That Shakespeare Life

When Shakespeare called the sisters in Macbeth "weird," he did not mean what we mean by the word today. In early modern England, "weird" carried deep associations with fate, prophecy, and supernatural power—ideas rooted in classical mythology, medieval folklore, and Renaissance belief. In this episode of That Shakespeare Life , we explore what "weird" really meant in the 16th and early 17th centur...

Today, we think of Christmas as the season of giving—but in Shakespeare's England, it was New Year's Day that reigned supreme as the biggest gift-giving holiday of the entire year.    Shakespeare himself alludes to this entrenched tradition in The Merry Wives of Windsor , where Falstaff quips: "I'll have my brains ta'en out and buttered, and give them to a dog for a new-year's gift." It's a grotes...

When we think of King Arthur, many of us imagine medieval romance—knights in shining armor, enchanted swords, or chivalric quests. But for the Tudors, Arthur wasn't just storybook material. In the 16th century, Arthurian legend was a political tool, a national symbol, and—for some—an actual piece of English history. From Henry VII naming his heir "Prince Arthur," to Elizabeth I being welcomed at K...

"Say, what abridgement have you for this evening?   What masque? what music? How shall we beguile   The lazy time, if not with some delight?"   — A Midsummer Night's Dream , Act V, Scene 1  There are over a dozen mentions of masques, masquers, and masquing in Shakespeare's plays, and when it came to masques in England for the 16-17th century, no one did them better than Ben Jonson, who was known f...

"Say, what abridgement have you for this evening?   What masque? what music? How shall we beguile   The lazy time, if not with some delight?"   — A Midsummer Night's Dream , Act V, Scene 1  There are over a dozen mentions of masques, masquers, and masquing in Shakespeare's plays, and when it came to masques in England for the 16-17th century, no one did them better than Ben Jonson, who was known f...

Merry Christmas! This holiday season, we're taking a trip back to one of the most extravagant Christmas celebrations of Shakespeare's lifetime—the Christmas of 1603, when the newly crowned James I hosted his first royal festivities as King of England. The court was alive with feasting, pageantry, and opulent merrymaking. It was a moment of political transition, and James made sure his first Christ...

Merry Christmas! This holiday season, we're taking a trip back to one of the most extravagant Christmas celebrations of Shakespeare's lifetime—the Christmas of 1603, when the newly crowned James I hosted his first royal festivities as King of England. The court was alive with feasting, pageantry, and opulent merrymaking. It was a moment of political transition, and James made sure his first Christ...

Discover how Anne of Denmark shaped the culture of the Stuart court—from dazzling masques and groundbreaking stagecraft to political influence, artistic patronage, and a powerful performance legacy that helped define the world Shakespeare lived in. In this episode, Clare McManus joins us to explore how Anna's identity, her innovations in court performance, and her role as a cultural force reveal a...

Discover how Anne of Denmark shaped the culture of the Stuart court—from dazzling masques and groundbreaking stagecraft to political influence, artistic patronage, and a powerful performance legacy that helped define the world Shakespeare lived in. In this episode, Clare McManus joins us to explore how Anna's identity, her innovations in court performance, and her role as a cultural force reveal a...

In Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 1 , Falstaff declares on more than one occasion, "I am a rogue." Several exchanges between Falstaff, Henry V, and others like Hostess Quickly and Doll Tearsheet, see characters throwing the word "rogue" back and forth as both an insult and a badge of honor. The term connects to a real form of slang underworld language known as rogue cant. Which was a secret, cr...

In Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 1 , Falstaff declares on more than one occasion, "I am a rogue." Several exchanges between Falstaff, Henry V, and others like Hostess Quickly and Doll Tearsheet, see characters throwing the word "rogue" back and forth as both an insult and a badge of honor.   The term connects to a real form of slang underworld language known as rogue cant. Which was a secret,...

When we think of King Arthur, many of us imagine medieval romance—knights in shining armor, enchanted swords, or chivalric quests. But for the Tudors, Arthur wasn't just storybook material. In the 16th century, Arthurian legend was a political tool, a national symbol, and—for some—an actual piece of English history. From Henry VII naming his heir "Prince Arthur," to Elizabeth I being welcomed at K...

In November 1621, two communities—Wampanoag and English—came together at the edge of Patuxet for a shared harvest meal. While today we call this moment "The First Thanksgiving," the historical reality is far richer and more culturally complex than the simplified story many of us grew up hearing. In this week's episode, we explore this early moment of connection with Malissa Costa (Mashpee Wampanoa...

In November 1621, two communities—Wampanoag and English—came together at the edge of Patuxet for a shared harvest meal. While today we call this moment "The First Thanksgiving," the historical reality is far richer and more culturally complex than the simplified story many of us grew up hearing. In this week's episode, we explore this early moment of connection with Malissa Costa (Mashpee Wampanoa...

When we imagine Elizabethan dining tables, we might picture roast meats, trenchers of bread, or tankards of ale. But lurking beneath the surface of rivers, marketplaces, and even the economy itself was a creature so valuable that it could pay rent, feed a nation, and still appear in Shakespeare's humor — the eel. Eels once filled England's rivers in such massive quantities that they became a cruci...

When we imagine Elizabethan dining tables, we might picture roast meats, trenchers of bread, or tankards of ale. But lurking beneath the surface of rivers, marketplaces, and even the economy itself was a creature so valuable that it could pay rent, feed a nation, and still appear in Shakespeare's humor — the eel. Eels once filled England's rivers in such massive quantities that they became a cruci...

In All's Well That Ends Well , a character is described as "That with the plume: 'tis a most gallant fellow" (III.5), and in Love's Labour's Lost , the Princess of France mockingly asks, "What plume of feathers is he that indited this letter?" (IV.1), revealing how feathers could both elevate and satirize their wearer.  Feathers might seem like a simple decoration today, but in the 16th and early...

In All's Well That Ends Well , a character is described as "That with the plume: 'tis a most gallant fellow" (III.5), and in Love's Labour's Lost , the Princess of France mockingly asks, "What plume of feathers is he that indited this letter?" (IV.1), revealing how feathers could both elevate and satirize their wearer.    Feathers might seem like a simple decoration today, but in the 16th and earl...

In 1612—just one year after Shakespeare wrote The Tempest —Venetian physician Santorio Santori transformed Galileo's simple thermoscope into the world's first thermometer by adding a calibrated scale and sealing the device. His invention marked the birth of quantified medicine, turning vague sensations of "hot" and "cold" into measurable data that could guide treatment. In this episode, historian...

In 1612—just one year after Shakespeare wrote The Tempest —Venetian physician Santorio Santori transformed Galileo's simple thermoscope into the world's first thermometer by adding a calibrated scale and sealing the device. His invention marked the birth of quantified medicine, turning vague sensations of "hot" and "cold" into measurable data that could guide treatment. In this episode, historian...

When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth , he opened with a powerful line: "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis." But what did "Thane of Glamis" mean to his audience? Was Glamis Castle simply a dramatic choice, or a recognizable symbol of royal power and Scottish history? This week, we're joined by Ingrid Thomson, Archivist at Glamis Castle, to explore the castle's history during Shakespeare's...

This week, we're dipping into the strange, the enchanted, and the eerily familiar with a sampling of the rich world of 16th-century folklore during Shakespeare's lifetime. From medieval hares and charmed pilgrim tokens to tales of mermaids, dragons, and accidental witchcraft, the folklore of this era reveals a world both magical and deeply human.  To help us explore the kinds of beliefs that shape...

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." – Romeo and Juliet , Act II, Scene ii. In Shakespeare's England, roses were more than poetic symbols of love and beauty—they were political emblems, medicinal ingredients, culinary flavorings, and the foundation of a flourishing perfumery trade. From the red and white blooms of civil war to the distillation pract...

Linlithgow Palace, set between Edinburgh and Stirling, was one of the great royal residences of the Scottish crown. It was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and a favored court for the Stuart monarchs long before the Union of the Crowns in 1603. When her son, James VI of Scotland, ascended the English throne as James I—the very monarch under whom William Shakespeare's company became the King's...

When Shakespeare wrote Othello , he set his Moorish general against the "general enemy Ottoman." Elsewhere in his plays, he invoked "Turks," "Saracens," and "infidels"—terms that reveal just how present the Islamic world was in the English imagination. From Elizabeth I's diplomatic exchanges with Persia to the cultural impact of the Ottoman Empire, the Islamic world loomed large in the politics, r...