That Shakespeare Life

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Episode #24: Glyn Parry Uncovers New Documents about John Shakespeare, William's Father Oct 01, 2018

Show notes

For years, historians have ruminated on the state of William Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, and the financial troubles that were speculated to have caused the bard to leave Grammar School before graduation around age 14. Without any real substantial evidence to confirm or deny what actually happened to John Shakespeare, we have been left to wonder what, if any impact, these troubles had on the budding young playwright. Wondering, that is, until now. Dr. Glyn Parry has uncovered new documents that shed light on William Shakespeare's early life and help us understand how some of Shakespeare's political views might have formed. Glyn Parry is a professor of humanities at the University of Roehampton, a fellow of Royal Historical Society, a Member of the American Historical Association, and Member of the History of Science Society. His work focuses on Early modern magic, Shakespeare and his environment, and Tudor government in action.

Glyn joins us today to explore the discovery of these new documents and explain how this new discovery offers an exciting glimpse into how young Shakespeare became the fiery political dramatist we know him as today.

Episode #23: David Horobin Introduces us to the history of Falconry in Shakespeare's lifetime Sep 24, 2018

Show notes

One of the most referenced sports in the plays of William Shakespeare is that of falconry. From hoodwinked to wrapped around your little finger, many of the colloquialisms we use to describe human relationships today can be attributed to Shakespeare, who learned them from the sport of falconry.

Falconry is the sport that takes large birds of prey, like falcons or hawks, and catches food which is kept on the table. It was not only a popular sport among nobles during Shakespeare's lifetime, but it was also a strategic way to hunt and make sure food was provided for families that ate what the hawk would catch.

Falconry is still practiced today and our guide into the famous Elizabethan sport is the Join Director of the British Archives of Falconry, David Horobin.

David has had a lifelong passion for falconry and it's cultural heritage.His back ground in literature and history helped him complete an undergraduate dissertation on the symbolism of falconry in late and medieval English literature, published as Falconry in Literature. Since then he has researched and published numerous titles on Shakespeare, Simon Latham, and contributed to or edited articles on many aspects of falconry and it's English national heritage.

He joins us today to help us get to know falconry as a sport and exactly how the bard knew so much about it when he wrote about the sport in his plays.

Episode 22: Clare Asquith on Shakespeare and the Essex Rebellion Sep 17, 2018

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Many British historians will recognize the Essex Rebellion as a famous event, but less well known is the almost pivotal role in that uprising that was played by William Shakespeare. Robert Devereux was the 2nd Earl of Essex and was, in addition to being the Queen's favorite, also one of Shakespeare's most notable patrons. After a ghastly display of disrespect to the Queen in public, along with many grievances Essex felt towards Elizabeth I, he found himself appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland which marked the beginning of what would become the famous Essex Rebellion of 1601. As a patron of Shakespeare and a friend of Shakespeare's other famous patron, Henry Wriothesly, The Earl of Southampton, Essex used the theater and Shakespeare in particular as a weapon in his quest against the government. To help us explore what life was like for William Shakespeare during this time, as well as how the bard managed to escape his own execution for his involvement in the rebellion, our guest today is Clare Asquith, author of Shakespeare and the Resistance. Clare joins us this week to explore the involvement of William Shakespeare and his theater performances in the Essex Rebellion.

Episode #21: Swords of Shakespeare | An interview with Joseph David Martinez Sep 10, 2018

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When we see a Shakespeare play, we take for granted just how much work, and history, goes into staging the fight scenes. Whether it's Hamlet and Laertes dueling it out, or the legions of armies storming the stage in the Battle of Agincourt, the fights that Shakespeare put on stage are the secret sauce that helps seal the deal on Shakespeare's plays. Our guide this week into the real life of William Shakespeare is Joseph David Martinez. Joseph is a founding member and past president of the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). He has trained actors and Shakespeareans all over the world, with numerous books and publications on the swords of Shakespeare to his credit. He joins us today to discuss fight scenes in Shakespeare's plays, and just what the history of stage directions can tell us about William Shakespeare.

Episode #20: Intoxicants and Drunkenness in Shakespeare's England| Interview with Phil Withington Sep 03, 2018

Show notes

Whether it was beer, ale, tobacco, or other plant based stimulants, almost every man and woman in 16th century London from the brothel to the royal court had an opinion on, and often tried, intoxicants. Substances like tobacco, ale, beer, and even chocolate were being brought to England for the first time by explorers who were travelling to new worlds and returning with samples of new and exciting crops that grabbed hold of England's collective attention, impact the economy and business innovation of a vibrant trade industry in London. In today's episode, Phil Withington is here to talk about intoxicants of early modern England, the title subject of an article he wrote in 2011 and published in The Historical Journal. Phil Withington is an author, professor, and Head of History at University of Sheffield. He trained as a historian in Cambridge, and is the former editor of 'The Historical Journal' and Principal Investigator of the joint professional project 'Intoxicants and Early Modernity'. Phil joins us today to explain the everyday role of intoxicants in Shakespeare's lifetime, as well as what we can tell about the use of alcohol and tobacco in Shakespeare's plays when we understand what kind of reputation these new intoxicants held in the 16th century.

Episode #19: Becoming Friends With Ben Jonson | An interview with Helen Ostovich Aug 27, 2018

Show notes

Rivals in life,and in legacy, Ben Jonson is a playwright who gave Shakespeare a run for his money. Some of Ben Jonson's extravagancy on the stage and creativity as an artist is even said to have influenced how Shakespeare chose to stage some of his own plays, with the two men being linked in anecdote after anecdote when you study history. Obviously aquaintances, colleagues, and contemporaries, but was Ben Jonson friends with William Shakespeare? And what can we learn about the bard from our study of Jonson? Today, our guide into the life of William Shakespeare is Helen Ostovich. Helen has been studying William Shakespeare, and Jonson in particular, for many years and would likely agree that Ben Jonson has become a friend to her for how much she knows about him. Helen is professor emerita if McMasters University and author of several publications that focus on the life of work of Ben Jonson. We are very glad to have her here today to talk with us about the life of Shakespeare's closest contemporary: Ben Jonson.

In this episode, I'll be asking Helen about :

Was Ben Jonson Shakespeare's best friend?
What impact did Jonson's work have on William Shakespeare?
Why wasn't Ben Jonson executed for any of his arrests? ...and more!

Episode #18: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Dr. John Hall, Shakespeare's Son in Law | An Interview with Sara Read Aug 20, 2018

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William Shakespeare's oldest daughter, Susanna, married Dr. John Hall when she was 24 years old. John was a faithful son in law to William Shakespeare, and as a medical doctor in Stratford had a unique look at what it was like to live and work in a small town of the 16th century England. John Hall's surviving case books help Shakespeare historians piece together many realities about Shakespeare's life, not the least of which is some of the medicinal herbs and treatments the bard and his family may have used while living in Stratford. To help us get to know Dr. John Hall, his medical practice, and his relationship to William Shakespeare, Dr. Sara Read is here to explore the life and works of the good doctor from Stratford Upon Avon. Dr. Sara Read is a lecturer in English at Loughborough University and is a specialist in early modern health and medicine. Her first academic monograph along with her history publication from 2015 focused on the reproductive health of women in the 16th century, while most recently she has co-authored a popular book on the history of 16-17th century disease and illness called Maladies and Medicine: Exploring Health and Healing, 1540-1740. Sara and her co author were featured in Shakespeare Magazine's 13th Issue, which came out this year, sharing some of the more bizarre medical practices which were common in Shakespeare's lifetime. Sara joins us today to focus on one of the topics covered in her book: the life and practices of Shakespeare's son in law, Dr. John Hall, and what studying his life can tell us about William Shakespeare.

Episode #17: Dogs, Cats, Monkeys, and the pets of Shakespeare's England | An interview with Jennifer Jorm Aug 13, 2018

Show notes

In Shakespeare's play, Two Gentlemen of Verona, one character has a pet dog. The dog's name is Crab. The part in the play is very small, but remains included by Shakespeare, which leads to some interesting questions about animals and their role in Shakespeare's history. He must have included Crab strategically, but why? Animals in history are connected mostly to farming, agriculture, and perhaps display by royalty to demonstrate their vast exploits into trade and international travel. However, when it comes to the companion animal, the pet dog or cat, I invited Jennifer Jorm, to visit with us today and talk about whether Shakespeare, or his contemporaries, would have had pets, and what the audience's reaction would have been to seeing a character on stage with a pet dog like Crab.

Episode #16: Stepping inside The Globe to See a Play Might Surprise You, An Interview with Richard Dutton Aug 06, 2018

Show notes

We take it for granted that Shakespeare's theater was similar to ours, when in fact, the experience of stepping inside The Globe or other Elizabethan playhouses was quite different for Shakespeare than for us today. To take us behind the curtain and explore the inside of The Globe theater, Richard Dutton is our guide today, helping explore the sights, sounds, and smells inside a real Elizabethan theater. Richard Dutton is a specialist in the theater of William Shakespeare, having written twenty nine books in all about Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and other early modern dramatists as well. He joins us today to take a look inside some of the unexpected theater conventions that were normal for Shakespeare, and might be surprising for us today.

In this episode, I'll be asking Richard about :

What were the sights and sounds someone experienced upon entering The Globe?
Shakespeare's plays reference a prayer to the Queen at the end of a production--why did they pray?
Philip Henslowe is cited as having side jobs related to theater. In the business of theater, would all theater owners capitalize on their options for income this way?
What about snacks? Did they have popcorn at the theater?
...and more!

Episode #15: Did Shakespeare Really Wear Those Poofy Shorts? An Interview with Historical Costumer, Ninya Mikhaila Jul 30, 2018

Show notes

Shakespeare is often portrayed wearing bright purple poofy pumpkin pants, characteristic both of the time period and our impression of William. Today, Ninya Mikhaila, a professional historical costumer, joins us to share her experiences of recreating 17th century clothing, and tell us all about how William Shakespeare would have dressed.

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