Doctor Faustus 101

This week we turn our attention once again to the works of Christopher Marlowe (aka the Early Modern Becky with the Good Hair) and his satanic masterpiece, Dr. Faustus. The Rhetorical Device of the Week is asyndeton; we (re)introduce you to Marlowe in our Meet the Contemporary segment in lieu of a Burbage Break; we play another round of Jess's Students Say Smart Things; we drop some smokin' hot goss; and reveal the winners in our final match up of Round One of the #DickBracket and preview the match ups in store for Round Two. Oh, and we also issue a *very important* correction. #yourewelcome

Go here to find out about that blog we mentioned in our ShakesBubble Gossip segment.

Measure for Measure 101

The issues in Measure for Measure are so topical right now, it's insane. Good thing we unpack it for you in this 101 episode! The Rhetorical Device of the Week is antithesis; our Burbage Break is all about early modern marital pre-contracts (aka why Anne Hathaway was 3 month pregnant when she and Shakespeare married and everyone was cool with it); Jess debunks the theory about the Duke character being an avatar for King James I; and Aubrey and Jess argue over whether you should like any of the characters in this play at all, even Isabella. We also reveal some hot ShakesBubble gossip and reveal the results of the latest Dick Bracket match up. You don't have to like this problem play, but we think you'll definitely have some feelings about it by the end of the episode.

Merry Wives 101

If you're looking for a classic "bottle episode" (to borrow TV parlance) in the Henry IV tetralogy, look no further than The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Rhetorical Device of the Week is anaphora; Jess dispels some common myths surrounding this play in the Burbage Break; Aubrey plays a round of Line Roulette that takes a sharp turn into a really weird place; and we pose our final two match ups for Round 1 of the on-going #DickBracket competition. Also, #sorrynotsorry, but this is a terrible play.

Richard III 301

Super-Amazing-Lady Academic-Extraordinaire Dr. Lindsey Snyder joins us to talk about Richard III and her work as an ASL interpreter for our very first 301 episode! 301 episodes are all about lenses of interpretation applied to a play, so Lindsey dishes about her 2014 production of Richard III which featured three deaf actors, the discoveries she and her cast made during that process, and her process as an American Sign Language interpreter for numerous Shakespeare plays. She also weighs in on our ongoing #DickBracket debate (#priceless). Needless to say, Whamlet is #smitten with this woman and her work. Thanks for chatting, Lindsey!

To learn more about our guest, go to lindseydsnyder.com or follow her on Twitter @linz_phd or on Instagram @shakespearescholarmom

The Malcontent 101

Welcome to the mysterious misadventures of Marston's Malcontent! This week we feature Shakespeare's contemporary, John Marston, and his befuddling masterpiece, The Malcontent. We won't even mention this week's Rhetorical Device (paralepsis); we tell you everything you might ever want to know (and some things you may not want to know) about Marston in our Meet the Contemporary segment; we summarize this convoluted play and then unpack it as best we can in our Tips and Tidbits; we deliver the latest hot ShakesBubble Gossip; and, of course, we introduce new contenders and eliminate a few previous ones in our on-going #DickBracket competition.