Coriolanus 101

In this episode, we get all hot and bothered over Coriolanus (and Aufidius, too... #CoryandAufy5Ever)! The Rhetorical Device of the Week is epanalepsis; the Burbage Break is a list of book recommendations* in honor of Women's History Month; we play "Jess Fails at Shakespeare" once more; and in our Tips and Tidbits we talk about some weird textual anomalies and make the case for why Coriolanus and Aufidius are #hottt for each other. We also treat you to a sexy reading of the sexiest soliloquy of all time. #MAKETHEMKISS #yourewelcome 

*These are the books Jess mentions in this week's Burbage Break:

1. Shakespeare, Race, and Colonialism by Ania Loomba (Oxford University Press, 2002)

2. Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary America by Ayanna Thompson (Oxford University Press, 2011)

3. Rosalind: Shakespeare’s Immortal Heroine by Angela Thirwell (Pegasus Books, 2017)

4. Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney

5. Portraits of Shakespeare by Katherine Duncan-Jones

All's Well 101

Listeners beware: Aubrey has WAY too many feelings about All's Well That Ends Well! So many, in fact, that some had to be relegated to a future 201 episode. Anyway...the Rhetorical Device of the Week is paradox; the Burbage Break is all about bed tricks; we introduce a new game called "Jess Fails at Shakespeare;" and in our Tips and Tidbits we point out some cool stage directions and Aubrey makes the case for why you should like this play more than you (probably) currently do. No, really, It's great. You should love it. Seriously. 

Hamlet 201

It's time to re-visit your *favorite* broody BFF, Hamlet! In this 201 episode, we deep-dive into aporia, textual instability, and female agency in Hamlet. We also take a detour into Fantasy Casting (#sorrynotsorry) to argue about who could complete the cast list of Hamlet that begins with Viola Davis as Gertrude. In our ShakesBubble Gossip, we give you a run-down of all the upcoming productions of Hamlet in the US and UK*, as well as issue a correction about which King James was a Catholic and which was Calvinist.  

* Listed in full here:

1. List from Shakespeareances here

2. List from Touchstone here

Winter's Tale 101

This week we talk about The Winter's Tale (aka Jess's second-favorite play). The Rhetorical Device of the Week is ellipsis; the Burbage Break is all about stage directions, including the *most famous* one of them all; Jess plays Line Roulette; and this week's ShakesBubble Gossip features a blog post by Haley Bachrnach about so-called "gender blind casting."* We also discuss the importance (or lack thereof) of the bear, forgiveness, and magic, though not necessarily in that order. 

*Link to Haley's blog post here

Macbeth 201

In our third 201-level episode, we discover how ploce is used throughout the text of Macbeth to haunting effect. Jess doubles down on how there is no F-ing curse, ok?! She then elaborates on Thomas (T-Mids) MIddleton's contribution to the witch scenes and songs in the middle of the play. Aubrey breaks down exactly why the Porter's jokes are not at all funny anymore (and also just sorta breaks down in general). We also list the many, many, MANY productions of Macbeth coming your way* (including one opera!) in our ShakesBubble Gossip section.

*Productions Listed Below:

1. The National Theatre in London, starting Feb 26, details here

2. Sacramento Theatre Company, Feb 21, details here  

3. RSC! Starting March 13, details here 

4. Chicago Shakes, starting April 25, details here

5. MACBETH OPERA!! Royal Opera in London!! Starting March 25, details here

6. More productions in the UK here

7. More productions in the US/Canada here