Shakespeare Anyone?

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of topics that may not be suitable for all audiences. Please listen with care.  In this episode, we explore the depictions of sex and sexuality in Shakespeare's  A Midsummer Night's Dream . While this play (and many of Shakespeare's comedies) end with a hetero-normative marriage or three, we'll explore the depictions of queer sex in Early Modern l...

It's time to talk about donkeys! Just kidding...a little. In this episode, we are going to unpack the major themes and tropes in Shakespeare's  A Midsummer Night's Dream . We'll also discuss the challenges presented by some problematic plot points and what theatremakers are left to reckon with when they produce A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Korey Leigh...

Hello 2023! It is time for us to embark on our next play:  A Midsummer Night's Dream ! As always, we begin our series with a synopsis of the play in case it has been a while since you've read the play or if it is completely new to you. So, let's dive into a summary of a play about fairies, lovers, and a donkey!   Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music...

As we wrap up 2022, we are taking a look back at the plays we covered this year by re-reading them and discussing how our readings of the plays has changed after doing our research for our episodes.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Korey Leigh Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or vi...

In today's episode, we are joined by Professor Arthur W. Frank to discuss his new work, King Lear: Shakespeare's Dark Consolations , part of Oxford University Press's  My Readin g series. We discuss Frank's work outside of the realm of Shakespeare, what drew him to Shakespeare and  King Lear , and how the play can offer insight into our own lives.  As part of the My Reading series, King Lear is a...

In recognition of the National Day of Mourning/Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, we are examining how British colonialism impacted the depiction of people of color  in Shakespeare's work.  We also suggest listening to our episode on Shakespeare and the Colonial Imagination ( Website | Apple Podcasts | Spotify ) and the All My Relations podcast's episode "ThanksTaking or ThanksGiving" ( We...

We're changing things up a bit today and bringing you a preview of a new podcast we're enjoying and think you will, too. Where There's a Will searches for the surprising places Shakespeare shows up outside the theater. Host Barry Edelstein, artistic director at one of the country's leading Shakespeare theaters, and co-host writer and director Em Weinstein, ask what is it about Shakespeare that's g...

We've reached the end of our  Hamlet series! As always, to wrap up our study of a play, we are looking at a handful of noteworthy adaptations and critiquing them. With Hamlet , there were so many great ones to choose from (ahem, The Lion King ), but to keep this episode from being as long as the play we stuck to the following:  Grigori Kozinstev's 1964 Russian film adaptation Kenneth Branagh's 199...

In our latest installment of our Shakespeare's Language Framework series, we are discussing the opposite of a discussion: soliloquies and asides!  In this episode, we look at Marcus Nordland's work with the Shakespearean Inside Database and what trends we can find in the solo speeches of Shakespeare when we look at them across the Complete Works.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kou...

Have you ever wondered why Claudius becomes king over Hamlet? In today's episode, we are exploring the laws of succession that Shakespeare's audience would have understood and diving into how modern productions have highlighted the geopolitical themes within the play.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smit...

In today's mini-episode, we'll be talking about the touring theatre companies of Shakespeare's time. Did companies like the Players in  Hamlet actually exist (and is Shakespeare's depiction of them accurate)? What do we know about them? Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was "Korey Leigh Smith". Episod...

In today's episode, we are expanding our research on Early Modern beliefs about ghosts. We'll looking be at how folk tales and ghost stories influenced the writing of  Hamlet and the depiction of King Hamlet's ghost as much as (or possibly more than) Early Modern religious beliefs about the afterlife. We'll also discuss the details of how a ghost would appear onstage in Shakespeare's time and how...

Today's episode is brought to you by our Patreon Patrons at the Gentry, Noble, and Royal Patron levels! They voted on today's topic: Shakespearean Woodcuts!  Woodcuts were a popular Early Modern print-making method used to add illustrations to printed publications and were kind of like an Early Modern meme.  Check out some of our favorites below: Hans Holbein's  The Dance of Death series Works by...

In today's episode, we are going to be discussing the female characters of Hamlet: Ophelia and Gertrude. We will be tackling some of the more difficult parts of the play for modern readers and theater-makers: the misogyny and seeming lack of female agency. In the first half, Korey will help us grapple with the seemingly inherent misogyny of the text (is the play misogynist just because the title c...

In today's mini-episode, we are joined by independent author Carly Stevens to discuss her recently released novel,  Laertes , and the process and inspiration behind writing a piece of modern narrative fiction based on Shakespeare's characters.  Carly Stevens  lives in Colorado Springs, where she has taught high school English (and  Hamlet !) for over ten years. Writing  Laertes  is the fulfilment...

In today's episode, we will be exploring the trope of antic disposition in William Shakespeare's  Hamlet  and asking the questions: does Hamlet actually go mad, or is he just pretending the whole time? What function did Hamlet's madness (pretend or otherwise) serve for Shakespeare's audience and what does it mean for audiences today? Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith an...

In today's episode, we are covering the major themes, tropes, and topics related to William Shakespeare's  Hamlet . We'll also discuss the challenges involved in reading, performing, and editing  Hamlet as well as how scholars have struggled to determine when exactly  Hamlet  was written.  Content warning: because of this play's themes, we will be discussing mental health and suicide in this episo...

In today's episode, we are kicking off our series on William Shakespeare's  Hamlet by giving you a synopsis of this looong play. In addition to covering the plot points you'll likely remember if you've seen or read this play before (like "to be or not to be," "alas poor Yorick!" etc.), we also make sure to cover the geopolitical subplots that can get cut or skipped.  Shakespeare Anyone? is created...

We are so excited to be sharing this episode with you. This week, we are sitting down for a conversation with Sir Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen about their recently released second edition of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works of William Shakespeare, now available at a fine bookseller near you.  The newly revised, wonderfully authoritative First Folio of William Shakespeare's Comple...

Our time with King Lear has come to an end! This week, we will be discussing two major film adaptations and whether or not we feel they are worth watching: Trevor Nunn's 2008 film adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company production, starring Ian McKellen, and Richard Eyre's 2018 film produced for Amazon Studios, starring Antony Hopkins. We'll also talk a little about a few other significant pro...

Shakespeare features food all over his plays--he even names characters after food! Today, we are diving into the culinary landscape of Early Modern England and learning more about the foods (and foodies) of the time. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was "Korey Leigh Smith". Episode written and resear...

It is often said of  King Lear that if an actor has the stamina to play the titular role, they don't have the age, but if they have the age, they don't have the stamina.  With this in mind, we are taking a look at Early Modern perceptions and beliefs surrounding aging and old age, how aging and old age is represented in the text of King Lear , and how it has been portrayed on stage.  Shakespeare A...

In this week's mini-episode, we are taking a slight departure from the plays of William Shakespeare to look at another play,  Gallatea by John Lyly. We are joined in conversation by Dr. Simone Chess of Wayne State University to discuss the play's significance in Early Modern Queer and Trans Studies.  This episode is an excerpt from our longer discussion. If you'd like to hear more, we will be shar...

This is part two of our series on the intersection between Shakespeare's works and Mental Health and Disability. In this episode, we dive into how individuals at the forefront of the early field of psychiatry used Shakespeare's works, including King Lear , to develop treatments for their patients. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Note: When this episod...

In today's episode, we are continuing our series on Shakespeare's Language Framework by looking at his sonnets! In addition to his plays, Shakespeare also wrote 154 sonnets. What are they and can they tell us anything about the man behind the plays? Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was "Korey Leigh S...