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"Now Thrive the Armorers": Arms and Armor in Shakespeare

For hundreds of years, we’ve been fascinated by knights in shining armor. This podcast, inspired by the Folger’s exhibition Now Thrive the Armorers: Arms and Armor in Shakespeare, explores the enduring appeal of the Renaissance man of steel.

Curator Jeffrey Forgeng of the Higgins Armory Museum and former Folger Director of Research Barbara Mowat show us how Shakespeare’s plays dramatize a military culture in transition, as Richard II’s knight on horseback gives way to Othello’s career army men.

Narrated by Folger Director Emerita Gail Kern Paster.

© 2008 Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This audio production is a project of Garland Scott, Head of External Relations. Directed, written, and produced by Richard Paul

Explore the related exhibition in the Folgerpedia article on “Now thrive the armorers”: Arms and Armor in Shakespeare.

Now thrive the armorers, and honor’s thought
Reigns solely in the breast of every man.

Henry V, Act 2, chorus