In The Changeling 101, we dive into the collaboration stylings of Middleton and Rowley, the early modern version of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. We bring back our segment, Meet the Contemporaries, to give you quick and dirty biographies of the two authors; the Rhetorical Devices of the week are onomotopoeia and oxymoron; Jess plays a round of Line Roulette; we tell you about a few current production projects in our Gossip segment; and we let you know who from last week's #DickBracket - Angelo or Othello - will advance to Round 3. We sure hope this episode isn't stolen away by the fairies and swapped out for a cursed one. *fingers crossed*
Othello 201
This week we sit down with brilliant guest Dr. Paige Reynolds to talk about a few topics relating to Desdemona and the things that happen to her after she's dead. We also revisit the rhetorical device of paralipsis, brought to you by Iago, the Master of Paraliptic Manipulation. Paige sticks around to weigh in on our new 201 feature, "How To Grad School" to give some advice about publishing, and this week's #DickBracket match up betweek Othello and Angelo. Thanks for joining us, Paige!
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.