Q1 Hamlet 101
SURPRISE! We have a Super Special guest this week, Molly Seremet! Molly helps us unpack Q1 Hamlet (aka the shorter, better Hamlet) and why some still insist on calling it the "Bad Quarto." The Rhetorical Device of the week is hypallage; the Burbage Break is all about Q1's stage directions; Molly plays a round of Line Roulette and we discuss two more pairings in our Dick Bracket elimination. All that and SO. MUCH. MORE. Enjoy!
1 Henry VI 101
We're taking it aaaaaalllllllll the way back to the 15th century to the start of the War of the Roses with 1 Henry VI 101 (aka the play with Joan of Arc and the guys who pluck the roses). The Rhetorical Device of the Week is apostrophe; the Burbage Break is all about Holinshed's Chronicles; we review the Plantagenet family tree to refresh your memory before the summary and our tips and tidbits include a little bit of authorship studies and practical production concerns. Jess plays Line Roulette and we go toe to toe in our first round of #DickBracket eliminations: Tambourlaine the Great vs. Iago and Measure for Measure's Angelo vs. Volpone.
Follow us on Twitter @HurlyBurlyShake or Instagram @HurlyBurlyShakes to cast your votes in the bracket eliminations!
Interested in learning more about the Holinshed? Go here.
Early Modern D*ck Bracket Draft
This week we break tradition to try out something new! After a dust-up on Twitter about which character should claim the title of "Biggest Dick" (read: biggest douchebag) in the early modern canon, Jess and Aubrey made a list of 72 contenders. In this episode, we narrow that list down* to 32 early modern a*holes of the highest degree; each week in Season 2 we will narrow the list (with your help!**) until there is only one Dick left standing. Stay tuned!
*To see our official brackets from this week's Dick Draft, see below and visit our Instagram @Hurlyburlyshakes
**Follow us on Twitter at @Hurlyburlyshake to participate in the weekly Dick Poll!
Bracket #1
Bracket #2
Richard III 201
This week we go narrower and deeper into the text of Richard III to discuss why there's so much symploce (#RhetoricalDeviceRevisited) all over the place, why Colley Cibber thought he knew better than Shakespeare, and why Richard both hates and fears the women in his life. All that and some "Dicky-centric" ShakesBubble Gossip coming at ya to round out the episode.
Here's the list of productions we referenced in today's episode:
Muse of Fire Theatre Company, Evanston, Illinois, August 11–September 9, 2018
Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle, Washington, September 12–October 7, 2018
American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, Virginia, July 6–December 1, 2018
The Rustic Mechanicals, Clarksburg, West Virginia, 2018 tour
Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C., February 5–March 10, 2019
Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF, Orlando, Florida, March 27–April 28, 2019
Sweet Tea Shakespeare, Fayetteville, North Carolina, June 4–23, 2019
Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, York, UK thru Sept. 1 http://www.shakespearesrosetheatre.com/
And here's the link to the NY Times article about the high school Richard III adaptation at the Public Theatre.
Comedy of Errors 101
We're baaaaaaack from summer vacay and with double the action! In our first episode of Season 2, Jess and Aubrey explore the twists and turns of twinsie-town, The Comedy of Errors! The Rhetorical Device of the Week is zeugma; the Burbage Break is all about the early modern fascination with - you guessed it - TWINS; we introduce a robot variation of our "___ Fails at Shakespeare" game; and we attempt to summarize the play and deliver our trademarked deep insights while drinking chardonnay (not our brightest idea, but a cool internal rhyme). Oh, and we drop a few hot gossip bombs to catch you up on WTF happened this summer.
Also this:
The portrait of the Cholmondeley Ladies c. 1600-1610 #twins
Mid-Summer Mini-sode: The Athiest's Tragedy
In which Jess tells Aubrey all about The Athiest's Tragedy, a little-known early modern play she read in preparation for her PhD exams. It's wild, you guys. #graveyardsnogging
Mid-Summer Mini-sode: Hamlet Chat
In our first "mini-sode" of the summer, we revisit a chunk of our conversation with Patrick Aaron Harris that didn't make it into the Merchant 101 episode...because it was about Hamlet - the American Shakespeare Center's Hamlet, to be precise - and we bird-walked deep into our FEELINGS about it.
Mid-Summer Mini-sode: The Witch
In our second summer "mini-sode," Jess talks us through Thomas Middleton's wacky play, The Witch.
Spanish Tragedy 101
In our very first non-Shakespeare episode featuring Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy, we break a few traditions and create some new ones. Our Rhetorical Device of the Week is aposiopesis; we introduce a new feature for non-Shakes episodes called "Meet the Contemporary" in which we tell you whatever facts are available about the playwright; we also introduce a new game, purely inspired by the not-so-friendly, Mean-Girls-esuqe rivalry between Thomas Kyd and Christopher Marlowe; and our ShakesBubble Gossip features a review of OSF's production of Henry V and Cheek By Jowl's french-speaking production of Pericles. What a way to end Season One! See you in August, wordnerds!
Some articles and resources we mentioned in today's episode:
Pericles 101
This week we learn that Pericles is the most bonkers play in the canon, with not one but two shipwrecks and six - SIX! - different worlds in which it takes place. Confused yet? In Pericles 101, the Rhetorical Device of the Week is hendiadys; the Burbage Break is all about the shipwreck trope in early modern plays; Aubrey plays a round of "Aubrey Fails at Shakespeare;" and in our Tips & Tidbits we discuss exactly how complicated and fun this play can be. In our ShakesBubble Gossip, Jess gives us the "short version" of her current projects and we follow up on a relevant MLitt thesis project.