Episode 224: 

While I was looking into some details while I was preparing for the episodes on King Lear  I came across an article that was part of a blog called ‘Hamlet’s Bible’, which is written by Paul Fried and was very pleased to find a series of very interesting posts relating to Biblical allusion in Shakespeare, so, of course, I asked the author of the blog, Paul Fried, if he would like to come onto the podcast to share some of his insights into this subject.  Paul is a retired college lecturer who has devoted years of study to Shakespeare and the bible and his blog, now in it’s tenth year, has become his way of sharing his research prior to what he hopes will be a published volume on Biblical allusion in Hamlet.  He has also contributed several papers to Shakespeare conferences, most recently at the Shakespeare Association of America conference held in Denver in April 2026.

I spoke to Paul from his home in Minnesota over a zoom call.

Link to Paul’s blog ‘Hamlet’s Bible’: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/

Link to ‘Hamlet’s Bible’ on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hamletsbible/

Link to Paul’s account on ‘X’: https://x.com/padrianfried

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Episode 223: 

Last time, in the first part of my look at ‘Macbeth’, I took you through the plot of the play and discussed the themes of ambition and guilt in it, with a focus on the character of Macbeth himself.  I also looked at some of the language in the play and at the possibility that Thomas Middleton updated it for a revival in the 1610s or 1620s, and how he probably developed the scenes with the three witches at a time when devil plays and ideas about witches in the real world were very popular.  This is the text that we most likely have in the First Folio, which is the first printed version of the play. Please do listen to that episode first before embarking on this one.  Having spent some time on the character of Macbeth in the last episode I’m now going to pick up with a look at his wife. 

The character and actions of Lady Macbeth

References to equivocation in the play

The trial of Henry Garnet and the use of equivocation

The witches and the Macbeths as equivocators

The impact of the Porter’s speech

The Porter’s scene as a throwback to medieval cycle plays

‘On The Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth’ by Thomas De Quincey

The critical history of the play

The later performance history of the play

The curse of ‘the Scottish play’

‘Macbeth’ as a very Jacobean play 

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Episode 222:

We can’t say for sure that ‘Macbeth’ was Shakespeare's next offering after 'Anthony and Cleopatra' as precise dating of these early 17th century plays is next to impossible, but whatever the case, it certainly has a very different feel and focus from it’s near contemporises.  Although recounting historical events it is dominated by the presence and effect of the supernatural.  This proved a mix that audiences have flocked to ever since and it remains one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays, for tragedy ranking only behind ‘Hamlet’.

The dating of the play

The text in the First Folio and adaptations by Thomas Middleton

The sources for the play

A brief Synopsis of the play

Macbeth and Julius Caesar

Macbeth’s ambition

The importance of the soliloquy in the play

Macbeth’s feelings of guilt

The reports of the play by Simon Foreman

Banquo’s ghost as a manifestation of Macbeth’s guilt

Blood as a symbol of guilt

The torment of sleeplessness

The tensions between destiny and free will

The three witches

Link to ‘That Shakespeare Life’ episode featuring Prof. Laurie Johnson on the ‘weird sisters’:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-shakespeare-life/id1372846116?i=1000751203466

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Episode 221:

Last time I took you into the world of the court masque with the help of Kristen Macdermott who, I think you will agree, painted a very detailed picture of that very particular theatrical form and the way the Stuart court embraced it.  As we heard, masques were often written by playwrights and performed by actors who also wrote for and performed in the public playhouse, so it’s no surprise that a few plays feature masques.  We have already encountered short masques in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘Timon of Athens’, with the best known example from ‘The Tempest’ still to come and Shakespeare’s next offering ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’ would, you might think, have been another opportunity to include a masque featuring exotic characters to add to the glamorous setting.  In fact, Shakespeare chose not to include a masque specifically, but we can see that he uses the attributes of the masque throughout the play.

Masque elements used in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’

The dating of the play

The early print history of the play

The sources for the play

The different style of the play from it’s near neighbours

A brief synopsis of the play

How the main characters and the political story and love story are balanced in the play

The hyperbolic language used in the play

The character of Antony

Equals and opposites in the play and how Antony deals with them

The character of Octavius

The character of Cleopatra

The death of Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra as a Stuart period play

A short word on the history of criticism of the play

The later performance history of the play 

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Episode 220: 

This is the second part of my conversation with Kristen McDermott about the court masque.  In this part we discuss two masques and the later history of the art form.

Kristen McDermott is professor of English at Central Michigan University and co-author with Ari Berk of ‘William Shakespeare his life and times’ and the collection ‘Masques of Difference’, as well as numerous papers on Shakespeare and renaissance theatre.  I have put a link in the show notes to Kristen’s website where you can find further details of her work.  Kris is also a listener and supporter of the podcast, so I was particularly happy to welcome her as a contributor on the microphone as well.  I spoke to Kris over a zoom call from her home in Michigan.   

Find more about Kris at: https://kristen-mcdermott.com

Links to ‘Masques of Difference’

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Masques-Difference-Revels-Student-Editions/dp/071905754X/ref=sr_1_1?

https://www.amazon.com/Masques-Difference-masques-Student-Editions/dp/071905754X/ref=sr_1_1?

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719057540/

Links to Greer Gilman books: https://smallbeerpress.com/books/2014/09/23/exit-pursued-by-a-bear/

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

www.patreon.com/thoetp

www.ko-fi.com/thoetp

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Episode 219:

In this episode I take a look at the court masques of the Jacobean period.  To do this I’m very lucky to have the guidance of Kristen McDermott who edited and wrote an extensive introduction to a collection of Jonson’s Masques called Masques of Difference.  It is a volume that has been in print for an impressive twenty years and one that I found immensely useful in aiding my understanding of the court masque, an art form that can seem very obscure to us now.  In the first part of the conversation Kristen describes the development of the masque from it’s very early days through to its flowering in the court of James 1st largely under the care of Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones.  Next time Kris and I continue the conversation and discuss some of those ‘masques of difference’ and the later years of the court masque.

Kristen McDermott is professor of English at Central Michigan University and co-author with Ari Berk of ‘William Shakespeare His Life and Times’ and the collection ‘Masques of Difference’, as well as numerous papers on Shakespeare and renaissance theatre. 

Find more about Kris at: https://kristen-mcdermott.com

Links to ‘Masques of Difference’

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Masques-Difference-Revels-Student-Editions/dp/071905754X/ref=sr_1_1?

https://www.amazon.com/Masques-Difference-masques-Student-Editions/dp/071905754X/ref=sr_1_1?

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719057540/

Support the podcast at:

www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

www.patreon.com/thoetp

www.ko-fi.com/thoetp

You can find an advertisement free version of the latest podcast episodes by joining on Patreon at the lowest paid tier level – that’s for just £1 per month. 

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Episode 218:

Last time I looked at the first part of ‘King Lear’ from the opening scene where Lear makes his disastrous decision to split his kingdom between his children, through to the renowned scene where the ex-king and his fool are caught in a raging storm on the moor and saved only by the loyalty of Kent.  On the way I looked at the deliciously evil Edmund, the poor judgement of his father Gloucester, and the scheming of Lear’s oldest daughter Goneril.  Now I will complete this look at the play and discuss it’s place as a very Jacobean play addressing the concerns of its time when King James was working hard at an attempt to unite his disparate kingdom. 

The role, character and purpose of the Fool

The mock trial scene

The blinding of Gloucester

The character and cruelty of Regan

Edgar and Gloucester on the cliffs at Dover

Hope before tragedy as Lear and Cordelia are reunited

A family dispute as the heart of the play

Why Lear resonates so strongly with audiences

The sense of ‘no place’ in the play

King Lear as a message for King James 

The significance of the non-Christian setting of the play

The play as a tragedy and a history play

A brief view of the later critical and performance history of the play

A small selection of ‘King Lear’ on film

Support the podcast at:

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Episode 217:

‘King Lear’, the play that is now often regarded as Shakespeare’s finest and deepest work is most often compared to the other two great tragedies of this period in Shakespeare’s writing, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Othello’, and of course there are thematic comparisons that can be made with those plays, but it has to be pointed out that ‘King Lear’ is also a very different play in tone and structure.  Whether we rate ‘King Lear’ as Shakespeare’s best play or not it is a play that has deeply affected audiences and critics through the centuries and I can only imagine the mark it leaves on actors who take on the main roles.  Sadly, what we lack is much detail about initial reactions to the play.

The early performance and publishing history of the play

The influences and sources for the play

The opening scene of the play and the abandonment of the natural order

The questions of judgement and miscommunication in the play

The character of Goneril

Edmund as one of Shakespeare’s truly evil characters

Kent as the voice of reason and loyalty

Lear and the Fool in the storm

Lear’s moral awakening

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Episode 216:

For today’s guest episode I had the pleasure of talking to Steve Sohmer, author of a book titled ‘Reading Shakespeare’s Mind’.  In his book Steve examines how Shakespeare’s relationship with several contemporary authors is exposed in his plays.  This involves a very close reading of the text and an endlessly enquiring mind and it’s fascinating to read through Steve’s thought processes to understand the conclusions he has come to. As I was preparing for the recording, which you will notice was made before I got onto the recent episodes on the so called problem plays, I saw that Steve had an extensive biography before he got onto Shakespeare study, so rather than read through it here I thought I would open our conversation by getting Steve to tell me about his working experience.

Publishers Website:https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/search-results/?

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reading-Shakespeares-Mind-Steve-Sohmer/dp/1526138077/ref=sr_1_1?

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Shakespeares-mind-Steve-Sohmer/dp/1526138077/ref=sr_1_1?

Support the podcast at:

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www.patreon.com/thoetp

www.ko-fi.com/thoetp

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Episode 215:

Last time Ben Jonson regained his stride in the public theatre with his comedy ‘Volpone’, an at moments sparkling satire of greed and avarice.   Just about the only parallel I can draw between this and Shakespeare’s next offering, ‘Timon of Athens’, is that the study of greed appears in both, but they are very different plays in tone, character and intent.  Shakespeare not only continued in his recent sombre mood but deepened it significantly with this play.  When reading around the play in preparation for this episode on more than one occasion I saw the play cited as Shakespeare’s least popular play, it is certainly one that is rarely performed and there are many questions about the ‘whys and hows’ of its creation, so buckle up, this might well be more than a little challenging.

The early performance and print history of the play

The source material for the play

The possible co-authorship of the play

A brief synopsis of the plot

The structure of the play

The character of Timon

Issues with explaining Timon’s behaviour

Timon’s railing against Athens and mankind

Timon’s discovery of buried gold

Timon’s death

The character of Alcibiades

The play as a satire of wealth rather than a tragedy

The later performance history

Some of the critical assessments of the play

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Episode 214:

For today’s guest episode I was pleased to get the chance to talk to Rob Eastaway, author of a book all about Shakespeare and his relationship to numbers and mathematics. Rob’s book ‘Much Ado About Numbers’ is a very entertaining read, whatever your level of understanding maths might be and quite an eye opener when considering how much maths permeates into Shakespeare’s plays. This is not just about hard numbers and number crunching, but touches to the Elizabethan attitude towards descriptive scales, astrology, astronomy, music and optics. Rob does a great job in the book of condensing these very broad and often technical subjects into a book that is a mixture of popular science, mathematics, history and, of course, literature, so it was great to chat to Rob about just some of those concepts.

Rob Eastaway is author of several bestselling books connecting maths with everyday life, including "Why do Buses Come in Threes?" and "How Many Socks Make a Pair?". His first book "What is a googly?", an introduction to cricket, was famously presented by British Prime Minister John Major to President Bush (snr) at Camp David in 1992, and was published in the USA under the title "Cricket Explained".

With Mike Askew, he wrote "Maths for Mums & Dads", a book that helps parents to understand the new methods being used to teach maths, and offers ideas for how to make maths more engaging and fun at home. An American edition was published in 2010 entitled "Old Dogs, New Math". Rob appears regularly on radio in the UK and is a regular speaker. An activity that has taken him to the Usa and Australia. He was President of the Mathematical Association from 2007-8.

Links to 'Much Ado About Numbers:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Much-Ado-About-Numbers-Eastaway/dp/1805460293/ref=sr_1_1?

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Much-Ado-About-Numbers-Shakespeares/dp/B0CWD3SNXP/ref=sr_1_1?

Support the podcast at:

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