Shakespeare Anyone?
Kourtney Smith & Elyse Sharp
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Top 10 Shakespeare Anyone? Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Shakespeare Anyone? episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Shakespeare Anyone? for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Shakespeare Anyone? episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Macbeth: Tyranny and Treason
Shakespeare Anyone?
04/14/21 • 51 min
In this week's episode, we'll be discussing the elements of tyranny and treason as they appear in Shakespeare's play Macbeth as well as modern parallels to the plot and character of Macbeth and the implications of tyranny and treason in the Early Modern Era.
Shakespeare Anyone? is created, written, produced, and hosted by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was "Korey Leigh Smith".
Our theme music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
Works referenced:
Frye, Roland Mushat. “Hitler, Stalin, and Shakespeare's Macbeth: Modern Totalitarianism and Ancient Tyranny.” Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 142, no. 1, 1998, pp. 81–109. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3152266. Accessed 27 Jan. 2021.
Lemon, Rebecca. “Scaffolds of Treason in ‘Macbeth.’” Theatre Journal, vol. 54, no. 1, 2002, pp. 25–43. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25069019. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.
Meron, Theodor. “Crimes and Accountability in Shakespeare.” The American Journal of International Law, vol. 92, no. 1, 1998, pp. 1–40. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2998059. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.
Mullaney, Steven. “Lying Like Truth: Riddle, Representation and Treason in Renaissance England.” ELH, vol. 47, no. 1, 1980, pp. 32–47. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2872437. Accessed 31 Jan. 2021.
Paul, Richard. Shakespeare Unlimited Podcast, performance by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., episode 100, Folger Shakespeare Library, 12 June 2018. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.
“Sovereignty, Treason Law, and the Political Imagination in Early Modern England.” Treason by Words: Literature, Law, and Rebellion in Shakespeare's England, by Rebecca Lemon, 1st ed., Cornell University Press, ITHACA; LONDON, 2006, pp. 1–22. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt7zgxv.4. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.
“The Smell of Gunpowder: Macbeth and the Palimpsests of Olfaction.” Untimely Matter in the Time of Shakespeare, by Jonathan Gil Harris, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 2009, pp. 119–140. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt3fj17b.10. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.
Macbeth: Synopsis
Shakespeare Anyone?
01/20/21 • 53 min
Before diving into our discussions surrounding Macbeth, we wanted to give a synopsis of the events of the play as they are written for anyone who hasn't read the play at all, in a while, or found it confusing to try and read on their own.
Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was using the stage name "Korey Leigh Smith".
Episode written by Elyse Sharp.
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com
You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
Works referenced:
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Arden Shakespeare, 2015.
Introducing Where There’s a Will: Finding Shakespeare
Shakespeare Anyone?
11/17/22 • 14 min
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 given him a continuous afterlife in all sorts of unexpected ways? You’ll hear Shakespeare doing rehabilitative work in a maximum security prison, helping autistic kids to communicate, shaping religious observances, in the mouths of U.S. presidents, and even at the center of a deadly riot in New York City. Join Barry and Em as they uncover the ways Shakespeare endures in our modern society, and what that says about us. In this preview,
Barry and Em explore one of The Bard’s most popular works: Hamlet. Hamlet is everywhere right now. But this isn't the same play you read in high school English. We meet the minds behind a singing Hamlet, The Northman's Amleth, and Pulitzer prizewinner Fat Ham's Juicy – and ponder what makes this Shakespearean tragedy speak directly to our time. Hear the full episode, and more from Where There’s a Will, at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/wtaw?sid=anyone.
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Shakespeare & Climate Change with Sydney Schwindt
Shakespeare Anyone?
04/26/23 • 78 min
In today's episode, we take a closer look at how climate change affected early modern England--especially during the Little Ice Age, a period of global cooling that occurred from the 16th to the 19th century. We explore how this environmental phenomenon influenced the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and what it can teach us about our current global climate crisis.
To help us gain a deeper understanding of the issue, we are joined by Sydney Schwindt. Sydney Schwindt wears many hats in the theatre world; she is an actor, director, fight director, and educator. She is a resident artist and climate justice advocate on the engagement team with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. She is the program developer with the Society of American Fight Directors and is on the advisory board for the Same Boat Theatre Collective. She has taught movement and stage combat at the American Conservatory Theatre’s Graduate program and Indiana University.
Sydney shares her expertise on the intersection of climate change and the arts, and how theatre can be used as a tool to raise awareness and promote action on climate issues. We discuss the role that theatre can play in shaping our attitudes towards the environment and how they can inspire us to take action.
Finally, we provide listeners with resources to get involved in the fight against climate change, from simple actions that can be taken in our daily lives to organizations that are making a difference.
Resources to learn more:
- The EarthShakes Alliance
- Follow on Instagram: @earthlyeducation | @blackgirlenvironmentalist | @seedingsovereignty
- Cymbeline in the Anthropocene
- BBC's Planet Earth and Planet Earth II
Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com
You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
Works referenced for this episode:
Landis, Tina. Climate Solutions Beyond Capitalism. Liberation Media, 2020.
PARKER, GEOFFREY. “The Little Ice Age.” Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century, Yale University Press, 2013, pp. 3–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32bksk.8. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.Robinson, Mary, and Palmer Caitríona. Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.
03/29/23 • 57 min
In this episode, we explore Shakespeare's use of political satire within the pastoral comedy genre, focusing on A Midsummer Night's Dream. The pastoral genre, which originated in ancient Greek literature, involves stories set in a rustic, rural world that idealizes the simplicity and harmony of nature. During the Renaissance through Elizabethan and Stuart England, writers continued to use the pastoral setting to explore social and political issues of their time, and Shakespeare was no exception.
We'll examine how Shakespeare drew on the political tensions and intrigues of the Elizabethan court to shape the plot and characters of A Midsummer Night's Dream, revealing the complex politics of the time. Through characters such as Titania and Oberon, we'll explore how Shakespeare used the dynamics of power and authority to comment on the political struggles of the Elizabethan court. We'll also examine how the character of Bottom can be read as a charicature of several Elizabethan political figures.
Through our analysis of A Midsummer Night's Dream, we'll gain new insights into the political and cultural context that shaped one of Shakespeare's most beloved plays. So join us for a fascinating discussion of Shakespeare's use of political satire in the pastoral comedy genre, and some piping hot tea about the Elizabethan court.
Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com
You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
Works referenced:
Andrews, Richard. "A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Italian Pastoral." Transnational Exchange in Early Modern Theater. Routledge, 2016. 65-78. (if I have time)
Hunt, Maurice. "A Speculative Political Allegory in A Midsummer Night's Dream." Comparative Drama 34.4 (2000): 423-453.
Montrose, Louis Adrian. “Of Gentlemen and Shepherds: The Politics of Elizabethan Pastoral Form.” ELH, vol. 50, no. 3, 1983, pp. 415–59. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2872864. Accessed 4 Mar. 2023.
Rickert, Edith. “Political Propaganda and Satire in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ II.” Modern Philology, vol. 21, no. 2, 1923, pp. 133–54. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/433740. Accessed 29 Dec. 2022.
Swann, Marjorie. “The Politics of Fairylore in Early Modern English Literature.” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 53, no. 2, 2000, pp. 449–73. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2901875. Accessed 4 Mar. 2023.
Titus Andronicus: Femininity and Girlhood in Shakespeare’s Time
Shakespeare Anyone?
08/16/23 • 59 min
In today's episode, we will be discussing the portrayal of women in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus and how it reflects the evolving concept of girlhood in Early Modern England as well as popular conceptions of one specific woman involved in early modern European politics: Catherine de Medici.
Step into the past and uncover how linguistic developments in the early modern era point to an evolving understading of womanhood and how these developments appear in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.
Discover the enigmatic Catherine de Medici's profound influence on Shakespeare's iconic tragedy. Unveil the parallels between her powerful legacy and the depecition of Tamora, offering fresh perspectives on the play's timeless themes. Join us for a captivating episode that delves into history, literature, and their echoes in our world today on "Shakespeare Anyone!"
Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com
You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
Works referenced:
Carney, Jo Eldridge. "“I’ll Find a Day to Massacre Them All”: Tamora in Titus Andronicus and Catherine de Médicis." Comparative Drama, vol. 48 no. 4, 2014, p. 415-435. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/cdr.2014.0034.
Higginbotham, Jennifer. “‘A Wentche, a Gyrle, a Damsell’: Defining Early Modern Girlhood.” The Girlhood of Shakespeare’s Sisters: Gender, Transgression, Adolescence, Edinburgh University Press, 2013, pp. 20–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt20q22dc.6. Accessed 1 Aug. 2023.
Mini: Shakespearean Vengeance: Exploring Revenge Tragedies in Early Modern England
Shakespeare Anyone?
08/30/23 • 19 min
In today's episode, we're peeling back the layers of a genre that not only fascinated audiences of the Early Modern period but also left an enduring mark on the works of the Shakespeare himself: Revenge Tragedies.
Join us as we journey through time to an era of dramatic tension, dark desires, and vengeful spirits. Revenge tragedies, a genre that flourished in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, paved the way for some of Shakespeare's most iconic plays. In this episode, Kourtney and Elyse will shed light on the defining features, influential playwrights, and societal factors that contributed to the allure of these gripping tales of retribution.
Delve with us into a world of poisoned chalices, secret plots, and enigmatic ghosts as we dissect the very essence of a classic revenge tragedy. We'll explore the groundbreaking works of playwrights like Thomas Kyd, whose play The Spanish Tragedy not only set the stage for the genre's popularity but also influenced Shakespeare's own exploration of vengeance on the stage.
Step into the shoes of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatergoers, and discover why themes of political intrigue, power struggles, and personal vendettas struck a chord during those tumultuous times. We'll discuss the psychological complexities of characters seeking revenge, as well as the societal undercurrents that resonated with audiences then and continue to captivate audiences today.
Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com
You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
Works referenced:
Findlay, Alison. “Re-Marking Revenge in Early Modern Drama.” Revenge and Gender in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Literature, edited by Lesel Dawson and Fiona McHardy, Edinburgh University Press, 2018, pp. 58–82. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv7h0vqp.7. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023.
“The Maid’s Revenge.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maid%27s_Revenge.
“The Maid’s Tragedy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maid%27s_Tragedy.
Preedy, Chloe Kathleen. “‘Women’s Weapons’: Education and Female Revenge on the Early Modern Stage.” Revenge and Gender in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Literature, edited by Lesel Dawson and Fiona McHardy, Edinburgh University Press, 2018, pp. 181–200. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv7h0vqp.14. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023.
“Seneca His Ten Tragedies, 1581.” British Library Collection Items, British Library, 2023, www.bl.uk/collection-items/seneca-his-ten-tragedies-1581.
“The Spanish Tragedy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Mar. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spanish_Tragedy.
Tassi, Marguerite A. “The Avenging Daughter in King Lear.” Revenge and Gender in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Literature, edited by Lesel Dawson and Fiona McHardy, Edinburgh University Press, 2018, pp. 111–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv7h0vqp.10. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023.
“’tis Pity She’s a Whore.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 May 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Tis_Pity_She%27s_a_Whore.
Willis, Deborah. “‘The Gnawing Vulture’: Revenge, Trauma Theory, and ‘Titus Andronicus.’” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 53, no. 1, 2002, pp. 21–52. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3844038. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023.
Mini: Shakespearean Woodcuts
Shakespeare Anyone?
08/31/22 • 22 min
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 Albrecht Durer
- The Beggar's Delight (a Broadside Ballad)
- The English Broadside Ballad Archive
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 researched by Kourtney Smith.
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com
You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
Works referenced:
@bkadams (Brandi K. Adams) et al. “I'm going to ask you a question, twitter. Who invented printing?” Twitter, 24 Jul. 2022, https://twitter.com/bkadams/status/1551371019448815617
Cash, Cassidy, host. “Ep 79: James Knapp and Elizabethan Woodcuts.” That Shakespeare Life, episode 79, Publisher, 21 October 2019, https://www.cassidycash.com/ep-79-james-knapp-elizabethan-woodcuts/.
“Simone Chess : Broadside Ballad Woodcuts: Premodern Visual Culture, Popular Media, and Queer Coding.” YouTube, NY Comics & Picture-Story Symposium, 31 May 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7oG0GRhRhA&t=597s. From 2:25 to 9:20. Accessed 12 Aug. 2022.
Toledo Museum of Art. (2020, July 27). The History of the Woodcut and Printmaking’s Collaborative Process [Video]. Youtube. From 1:30 to 17:30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKyC4DcDu1E&t=254s
Bonus: RSC's Complete Works Second Edition with Sir Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen
Shakespeare Anyone?
06/08/22 • 59 min
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 Complete Works, edited by acclaimed Shakespearean scholars and endorsed by the world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company.
Combining innovative scholarship with brilliant commentary and textual analysis that emphasizes performance history and values, this landmark edition is indispensable to students, theater professionals, and general readers alike.
Jonathan Bate is professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance literature at the University of Warwick. Widely known as an award-winning biographer, critic, and broadcaster, Bate is the author of several books on Shakespeare, including Shakespeare and Ovid and The Genius of Shakespeare, which was described by Sir Peter Hall, founder of the RSC, as "the best modern book on Shakespeare."
Eric Rasmussen is professor of English and director of graduate study at the University of Nevada. He is a co-editor of the Norton Anthology of English Renaissance Drama and of the forthcoming New Variorum Shakespeare edition of Hamlet. He has edited a number of works for the Arden Shakespeare series, Oxford's World's Classics, and the Revels Plays series, and is the general textual editor of the Internet Shakespeare Editions Project.
Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was using the stage name "Korey Leigh Smith".
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com
You can support the podcast at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
Works referenced:
Shakespeare, William, and Jonathan Bate. “Preface to Shakespeare: A Second Edition.” Complete Works, edited by Jonathan Bate et al., 2nd ed., The Modern Library, New York, NY, 2022, pp. 6–14.
Shakespeare, William, et al. “Foreward.” Complete Works, 2nd ed., The Modern Library, New York, NY, 2022, pp. 59–60.
Macbeth: Stuff to Chew On
Shakespeare Anyone?
02/03/21 • 29 min
There's so much to talk about with each play that doesn't fit into the synopsis or into its own episode, so we've decided to cover several topics in this episode. In this episode, we discuss major thematic elements in Shakespeare's Macbeth as well as topics that are usually covered or talked about in reference to this play.
Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was using the stage name "Korey Leigh Smith".
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com
You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod
Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com
Works Referenced:
“The Curse of the Scottish Play: Macbeth.” Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Shakespeare Company, 2020, www.rsc.org.uk/macbeth/about-the-play/the-scottish-play.
Lemon, Rebecca. “Scaffolds of Treason in ‘Macbeth.’” Theatre Journal, vol. 54, no. 1, 2002, pp. 25–43. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25069019. Accessed 21 Dec. 2020.
LiteraryDevices Editors. Accessed 24 Oct. 2020, from “Themes in Macbeth with Examples and Analysis” https://literarydevices.net/macbeth-themes/
“Macbeth - Themes.” BBC Bitesize, BBC, Accessed 24 Oct. 2020, from www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zgv7hyc/revision/1
Marchitello, Howard. “Speed and the Problem of Real Time in ‘Macbeth.’” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 64, no. 4, 2013, pp. 425–448., www.jstor.org/stable/24778493. Accessed 21 Dec. 2020.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Arden Shakespeare, 2015.
SparkNotes Editors. (2005). “SparkNotes: Macbeth.” SparkNotes.com, SparkNotes LLC, 2005. Accessed 24 Oct. 2020, from https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/
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FAQ
How many episodes does Shakespeare Anyone? have?
Shakespeare Anyone? currently has 108 episodes available.
What topics does Shakespeare Anyone? cover?
The podcast is about Shakespeare, Podcasts, Education, Arts and Performing Arts.
What is the most popular episode on Shakespeare Anyone??
The episode title 'Mini: Shakespearean Woodcuts' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Shakespeare Anyone??
The average episode length on Shakespeare Anyone? is 41 minutes.
How often are episodes of Shakespeare Anyone? released?
Episodes of Shakespeare Anyone? are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Shakespeare Anyone??
The first episode of Shakespeare Anyone? was released on Dec 30, 2020.
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