That Shakespeare Life - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

That Shakespeare Life — History
That Shakespeare Life

Hosted by Cassidy Cash, That Shakespeare Life takes you behind the curtain and into the real life of William Shakespeare.

Latest Episodes:

Reporting on Scottish News in England Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

Mary Queen of Scots and her son, James VI of Scotland, brought an urgency to England for sharing news about what was happening in Scotland. From 1580 onwards, the same years Shakespeare was writing about Scotland in plays like Henry VI Part 1 and later Macbeth, which features Scotland prominently, the rate of news about events in Scotland being published in England skyrocketed. This increase can be attributed to an expansion in news publications over a broader landscape, but events involving Mary Queen of Scots and her son future James VI, including rumors that Elizabeth I of England wanted to kidnap the baby James and England sending an army to Scotland, all added fuel to the fire of political relationships between the two countries that was written about furiously in this period. Shakespeare's works reflect this cultural moment when we see Lepidus in Antony and Cleopatra is saying, "Here's more news" from Act I Scene 4, in the early 1600s, along with over 300 additional references to "new" in Shakespeare's plays. Here with us today to share with us what news stories were the biggest headlines for this period, as well as what the surviving printed works of news tell us about the relationship between Scotland and England for the late 16th and early 17th century is our guest and author of "Newes from Scotland" in England, 1559–1602 for the Huntington Library Quarterly, Amy Blakeway.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Childbirth, Midwives, and Pregnancy in the 16-17th Century Jan 15, 2024

Show notes

"Pregnant" is a word Shakespeare uses in his plays, but it always appears in connection with ideas, grief, or even trauma, but never as a word to describe a woman that is carrying an unborn baby. Instead, whenever a woman is carrying a child in her uterus in Shakespeare's works, the phrase used is "with child." This divergence between Shakespeare's language and how we are accustomed to using the word "pregnant" today is just one way Shakespeare's plays help shed light on the surprising world of pregnancy and childbirth for Shakespeare's lifetime. During the 16-17th century, there were many unusual beliefs about how a woman could become pregnant, the right way to prepare for giving birth, and details on the process of labor. Here today to help us explore the history of pregnancy, childbirth, and midwives from Shakespeare's lifetime are our guests, Michelle Ephraim and Caroline Bicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Marian Civil War Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

William Shakespeare was just two years old when Mary Queen of Scots was removed from power in 1567. The Queen was put under confinement in Lochleven Castle and forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her young son, James VI, the future James I of England. Mary and her supporters, however, did not go quietly. Mary would escape from prison one year later and incite her followers to confront their enemies in a vicious civil war known as the Marian Civil War. Mary herself left Scotland after the Battle of Langside in 1568, seeking refuge from her cousin, Elizabeth I. Mary would be placed under confinement in England for 19 years, until she was finally executed in 1587, when William Shakespeare was 23 years old, and just starting to make a name for himself in London. Mary was a powerful figure, and her story from Queen to executed criminal played a prominent role in the cultural backdrop of William Shakespeare's formative years, making it an important event to understand when you're trying to get to know what life was like for William Shakespeare. Our guest this week is the author of an article on the Marian Civil War history for the Centre for Scottish Culture at the University of Dundee, Dr. Allan Kennedy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Would We Have Seen at a Country House Entertainment? Jan 01, 2024

Show notes

For Shakespeare's lifetime, the concept of welcoming hospitality was considered a uniquely English virtue. We see this opinion reflected in the play, As You Like It, when Shakespeare's character Corin suggests that doing deeds of hospitality was one way to get to heaven. Nowhere was hospitality reflected more clearly, or extended more often, than at the country house estate. Now before you think of a small cottage in the countryside, when I say it was a Country House Estate, an example of a famous one is Kenilworth Castle where Queen Elizabeth was welcomed and entertained by Robert Dudley in 1575. In homes like this one, nobility were expected to keep the grounds and the interior rooms in prime condition with supplies on hand to provide accommodation, meals, and entertainment for both travelers as well as visiting dignitaries who visited as a part of official negotiations for both local and national politics. Here today to help us understand the world of Country House Estates and the sorts of entertainments that were offered there by the hosts, is our guest and author of the award-winning book, The Elizabethan Country House Entertainment, Elizabeth Kolkovich.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas Gifts in Shakespeare's England Dec 25, 2023

Show notes

Merry Christmas! I am thrilled you are spending a piece of your Christmas holiday here with us today. That's a lovely gift in and of itself to have you on the other side of the speakers today as we explore the Christmas tradition of gift giving in 17th century England, and exactly what Shakespeare would have received as a Christmas gift in December over 400 years ago. We are also going to explore what kinds of gifts were popular to be given throughout society for the Christmas holidays from the peasants all the way to the Queen. We are delighted to be speaking with an expert in gift giving for Shakespeare's lifetime, and the author of The Power of Gifts: Gift-exchange in Early Modern England, Dr. Felicity Heal.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Holiday Ghost Stories Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

This Christmas season we are celebrating the holidays Shakespeare style by bringing out some traditional Tudor ghosts tories. For the 16-17th century, one popular time to tell ghost stories was during the Christmas holidays. A more accurate term for these stories might be "ghost narratives" because they are different than the stories we think of today as "ghost stories"Instead of being fictional tales for the purpose of entertainment, ghost narratives fromShakespeare's lifetime were factual tales (or at least witness accounts) people would tell about encountering ghosts or other supernatural beings. Our guest, Dr. Francis Young, is here thisweek to tell us about these stories, their association with Christmas, and the details surrounding some evidence that suggests Mamillius might be about to tell one of these ghost narratives in Shakespeare's play,The Winter's Tale

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ghost Stories of Anne Boleyn Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

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 than Anne Boleyn. If the legends are true, Anne Boleyn's ghost must be the most traveled ghost in Britain, with stories of her spirit wandering across the country in at least 7 different locations. These stories were told after Anne's death and survived not only through Shakespeare's lifetime but persist even today. Here today to tell us about some of these ghost stories, including ones that might have been told around the Christmas fireside for Shakespeare's lifetime is our guest, historian, and author of The Final Year of Anne Boleyn, Natalie Grueninger.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas Carols and Madrigals for Shakespeare's Lifetime Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

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 popularity, but music, in particular moved from being something you would hear only in a church to being popular at more secular events. In fact, not only did Elizabeth I herself enjoy playing music, but as an art form, music was widely applied in early modern plays, like those of William Shakespeare, for both comedies and tragedies as a way to heighten the drama, almost exactly like what you think of as a movie soundtrack today. While instrumental music like that of the viringal or the lute were popular, one particular form of vocal performance known as the madrigal rose to prominence in early modern England as an adaptation of earlier Italian poetry set to music, which English composers transformed into a uniquely English genre. The madrigal became a popular way to celebrate major events, including Christmas celebrations, for Shakespeare's lifetime. Here today to share with us the history of the madrigal is our guest, historian, and Early music specialist, Tasmin Lewis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wool and Wool Sweaters in the 16th Century Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

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 investing in wool then selling it on to others. He didn't have a license to sell the wool, which is why he was so regularly in trouble. What the records of his dealings demonstrate is that the wool was valuable enough a commodity in England that John Shakespeare that he felt it was worth both the risk and the fines he had to pay, in order to deal in wool. Wool was one of England, and later the UK's, major exports, and Stratford Upon Avon, Shakespeare's hometown. was home to sheep farmers who produced the wool that could be sold internationally. In fact, some finished wool products like Monmouth caps, for example, were so well known for their quality, that they are even referenced by name in Shakespeare's play, Henry V, when Fluellen talks about wearing leeks in your Monmouth cap. Here today to tell us more about the wool industry, the farmers who were raising the sheep, products made of wool in the 16-17th century, and exactly why one should wear a leek inside your Monmouth cap, is our guest, Jane Malcolm-Davies.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Pilgrim Psalter, Book of Psalms, 1612 Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

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 English Separatists in Amsterdam, Holland. The work is called a Psalter because it is a translation of the Hebrew Psalms which between 1010 and 930 BC during the time of David and his son Solomon. Ainsworth's translations of the Psalms are musical, set to tunes popular in Reformation era, and are remembered today for being remarkably faithful to the original Hebrew text. When the English Pilgrims fled to Holland in an attempt to escape religious persecution in England, they adopted this Psalter and they carried it with them on the Mayflower. Here today to share with us the history of the Pilgrim Psalter and the journey it took across the ocean at the start of the 17th century is our guest and historian of the 1616 Psalter, Mary Huffman.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Related Podcasts