May 22, 2019
"Awake, awake, English nobility!"
In episode #12, we look at Shakespeare's early history play Henry VI, Part 1, which sets the tone for the Wars of the Roses. It's a rip-roaring, Hollywoodised tour of history. Come along to the Gates of Ruin, pick your favourite-coloured rose, and mercilessly mock the French. Why not?...
May 2, 2019
"Life upon the wicked stage
Ain't ever what a girl supposes..."
- from Show Boat
New episode! In episode #11, I explore what life was like on the Elizabethan stage, from its naive origins to the messy, democratic, bawdy theatre world Shakespeare inherited. Join me as I learn about the original hellmouth, why the...