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