Exploring The Greats

Latest Episodes:

Exploring Plato's Republic Episode 1: Passing Torches Aug 13, 2026

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This is Episode 1 of Exploring Plato's Republic. To access all following episodes, join the club at exploringthegreats.com

In this first episode, we begin Book One, introducing Plato's distinctive use of dialogue. Agnes and Tim explore the competing definitions of justice offered by Cephalus and Polemarchus, and discuss how Socrates challenges each. At the heart of the discussion are questions that will remain throughout the text: What is justice? How does a just person behave? Socrates pursues this question relentlessly. And so will we.

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Exploring Shakespeare's Othello Episode 1: (Tush,) Never Tell Me Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

This is Episode 1 of Exploring Shakespeare's Othello. To access all following episodes, join the club at exploringthegreats.com

In this first episode, John and James set the stage, jumping into Othello’s opening scene and introducing themes that will echo throughout the text, including love, power, and race. They each draw on their unique perspectives as actor and Shakespeare scholar, reflecting on their personal connections to the play, discussing Othello's rich performance history, and providing historical context for what's to come.

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Exploring Moby-Dick Episode 1: Setting Sail Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

This is Episode 1 of Exploring Moby-Dick with Rob Delaney and Hester Blum.

To access all episodes, join the book club at exploringthegreats.com

In this first episode, Hester and Rob meet at 25 Craven Street in London, where Melville briefly lived in 1849, to kick off their exploration of Moby-Dick. Bonding over a shared obsession with the novel, they provide some context and summary before diving into the opening chapter, "Loomings." They discuss the novel's humor, narrative style, and enduring legacy, while sharing the personal reading experiences that first reeled them in.

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Exploring Moby-Dick with Rob Delaney and Hester Blum Jul 31, 2026

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"It is not down on any map; true places never are."

Over 21 episodes, join Professor Hester Blum and Rob Delaney as they navigate Moby-Dick, the devastating and hilarious journey of men at odds with the sea and themselves.

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Welcome to Exploring The Greats Jul 31, 2026

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Exploring Shakespeare's Othello with James Shapiro and John Douglas Thompson Jul 31, 2026

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"O, now, for ever

Farewell the tranquil mind; farewell content."

Love, betrayal, regret: this is William Shakespeare's Othello. Join Professor James Shapiro and John Douglas Thompson as they examine this Shakespearean tragedy through literary and theatrical perspectives.

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Exploring The Odyssey with Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins Jul 31, 2026

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Join Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins as they deep dive into this greatest of all stories, sharing their lifetime’s enjoyment of it while putting it in context and unpicking the trickiest bits. The Odyssey, along with its sister text, The Iliad, is often considered the bedrock of western literature. In it are the seeds of the road movie, the family drama, fantasy fiction, the Western, and many more. Journey home with us!

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Exploring Plato's Republic with Agnes Callard and Tim Blake Nelson Jul 31, 2026

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What is justice? And how can societies achieve it? These are central questions in Plato's The Republic, a text that steadfastly questions the core tenets of liberalism. Join in dialogue with Professor Agnes Callard and Tim Blake Nelson for 24 episodes as they deconstruct Plato’s crowning achievement, and as a result, the structures and systems that make up human life.

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