images of toy wooden horses that children laugh and play on. For Shakespeare’s lifetime, however, this term refers to a particular ...
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Infant Formula in the 16th Century from 2022-08-01T13:00:12
Commercial baby formula wouldn’t hit the mass market until the 1800s, but Shakespeare’s lifetime still had to deal with babies who needed to eat but were unable, for a variety of reasons, to nurse ...
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King John with Ralph Turner from 2022-07-25T13:00:55
WhileKing Johnisn’t one of the more popular Shakespeare plays performed by companies today, taking a look back at monarchs of the past was a favorite pastime for Elizabethan England. To be...
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Bears of 1608 with Callan Davies from 2022-07-18T13:00:21
An anonymous dairy was written in 1608 cataloging the keeping of bears for the sport of bear baiting in England. Our guest today calls this diary the “Bearward Diary of 1608” and the term “bearward...
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Conrad Gessner with Dan Hooley from 2022-07-11T13:00:34
The true example of a Renaissance Man, or a person who is great with many talents or areas of knowledge, Conrad Gessner joins the ranks of herbalists like William Turner and John Gerard as not only...
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How did Shakespeare Sleep? With Sasha Handley from 2022-07-04T13:00:55
Shakespeare mentions sleep in his plays over 380 times, and the word bed over 540 times! His works mentions Truckle beds, as well as the famous Great Bed of Ware, but when it comes to the bard hims...
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Did Women Act on Stage? With Pamela Brown from 2022-06-27T13:00:50
One of the most accepted statements you’re liable to find about Elizabethan theater online today is that playing companies were all male companies. The idea of a woman on stage is considered forbid...
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Catherine de Medici with Estelle Paranque from 2022-06-20T13:00:10
Married to Henry Valois, Catherine de Medici held considerable power and influence over the Valois Dynasty of France and was beloved of the Medici Dynasty in Italy. The year William Shakepseare was...
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Maps with Peter Barber from 2022-06-13T13:00:12
Transoceanic travel was a staple of European endeavors for the 16-17th century, with both Elizabeth I and James I spending massive amounts of money and effort to work with trading companies and exp...
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The First English Lottery with Elizabeth Norton from 2022-06-06T14:00:26
William Shakespeare uses the word “lottery” in his plays 8 times, often referring to a reward that comes after taking a gamble. While we may be familiar with lotteries like the Powerball or Publish...
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Medlars with Neil Buttery from 2022-05-30T13:00:54
Five times in Shakespeare’s works he refers to a specific plant called a Medlar. InAs You Like It, Rosalind talks about grafting a medlar, Lucio talks about a rotten medlar inMeasure f...
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Banbury Cheese with Helen Forde from 2022-05-23T13:00:13
In William Shakespeare’s play,Merry Wives of Windsor, Bardolph declares “You Banbury Cheese!” as an insult. The reason this line is an insult is because for the life of William Shakespeare...
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John Caius with Vivian Nutton from 2022-05-16T13:00:57
John Caius was a prominent medical professional in the 16th century. A staunch adherent to the teachings of Galen, who himself was the ultimate authority on medical knowledge for close to 15 centur...
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Transplant Surgery with Paul Craddock from 2022-05-09T13:00:03
From blood transfusions to replacement of legs, during Shakespeare’s lifetime was when medical science was trying to figure out the best way to replace broken or damaged body parts with transplants...
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William Adams with Timon Screech from 2022-05-02T14:00:48
In the year 1600, when William Shakespeare was just 36 years old, William Adams became the first Englishman to reach Japan. Adams sailed as part of a 5-ship fleet employed for the expedition by ...
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Stephen Hopkins with Andrew Buckley from 2022-04-25T13:00:30
On June 2, 1609, a ship named the Sea Venture set sail for Jamestown, Virginia. On the way, the ship was blown off course by a horrible hurricane. The storm badly damaged the ship and all hands ...
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The Moon with Rachel Aanstad from 2022-04-18T13:00:06
William Shakespeare uses the word “moon” over 160 times in his works, talking about the shape of the moon, the horns of the moon, and even traits of the moon like moonshine or moonbeam. For Shak...
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John Taylor the Water Poet with Bernard Capp from 2022-04-11T13:00:25
John Taylor is a poet contemporary to Shakespeare, but with a decidedly unique approach to the writing profession. John Taylor trained professionally as a waterman, or a river worker who taxied pas...
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Cocktails with Jared and Anistatia Brown from 2022-04-04T13:00:43
Shakespeare’s plays mention several kinds of alcoholic beverages, some of which we still have today like wine, ale, and beer, but others are more firmly situated in the past, making them pretty ...
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Cataracts Surgery with Chris Leffler from 2022-03-28T14:00:38
In a 16th century painting by Casper Stromayr, two men, presumably doctors, are standing behind a table on which a set of surgical instruments are laid out very neatly. In the notes for the pain...
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Laundry and Touching Disease with Steph Bennett (Ep 205) from 2022-03-21T14:00:27
In the 16th century plague impacted Shakespeare’s daily life through regular closings of the theater due to the fear of disease spreading in enclosed spaces. In addition to large crowds gathering t...
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Herballs with Sarah Neville (Ep204) from 2022-03-14T14:00:56
Throughout Shakespeare’s lifetime there were dozens of books printed on plants called herballs. These books contained drawings of various grasses, flowers, herbs, and trees that grew in England. Th...
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Pregnancy at Sea with Kasia Burzyńska from 2022-03-07T14:00
InShakespeare’sPericles, the character Thasia gives birth on a ship at sea and, dying in childbirth, is thrown overboard in her coffin by Pericles. There’s a great deal to unpack in the st...
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Lady Elizabeth Russell and the Blackfriars (Ep 202) from 2022-02-28T14:00:12
One of the byproducts of introducing disruptive innovation to the theater industry of the 16th century is that not everyone is a fan of your work. For William Shakespeare, as he and his compatriots...
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Shakespeare's Violence with Jared Kirby and Seth Duerr from 2022-02-21T14:00:02
Many of Shakespeare’s most powerful scenes are based on physical action that isn’t directly written about in the scripts of his works. For example, when Ophelia goes mad and demonstrates her madnes...
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Old Tom Parr with Emma Kate Lanyon (Ep 200) from 2022-02-14T14:00
Born in the late 1480s, and dying an astonishing one hundred and fifty two years later in 1635, Old Tom Parr is famous for living longer than any man in England before or since his lifetime. Overla...
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Beer Making with Richard Unger (Ep 199) from 2022-02-07T14:00
Shakespeare references “beer” in his works 6 times, drawing attention to specific kinds of beer like “small beer” “double beer” and even one reference in Hamlet to beer barrels where the Prince of ...
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St. Swithun's Day with Philippa Brewell (Ep 198) from 2022-01-31T14:00
700 years before Shakespeare a man named Saint Swithun established his place in history mostly because of the miracles that surrounded his death and burial. St. Swithun would capture the imagina...
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Sound Effects with Chris Johnston and Alexander Sovsronsky (Ep 197) from 2022-01-24T14:00
One of the most powerful aspects of modern day theater performance is the spooky sounds, creaking doors, or the wailing noises of the witches across the moor. These same sound effects were importan...
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Body Language with Miranda Fay Thomas (Ep 196) from 2022-01-17T14:00
One of the most remembered lines from Shakespeare’sRomeo and Julietis when Sampson says “I bite my thumb at your sir!” It’s funny to us today partly because we don’t understand why someone...
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Ep 195: The Ottoman Empire with Aisha Hussain from 2022-01-10T14:00
In a series of highly political and pro-English history plays known as his “Henriad” performances, Shakespeare uses a variety of figurative words and expressions to describe the “Turks” or members ...
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Ep 194: Clouds, Lightning, and Special Effects with Frank Mohler from 2022-01-03T14:00
When Shakespeare performed scenes like the ocean waves of the Tempest, the flying acrobatics of ghosts, or had his characters change location from the streets of verona to the castles of Kings o...
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Ep 193: King of Moors Pageant with Maria Shmygol from 2021-12-27T14:00
When London established a new mayor every October, there was a pageant put on to celebrate the appointment and introduce the new mayor to the city known as the Lord Mayor’s Show. This event was an ...
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Ep 192: Purple Carrots with Phil Simon from 2021-12-21T02:00
Wild carrots are indigenous to Europe and known as Queen Anne’s Lace, as well as Devil’s Plague, and Fool’s Parsley, this wild carrot variety was known primarily for its use as an herb and in me...
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Ep 191: Pearls with Saoirse Laarachi from 2021-12-13T14:00
Shakespeare uses the word “pearl” over 40 times across his works. He describes them as objects of high value, and in Troilus and Cressida, uses the pearl to describe a rare and valuable woman sa...
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Ep 190: Metallurgy with Alan Williams from 2021-12-06T14:00
Metal was used in Shakespeare’s lifetime to create a variety of items including swords, armor, guns, and even horseshoes. In one reference from Henry IV Part II, Shakespeare draws attention to the ...
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Ep 189: Cunning Folk with Owen Davies from 2021-11-29T14:00
You may have heard of common superstitions like throwing salt over your shoulder when you spill some to ward off bad luck, or crossing your fingers when you tell a lie to prevent consequences of yo...
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Ep 188: Plymouth Colony with David and Aaron Bradford from 2021-11-22T14:00
It is Thanksgiving this week here in the US where we take time to intentionally be grateful for what we’ve been given and count our blessings, but it is also the one time of year where the whole...
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Ep 187: The Arquebus Rifle with Jonathan Ferguson from 2021-11-15T14:00
In 1593, Shakespeare wroteVenus and Adonisthe play in which he writes “like the deadly bullet of a gun, His meaning struck her ere his words begun.” As our guest this week explains, “This ...
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Ep 186: Stratford Upon Avon Floods in 1588 with Laurie Johnson from 2021-11-08T14:00
In 1588, William Shakespeare turned 24 years old. This year is part of what we call “Shakespeare’s Lost Years” because we don’t know precisely what Shakepeare was doing at this time. Many speculati...
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Ep 185: Witch Bottles, Charms, and Mummified Cats with Brian Hoggard from 2021-11-01T13:00
When Shakespeare plays are performed on stage and the magic of witches dazzles us with lights, smoke, and mirrors, it’s easy to think these spells and incantations are just folklore, designed to be...
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Ep 184: The Case of Elizabeth Stile with Carole Levin from 2021-10-25T13:00
In 1606, as Shakespeare staged Macbeth, James I had published his book on...
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Ep 184: The Case of Elizabeth Stile with Carole Levin from 2021-10-25T13:00
In 1606, as Shakespeare stagedMacbeth, James I had published his book on witchcraft and the supernatural calledDaemonology, and witch trials were rampant across the UK bringing wo...
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Ep 183: Bedlam Hospital with Duncan Salkeld from 2021-10-18T13:00
In Shakespeare’s Henry VI part II, Lord Clifford exclaims, “To Bedlam with him! Is the man grown mad?” That’s from Act V Scene 1. This use of the word Bedlam both as a place associated with madn...
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Ep 182: The Clink Prison with Alex Lyon from 2021-10-11T13:00
According to The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, edited by Stanley Wells and Michael Dobson, the phrase “the Clink” described a specific prison in an area of London called Bankside, where Shakespe...
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Ep 181: Letters and the Postal Service with Andrew Pettegree from 2021-10-04T13:00
The rise of the printing press created a precursor to the modern day newspaper, where printed publications like broadsides and pamphlets served to communicate ideas, updates, and notices about new ...
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Ep 180: Travelling Libraries with Michael Brennan from 2021-09-27T13:00
William Shakespeare mentions the word “book” over 140 times across his works, showing not only their prominent place in society but their popularity as well. There are several kinds of books refere...
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Ep 179: Tudor Shoes with Juraj Matejik from 2021-09-20T13:00
Sandals, boots, spurs, and cobbled shoes are all mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays, found in works likeAlls Well That Ends Well, Coriolanus,and evenHamletwhere the Danish Prince ta...
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Ep 178: Shakespeare's Toilet Paper with Tiffany Stern from 2021-09-13T13:00
There may not have been indoor plumbing in Shakespeare’s lifetime, but going to the bathroom still involved cleaning up. One aspect you may be surprised to learn you share with William Shakespeare ...
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Ep 177: Shorthand with Kelly McCay from 2021-09-06T13:00
When William Shakespeare was just 24 years old, a man named Timothy Bright would introduce a system of writing called charactery to England, setting off a wildfire of shorthand manuals, methods, an...
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Ep 176: Leicester's Men with Laurie Johnson from 2021-08-30T13:00
Leicester’s Men are a group of actors who formed what many consider to be the founding company of English Renaissance Theater. Established with the sponsorship of Robert Dudley, Earl of ...
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Ep 175: The King's Men with Lucy Munro from 2021-08-23T13:00
In 1603, as King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England following the death of Elizabeth I, one of the people James’ tapped to walk in his coronation parade was William Shakespeare, al...
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Ep 174: Elizabethan Hair Care&Wigs with Sue Prichard from 2021-08-16T13:00
The wig was first introduced to England around 1572, when Shakespeare was only 8 years old. The fashion would catch on very quickly in England, promoted by the Queen herself, who was known for wear...
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Ep 173: Bridewell Prison with Duncan Salkeld from 2021-08-09T13:00
Bridewell Palace was built in the early 16th century as a residence for King Henry VIII. The palace was a unique structure because it deviated from the architectural designs of the time period by n...
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Ep 172: Roderigo Lopez with Susan Abernethy from 2021-08-02T13:00
Born in Portugal, Dr. Roderigo Lopez fled to England in the 16th century as a Jewish refugee. His family was Jewish, forced to convert to Catholicism, and when he arrived in England he joined the C...
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Ep 171: Joan La Pucelle with Carole Levin from 2021-07-26T13:00
InHenry VI Part I, William Shakespeare presents one of history’s most famous characters, a woman, named Joan La Pucelle, known today as Joan of Arc. For the French, she was a truly holy wo...
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Ep 170: William Bradford with David and Aaron Bradford from 2021-07-19T13:00
William Braford is most well known today as the man who served as the second governor of Plymouth Colony, leaving Europe for Virginia in 1620 aboard theMayflower. Prior to this infamous vo...
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Ep 169: Tudor Underwear with Bess Chilver from 2021-07-12T13:00
Portraits of ladies and gentlemen from the late 16th century show men and women adorned in all manner of finery, including everything from flowing gowns, to magnificent swords, and even those infam...
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Ep 168: Court with Natalie Mears from 2021-07-05T13:00
When we study court in Shakespeare history the phrase “appeared at court” or “performed at court” frequently gets used to describe what Shakespeare was doing at various points of his life. However,...
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Ep 167: Shareholders with Lucy Munro from 2021-06-28T13:00
When William Shakespeare first arrived in London sometime in the 1580s, James Burbage was already making waves in the early modern performance industry by establishing The Theater, a playhouse whic...
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Ep 166: Elizabethan Street Fighting with Casey Kaleba from 2021-06-21T13:00
In the 1950s when Shakespeare’sRomeo and Julietwas adapted intoWest Side Story, popular culture in the US resonated with the gang culture and street fighting depicted on stage bec...
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Ep 165: The Broom Besom with Wendy Wall from 2021-06-14T13:00
It seems even William Shakespeare had household floors to keep clean. While it likely wouldn’t have been the actual William doing the majority of the sweeping in his household, one item the bard se...
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Ep 164: Iron Gall Ink with Lucas Tucker from 2021-06-07T13:00
InCymbeline, Act I Scene 1 Posthumus Leonatus says “I’ll drink the words you send though ink be made of gall” and inTwelfth NightSir Toby Belch calls attention to a particular kin...
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Ep 163: Crocodiles and Alligators with Spencer Weinreich from 2021-05-31T13:00
Shakespeare mentions the word “crocodile” five times in his plays, but crocodiles not being native to England must have been introduced to the bard from outside his natural habitat there in London....
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Ep 162: The Grass Snake and the Basilisk with Rob Lenders from 2021-05-24T13:00
In Elizabethan England, the basilisk was a feared and hateful creature, capable of killing someone with just a glance. Of the 8 references to basilisks in Shakespeare’s plays, half of these invoke ...
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Ep 161: The Mermaid Tavern with Michelle O'Callaghan from 2021-05-17T13:00
In Elizabethan England on the corner of Friday Street and Bread Street was a fine dining and drinking establishment called the Mermaid Tavern. The building itself burned down in the Great Fire o...
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Ep 160: Characterie and Elizabethan Short Hand with Bryan Crockett from 2021-05-10T13:00
In 1588, one man named Tom Bright introduced an innovative new method for quickly writing down what you hear during a live performance, publishing a manual he called “Charactery.” A term of Bright’...
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Ep 159: Elizabethan Dogs with Jeff Crosby and Shelley Ann Jackson from 2021-05-03T13:00
In Elizabethan England two of the most popular forms of public entertainment were animal baiting and hunting. Bull and bear baiting happened in a dedicated arena while hunting was usually done o...
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Ep 158: Excavating Bull Ring Market with Steve Thomson from 2021-04-26T13:00
Bull Ring market in Birmingham, England, UK was first known as Corn Cheaping because in the 12th century, which is when we have the first reference to Corn Cheaping, it was used as a corn market. C...
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Ep 157: Social Order and Architecture with Matthew Johnson from 2021-04-19T13:00
As students of Shakespeare’s lifetime, often we see the phrase “of certain status” to describe 16-17th century limitations on clothes, housing, and other material realities for various people. Part...
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Ep 156: Rules for 17th C Hunting with Karen Kaiser Lee from 2021-04-12T13:00
In Elizabethan England, the Queen is immortalized in woodcuts that show her fondness for the sport of hawking. By the time James I comes to the throne in 1603, hawking is surpassed by a form of hun...
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