Richard II 201
This week we take a deep dive into the context of the Essex Rebellion (and Jess’s dissertation) and the mysterious role Shakespeare’s Richard II may (or may not) have played in it. We also revisit the rhetorical device of metonymy (because CROWNS), and we talk about thesis defenses in our recurring How to Grad School segment.
Julius Caesar 201
In this 201 episode we revisit Julius Caesar! We revisit the Rhetorical Device of ISOCOLON and examine how Brutus uses is to quell the crowds; Jess reads some Plutarch (Shakespeare’s primary source for the play); Aubrey talks about her mixed emotions regarding Antony and his…choices…All that and some HOT ShakesBubble Gossip thrown in, too!
Twelfth Night 301
In this 301 episode (where rules don’t exist and anarchy reigns) we work through the foundational dramaturgical question: Why this play now? Together we hash out the possible reasons for including Twelfth Night in a season of plays or on a syllabus and what it has to offer in conversation with other works. We also rabbit-hole juuuuuuust a little bit about what an entire season of shipwreck plays would look like and why John Donne’s poetry is all you’ll ever need to get you….err….in the mood…#yourewelcome
Mucedorus 101
Why was Mucedorus the most popular play of its time and nowadays no one knows about it? And why can no one agree about who wrote it? Our special guest, Finch, gives us some answers. We (Re)Meet the Contemporary, Anonymous; we give you a hilarious Taste of Text; Finch absolutely slays a round of Line Roulette; and we do a little ShakesBubble Gossiping. Find out all about The Other Bear Play and more in this episode.
Devil's Charter 101
Happy New Year, Friends! We start the year off right, with a little demonic conjuring and Borgia back-stabbing, in Barnabe Barnes’s The Devil’s Charter. We ‘Meet the Contemporary’ and tell you all about Barnes’s epic beef with Thomas Nashe; we give you a suuuuper gay (but also papal) ‘Taste of Text’; for our game we generate a playlist for your listening pleasure; and our ShakesBubble Gossip catches you up on what you missed over the winter break.
Curious about our playlist? Here it is:
“I want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow
“Closer” by Nine Inch Nails
“Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift
“Killing In The Name” by Rage Against the Machine
“Devil with a Blue Dress” by Mitch Ryder (NOT Elvis)
“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
“For Once in My Life” by the Decemberists
“Scuse Me” by Lizzo
“Last Resort” by Papa Roach
“Everlong” by Foo Fighters
Much Ado 301
Ooopsies...This was supposed to be a Midsummer 301, but after we watched the 2019 Public Theatre production of Much Ado About Nothing, we just HAD to talk about all the interesting, political, shocking, confusing, GORGEOUS CHOICES they made! We also gossip a little bit, but mostly we're just gushing about this thought-provoking and beautiful production. ***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***
Also, here’s a link to the article about QE1’s translation of Tacitus.
Coriolanus 201
We sit down with incredibly thoughtful special guest, Dr. Haylie B. Swenson, of the Folger to talk about animal studies and how rats in particular…ahem…penetrate the text and person of Coriolanus. The Rhetorical Device Revisited is epizeuxis, epizeuxis, epizeuxis, and how Shakespeare uses it to create a particularly sheep-like mob in the play (animals, again!). In our on-going How to Grad School segment, Haylie and Jess discuss how to confront the isolation that comes with ABD status and writing your dissertation. We gossip about the (very few) upcoming productions of Coriolanus, as well as a call for action* on racism in Medieval and Early Modern academia. Thanks for giving us so much to chew on, Dr. Swenson!
*To read the fantastic call to action written by Kimberly Anne Coles, Kim F. Hall, and Ayanna Thompson, go here.
Revenger's Tragedy 101
In this episode we break down everything you need to know about T-Mids’s smash hit, The Revenger’s Tragedy. We offer you a Taste of Text (a new feature of our 101 episodes) from Act 3, scene 5, AKA the best scene in the play; we break down the authorship question surrounding this play, and then we learn that it’s a parody of other revenge tragedies (which is probably why it’s the best of them all). On top of all that, we introduce a new game and dish some smokin’ hot ShakesBubble Gossip fresh from academic Twitter. Why do we love The Revenger’s Tragedy so much? You’ll just have to listen to find out!
These are the links to the things we Gossiped about this episode:
King Lear 201
This week we continue the conversation around Jess’s research into “Confessions of a Thugge” and it’s relationship to King Lear, as well as why rhetorical questions present a unique opportunity for audience contact. The Rhetorical Device Revisited, then, is erotema (the rhetorical question, obvi). We also discuss the nuances of competition and competitiveness in our on-going How to Grad School segment, and gossip about the ongoing protest of the Williams College English Department. Thanks for joining us!
Find out more about the Williams College boycott here.
The Tempest 201
We hate Prospero. #SorryNotSorry BUT there are still interesting things to delve into with The Tempest (including why we hate Prospero so much, tbh). The Rhetorical Device(s) revisited are accumulatio and auxesis. Jess talks about editorial interference in Miranda’s ONLY good speech, and Aubrey rants about - you guessed it - Prospero. We also shout out some highlights from the recent Blackfriars Conference at the ASC and the upcoming Symposium at the Hudson Strode Program in Alabama.
Find out more about the TOTALLY FREE symposium here.