Episodes

  • Episode 176: All the World’s a Playhouse

    Episode 176: All the World’s a Playhouse
    May 9 2024
    Theaters were an important part of cultural life in Elizabethan England, and they contributed many words to the English language. Those words joined thousands of other words that were pouring into English from around the world. In this episode, we … Continue reading →
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Episode 175: The English of Romeo and Juliet

    Episode 175: The English of Romeo and Juliet
    Mar 25 2024
    Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays and one of the most popular plays ever written. In this episode, we examine the language of the play to see how it reflects the English of Elizabethan England, … Continue reading →
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 33 mins
  • Episode 174: Speak and Spell

    Episode 174: Speak and Spell
    Feb 8 2024
    English spelling largely reflects the state of the language in the late 1500s. In this episode, we look at one of the first English spelling books, and we explore several plays by William Shakespeare to examine the way he rhymed … Continue reading →
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 29 mins
  • Episode 173: Fooling Around

    Episode 173: Fooling Around
    Jan 2 2024
    In this episode, we look at the development of English comedy in the early modern era. We examine some of William Shakespeare’s early comedies, and we also distinguish Shakespearean comedy from other types of comedic performances which had been popular … Continue reading →
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 25 mins
  • Episode 172: Succession

    Episode 172: Succession
    Nov 20 2023
    In this episode, we explore the concept of a successful succession. During the early 1590s, France was divided by a bitter conflict over the succession of Henry of Navarre to the French throne. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare wrote a couple of … Continue reading →
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 35 mins
  • Episode 171: Shakespeare’s English (featuring Ben Crystal)

    Episode 171: Shakespeare’s English (featuring Ben Crystal)
    Oct 9 2023
    In this episode, we turn our attention to the wordcraft of William Shakespeare. Today, many people have mixed opinions about his plays and poems. They know that he is widely regarded as the greatest English writer of all time, but … Continue reading →
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Episode 170: Printers, Plague and Poets

    Episode 170: Printers, Plague and Poets
    Sep 5 2023
    In this episode, we examine the connection between poetry and plague in the early 1590s. An outbreak of the recurring sickness contributed to Shakespeare’s early career as a poet, and that poetry likely included his many sonnets. We also examine … Continue reading →
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Episode 169: Shakespeare Documented

    Episode 169: Shakespeare Documented
    Jul 25 2023
    William Shakespeare is widely considered to be the most important writer in the history of the English language, but relatively little is known about his personal life. The desire to know more about the ‘Bard of Avon’ has led to … Continue reading →
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 1 min