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Shakespeare Unlimited podcast

Shakespeare Unlimited podcast

William Shakespeare and his works are woven throughout our global culture, from theater, music, and films to new scholarship, education, amazing discoveries, and more. In our Shakespeare Unlimited podcast, Shakespeare opens a window into topics ranging from the American West, to the real history of Elizabethan street fighting, to interviews with Shakespearean stars. As you’ll hear, he turns up in surprising places, too—including outer space. Join us for a “no limits” tour of the connections between Shakespeare, his works, and our world.

The Book of Will – Lauren Gunderson
Shakespeare Unlimited

The Book of Will – Lauren Gunderson

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 70 So why is it that Shakespeare thrives 400 years after his death in a way that not one of his contemporaries can match? It’s not necessarily that Shakespeare was a better writer. Shakespeare is what he…

How 'King Lear' Inspired 'Empire'
Shakespeare Unlimited

How 'King Lear' Inspired 'Empire'

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 69 You can find Shakespeare in all sorts of places, including the Fox TV series Empire. The story of an aging ruler – in this case the head of a hip-hop music dynasty – who sets his…

Something Rotten! The Broadway Musical
Shakespeare Unlimited

Something Rotten! The Broadway Musical

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 68 In 2015, a new musical called Something Rotten! opened on Broadway. The plot: Two brothers living in England in 1595 have had their playwriting careers upended by the arrival of a new guy from Stratford upon…

Shakespeare and Marlowe: Attributing 'Henry VI' Authorship
Shakespeare Unlimited

Shakespeare and Marlowe: Attributing 'Henry VI' Authorship

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Oxford University Press recently drew attention for deciding that, in the New Oxford Shakespeare, the plays Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3 would no longer be listed as having been written by Shakespeare alone.

Juliet's Answer
Shakespeare Unlimited

Juliet's Answer

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For nearly a century, people have been sending letters asking for advice on love and romance to Verona, Italy. The letters were all addressed to Juliet. Glenn Dixon tells us about the volunteers today, called Juliet’s secretaries, who answer these letters.

Shakespeare in California
Shakespeare Unlimited

Shakespeare in California

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 65 When we think of Shakespeare in the American West, Hollywood immediately comes to mind, but this podcast episode also takes us back to the California Gold Rush and the Americans who brought Shakespeare with them when…

Q Brothers - Othello: The Remix
Shakespeare Unlimited

Q Brothers - Othello: The Remix

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 64 Since 2002, Gregory and Jeffery Ameen Qaiyum, better known as GQ and JAQ – the Q Brothers – have been using hip-hop to adapt and update the plays of William Shakespeare. At the time we recorded…

Uncovering Shakespeare's House: The Archaeological Dig at New Place
Shakespeare Unlimited

Uncovering Shakespeare's House: The Archaeological Dig at New Place

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 63 Since 2002, a major organization in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, has supported an archaeological dig on the former grounds of a house called “New Place.” New Place was one of the biggest houses in Stratford…

Shakespeare and YA Novels: Ryan North and Molly Booth
Shakespeare Unlimited

Shakespeare and YA Novels: Ryan North and Molly Booth

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 62 While print sales of adult fiction are down in the last decade, the juvenile market – which includes YA – has actually gone up 40 percent. In this episode, two YA authors talk about their writing,…

Stephen Greenblatt: Shakespeare's Life Stories
Shakespeare Unlimited

Stephen Greenblatt: Shakespeare's Life Stories

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On our podcast, Stephen Greenblatt discusses how Shakespeare shapes characters and narratives. He also explores how the French Renaissance writer Montaigne influenced Shakespeare, and how Shakespeare pushed back on Montaigne’s ideas.

Shakespeare and Girlhood
Shakespeare Unlimited

Shakespeare and Girlhood

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 60 How does Shakespeare portray girls and girlhood in his plays, and what do those portrayals tell us about life in Elizabethan and Jacobean England? Our guest for this Shakespeare Unlimited episode, Deanne Williams of York University…

Shakespeare in Sign Language
Shakespeare Unlimited

Shakespeare in Sign Language

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Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 59 Many people would probably tell you that what they love most about Shakespeare is his language. So what does Shakespeare become when the words are translated into a different language, one that uses visual signs rather…

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