Libsyn Directory

King Henry V: Stuff to Chew On

Release Date: 01/15/2025

The Tempest: Patriarchy, Gender, and Power in Shakespeare’s Play

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we explore how The Tempest reflects—and at times challenges—patriarchal power structures in Shakespeare’s world and in its performance history. First, we examine how Prospero’s control over Miranda, Ariel, and Caliban reflects early modern ideas and debates about gender, political authority, and service. Then, we look at how changing the gender of Prospero reshapes the play’s dynamics, how productions across stage and screen have used gender...

Mini: Making Shakespeare Accessible with Mike and Steph Crugnola of Walking Shadow Shakespeare Project

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini episode, we’re joined by Mike and Steph Crugnola of Walking Shadow Shakespeare Project to talk about their mission to make Shakespeare more accessible—for both audiences and artists. We dive into the company’s flexible and innovative production models—including one rehearsal performances, collaborative directing, site-specific stagings, and immersive experiences—and how these approaches open up new ways of engaging with Shakespeare’s work. Steph and Mike...

The Tempest: Travel Narratives, Cultural Encounters, and Shakespeare’s Inspirations

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. Did Shakespeare write The Tempest in response to a shipwreck, or was something bigger at play? In this episode, we explore the early modern travel narratives that many scholars believe inspired Shakespeare’s final solo play. We begin with lesser-known travel accounts that focus on cultural encounters in Russia, Southwest Asia, Central America, and India—narratives that shaped how early modern England imagined the world beyond Europe. Then we turn to one of the most...

The Tempest: Stuff to Chew On

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. To kick off our series on Shakespeare's The Tempest, we are (as always) starting with an overview of basic facts and history about the play and an introduction to the major themes and motifs of the play. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: , follow us on Instagram at or visit our website at You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at , , or by shopping our...

The Tempest: Synopsis

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. We are now on to our tenth play series! Today we are starting our series on Shakespeare's The Tempest with a synopsis episode. In this episode, we will provide a detailed summary of the plot, breaking down the action of the play scene by scene. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Special thanks to Nat Yonce for editing this episode. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: , follow us on Instagram at or...

Bonus Episode: Interview with Kent Lehnhof on Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this bonus episode, we’re joined by Dr. Kent Lehnhoff to talk about his new book, Voice and Ethics in Shakespeare’s Late Plays. Together, we explore how Shakespeare uses the concept and qualities of human voice in The Tempest, Cymbeline, King Lear, Pericles, and The Winter’s Tale, how he writes for and about the voice, and beyond that, how embracing the unique voice of each character (and actor) can create a more ethical, inclusive theatre. About Kent Lehnhof...

King Henry V: Wrap Up

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this wrap-up episode, we reflect on our journey through Shakespeare's King Henry V by examining three distinct productions that bring the play to life in unique ways. We begin with Kenneth Branagh's 1989 Oscar-nominated film adaptation, renowned for its realism and cinematic approach. Next, we delve into the 2022 Donmar Warehouse production starring Kit Harington, which frames Henry’s leadership through a modern lens. Finally, we discuss the 2012 Shakespeare's...

Mini: Interview with Julie Hammonds on Blue Mountain Rose—A Shakespearean Tale of Theater, Family, and Resilience

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini-episode, we sit down with author Julie Hammonds to discuss her debut novel, Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Set against the backdrop of a fictional Shakespeare festival in the Arizona mountains during the 2009 financial crisis, the story follows theater director Richard Keane, company manager Kate Morales, and enigmatic actor Peter Dunmore as they strive to save their beloved open-air stage. Julie shares insights into how Shakespeare's works inspired...

King Henry V: European Foreigners and Immigrants in Shakespeare's Time

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In today's episode, we are exploring the English relationships with foreigners and immigrants from other European countries. First, we'll discuss what the experience of immigrant communities was like in England during the Tudor and early Stuart periods--were the English people xenophobic or welcoming to others? We'll look specifically at experiences of Dutch and French immigrants, who made up the majority of immigrants to England in the mid-late 1500s. Then, we'll take a...

Mini: Shakespeare in Love [Unlocked from the Patreon Vault]

Shakespeare Anyone?

Want to support the podcast? or As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. This week, we are bringing you something a little different and unlocking our Patreon bonus episode on the 1998 film, Shakespeare in Love. Over on our Patreon, we regularly watch/read and discuss Shakespeare-adjacent media. Shakespeare in Love, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and directed by John Madden, follows a fictional love affair between William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and a noblewoman, Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), during the writing of Romeo...

More Episodes

To kick off our series on Shakespeare's King Henry V, we are (as always) starting with an overview of basic facts about the play and an introduction to the major themes and motifs of the play.

Location of the Battle of Agincourt

Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod.

Works referenced:

Shakespeare, William. King Henry V. Edited by T. W. Craik, Arden Shakespeare, 1995.

SparkNotes Editors. “King Henry V” SparkNotes.com, SparkNotes LLC, 2005, https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henryv/

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