In this episode we debrief on the highlights of our SAA experience. We talk about our favorite papers and presentations, our digital exhibition, all the famous and fabulously dressed scholars we met, and much more. We’re energized with new ideas and scholarship and ready to share it with you!
2 Henry VI 101
Have you wondered lately, “When will Whamlet get back to the thrilling saga of Henry VI?” Wonder no more, because this week we bring you 2 Henry VI 101, the much-anticipated sequel to 1 Henry VI where more people die and the Yorks and Lancasters still totally hate each other. The Rhetorical Device of the Week is prosopopoeia (aka personification); the Burbage Break is all about catch words in early modern printing practices; we (or rather, Richard of York) catch you up on the family tree; Aubrey plays a round of Line Roulette; we shout out some awesome fan mail; and (insert drumroll here) we announce THE WINNER of the #DickBracket. This episode is about as action-packed as Jack Cade’s rebellion and twice as entertaining. #yourewelcome
Trailer: What's All the Hurly Burly About?
Merchant of Venice 201
This week we return to The Merchant of Venice to talk about what a total dick Portia is and how you can use some clues from the text to enliven performance. We continue our How To Grad School segment with a little talk about conference etiquette, and give you the low-down on where you can find productions of Merchant near you in the coming year. Also, Jess’s foster cat Becky interrupts recording to squeak at us and it’s super important.
Links to the (very few) Merchant productions and adaptations coming your way in 2019:
Shakespeare at Winedale, Austin, Texas, June 20–23, 2019
Shakespeare Dallas, Dallas, Texas, Summer 2020
Royal Shakespeare Company, England, September 30–October 5, 2019
https://theatrbrycheiniog.ticketsolve.com/shows/873596893?locale=en-GB
Edward III 101
We can’t claim full Canon Completion without doing a 101 episode about the forgotten history play, Edward III. The Rhetorical Device of the Week is syllepsis; the Burbage Break is all about The Wiggins; we give you a quick run down of where Edward III is on the Plantagenet Family Tree; Jess tries (and maybe succeeds? You decide) to prove that Shakespeare definitely wrote at least part of this play (the wooing part, obvs); we play another round of F*ck, Marry, Kill; and there’s no new #DickBracket news to report because y’all are still voting on the final matchup. All that and super-not-sexy maritime pick-up lines, too!