That Shakespeare Life
Hosted by Cassidy Cash, That Shakespeare Life takes you behind the curtain and into the real life of William Shakespeare.
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This little house was a neighbor of Shakespeare's
07/13/2026
This little house was a neighbor of Shakespeare's
In Stratford Upon Avon, where William Shakespeare was born, there is a house that was built in 1530, while King Henry VIII was ruling England. This house was there when Shakespeare was living in the town, and the owners have direct connections to Shakespeare himself. Today, the house is known as Wisson House and the thoughtfully preserved historical property has been updated with modern amenities and is offered as a holiday property for anyone visiting the area, or that loves Shakespeare. Of course, when I heard about the property, I wanted to share the history with you. Which is why, today, we are delighted to welcome Amanda Billingsley, the owner of Wisson House, to the show to share the backstory of this property and what it was doing when Shakespeare was alive.
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Elaborate Masque Costumes in Shakespeare’s England
07/06/2026
Elaborate Masque Costumes in Shakespeare’s England
Elaborate theatrical performances in Shakespeare’s lifetime presented before the reigning monarch were known as court masques. These intricate and complex stories were presented in grand fashion, sparing no expense on costumes, props, and special effects. The most famous masque has to be that of Robert Dudley who hired actual performers from the Comedia del Arte in Italy to perform amazing feats of light, sound, and performance in an effort to propose marriage to the Queen of England. While it makes sense that Dudley would go out of his way to be over the top in his endeavors, the other masques taking place in Shakespeare’s lifetime were no less sensational. From Ben Jonson to Inigo Jones and the decorated halls of Whitehall Palace, masques of any stripe were the creme del creme of performances. For this reason, their costumes were not only breathlessly expensive, but they often pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable to wear in public, and included fabric, accessories, design, and presentation that showcased art and story as primary. In many ways, court masque costume and clothing were the high fashion world of Shakespeare’s England. This week, our guest, Sarah Jane Downing, fashion historian and author of Fashion in Shakespeare’s England, takes us back to the 16-17th century court masques under Elizabeth I and James I to take an up close look at the outfits, the scandals, and the expensive price tag that went along with costuming the most opulent nights of entertainment in all of early modern England.
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17th Century English Spangles Found at Jamestown, Virginia
06/29/2026
17th Century English Spangles Found at Jamestown, Virginia
In Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck has a line that says “And now they never meet in grove or green, By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen...” In Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio uses this term again saying, “What stars do spangle heaven with such beauty...” In a similar description again from Midsummer, Lysander says “Fair Helena, who more engilds the night Than all you fiery oes and eyes of light.” If you’re not familiar with Engilding the night, that’s a word that means “to make bright…often referring to a golden light.” It’s been around since the 15th century, but what all of these references have in common is they are talking about making something shiny, and in Shakespeare’s England the best way to make something look like it glittered was to attach what’s called a “spangle” or an “Oe” spelled “oe.” Essentially, these were early modern sequins. Some surviving examples of 17th century spangles were discovered in Jamestown, Virginia, and are housed inside the collections at Jamestown Rediscovery, which jointly manages Historic Jamestowne alongside the National Park Service. One of the curators involved in that project, Janene Johnston, is here with us today to explain how spangles worked, the history of the ones they found in Virginia, and what the surviving artifacts reveal about how spangles were used in Shakespeare’s lifetime.
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Dark Renaissance and The Death of Christopher Marlowe
06/22/2026
Dark Renaissance and The Death of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe is one of the most fascinating—and mysterious—figures of Shakespeare’s lifetime. A university-educated playwright at a time when that alone set him apart, Marlowe rose quickly through London’s theater world, dazzling audiences with bold language, ambitious characters, and stories that pushed the boundaries of what the stage could do. But Marlowe’s life wasn’t confined to poetry and playhouses. Evidence suggests he was also moving in far more dangerous circles—working as a government agent in the shadowy world of Elizabethan espionage, where loyalty, religion, and politics were matters of life and death. And then, just as suddenly as he rose to fame, his life came to a violent end—killed in a Deptford lodging house under circumstances that remain deeply suspicious. Officially, it was a dispute over a bill. But for a man entangled in secrets, intrigue, and power, that explanation has never quite been wholly satisfying, nor completely accepted. Today, we’re diving deep into the underworld to look inside the extraordinary life and abrupt death of Christopher Marlowe—from the university halls of Cambridge to the murky underworld of espionage, and onto the stages that helped shape the future of English drama. Our guest is Stephen Greenblatt, author of Dark Renaissance a book that portrays Marlowe as the father of Renaissance theater and as innovative as he was intriguing. Stephen's work brings together history, literature, and the hidden forces that shaped the Renaissance world Marlowe inhabited, and we’re delighted to have him be our guide this week as we step into the brilliant, dangerous, and ultimately tragic life of Christopher Marlowe.
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How was Midsummer and St. John's Day Celebrated in Elizabethan England?
06/15/2026
How was Midsummer and St. John's Day Celebrated in Elizabethan England?
In Shakespeare’s England, the middle of summer was a time of celebration. While the summer season begins at May Day, the longest day of the year, from June 23 into the 24th, was celebrated as the holiday of Midsummer, and Christianized as St. John’s Eve and St. John’s Day. It was the longest day of the year, and for the life of William Shakespeare, this holiday was marked with celebrations of feasting, dancing, and bonfires. Shakespeare himself immortalizes the spirit of the festivities in Twelfth Night when Olivia says “Why, this is very midsummer madness.” Here today to help us unpack what Midsummer celebrations would have been like in the 16-17th century England, as well as to explain for us how seemingly heathen celebration to celebrate the summer solstice lined up with the celebration of the venerable St. John, is our guest and historian, Bill Petro.
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Doublets, French Hose, and Plunging 16th Century Necklines
06/08/2026
Doublets, French Hose, and Plunging 16th Century Necklines
Shakespeare is famous for his costume changes in his plays, including characters that swap genders and seemingly fool the world as their true identity simply by a change of clothes. Since Shakespeare’s playing companies were all male, and still manage to portray some of the most powerful women characters ever created on the stage, we have to think there was indeed great power in costume. What was it about women’s clothes versus men’s designs that made them instantly recognizable on stage for the Elizabethan era? During this time, women were seeing their fashions change rapidly in the design and function of everything from bum rolls to chin clouts, and even the acceptable necklines of this period. Of course, men were seeing similar transitions in their fashions, with the French introducing English men to the famous poofy shorts that Shakespeare is so famous for wearing. The clothes, along with the sumptuary laws of this period, landed men and women on the wrong side of the law when it came to what they chose to get dressed in each morning. Here today to help us unpack the world of clothing and the laws that regulated them, along with how Shakespeare was able to portray all levels of society on stage without getting into legal trouble, is our guest, and author of the book Fashion in the Time of William Shakewsspeare, SarahJane Downing.
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Shampoo: How to wash your hair in Shakespeare’s England
06/01/2026
Shampoo: How to wash your hair in Shakespeare’s England
In Shakespeare’s plays, there are over 150 references to the word “hair” across which Shakespeare talks about a barber fixing someone’s hair, about hair being dyed, about losing your hair being a natural product of old age, combing your hair, and even the weight of someone’s hair. Clearly, there was a significant cultural focus on the care and maintenance of one’s carefully selected coif. But exactly what did it look like for someone to care for their hair? Was there such a thing as soap, or dare we guess—Shampoo—that might have been used to keep your hair clean in the Tudor period? To find out more about what one would use in the 16-17th century if you decided to wash your hair, we are meeting with our guest, Julia Martins. Julia is here this week to tell us all about products used to cleanse, care, and manage a head full of hair in Shakespeare’s lifetime, as well as the manuals and advice that was given in the 16-17th century for the best hair care methods of the Elizabethan era.
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The History, Design, and Fashion Culture of Gauntlet Gloves
05/25/2026
The History, Design, and Fashion Culture of Gauntlet Gloves
In Shakespeare’s plays, he uses the word “gauntlet” a total of 6 times. In one instance, the stage directions declare that a character “throws down his gauntlet.” In Hamlet, stage directions again refer to a gauntlet by saying that attendants bring "foils and gauntlets” into the scene of Act V. But do you know what you should be seeing on stage in these moments? Do you know what object Shakespeare expected the characters to be carrying for these scenes? Gauntlet sounds like a military exercise or maybe a very difficult journey through several tough obstacles, and there’s a variation of this word which means exactly that—but that kind of gauntlet is for another episode. Today, we’re looking at the kind of gauntlet that was actually an article of clothing—a glove, to be precise. A highly decorated ornate glove that came all the way up to the wrist of the wearer and was designed to protect the hand against wounds. To find out more about what these gloves were made from, who made them, and exactly why a character would throw one down on the ground in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, we are talking with Hannah Marples, clothing historian and author of the project “Experimental Archeology: testing the wearability of a pair of gloves worn by Henry Cary in a painting by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, 1603” Hannah joins us today to help us explore the history of gauntlet gloves, and how they connect with Shakespeare and his plays.
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How to Insult Someone Like Shakespeare
05/18/2026
How to Insult Someone Like Shakespeare
Zounds! Your Bunched Back toad! In Shakespeare’s plays we find a hoard of truly fabulous one liners, zingers, and impressive insults that frequent the lips of our favorite characters. When they were written in the 16th century, some of the words we find most hilarious today were actually bordering on a line between legal and illegal, and even sometimes blasphemous, which in a Protestant England wracked by religious tensions and wars, was often worse than merely illegal. Here today to take us back to turn of the 17th century England and explore some of the words that could land you in hot water, or express your anger, frustration, or dismay in the most colorful way imaginable this side of actual obscenities, is our guest and historical linguist, Nathalie Vienne-Guerrin.
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Painting Your Lips, Bleaching Your Skin, and Other Cosmetic Treatments for Renaissance Women
05/11/2026
Painting Your Lips, Bleaching Your Skin, and Other Cosmetic Treatments for Renaissance Women
In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet declares “Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face, Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek” Katharina in Taming of the SHrew talks about painting your face, and Timon of Athens makes a connection between painting and your face saying “wear them, betray with them: whore still; Paint till a horse may mire upon your face, A pox of wrinkles!” And of course, Hamlet has the most famous facial disguise quote when he says “God has given you one face but you make yourself another.” All of these references underpin what we know about cosmetics and facial care in Shakespeare’s England. Famously, Queen Elizabeth herself kept her face quite decadently forever striving after that porcelain skinned ideal that was a hallmark of the Elizabethan Era. But what did women use to take care of their faces in the Elizabethan era, and in a. Culture where people like Hamlet were suspicious of women who disguised their true form, how was makeup received? Was it something normal and every day, or were there instances when applying makeup, or perhaps even the wrong makeup, could get someone into trouble? To find out more and explore the intricate and complex world of makeup, cosmetics, and facial care for women of Shakespeare’s lifetime, we’re delighted to welcome historian and author of Beauty and Cosmetics, 1550–1950, Sarah Jane Downing to the show this week. She’s here to take us behind the makeup counters of Tudor women and share with us what we might there.
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Evil May Day and Sir Thomas More
05/04/2026
Evil May Day and Sir Thomas More
Immigration, labor tensions, and social unrest were pressing realities in Shakespeare’s England—and few events capture that strain more vividly than the 1517 uprising known as Evil May Day. In this week’s episode, historian Shannon McSheffrey joins us to unpack the economic frustrations, guild restrictions, and growing immigrant communities that fueled this riot in Tudor London. From the role of the city’s “liberties” to the political response of Henry VIII and the event’s lasting legacy in chronicles and drama like Sir Thomas More, we explore how this moment of unrest shaped the world Shakespeare knew—and how its echoes can still be felt in the plays today.
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Homelessness and Vagrancy in Shakespeare's England
04/27/2026
Homelessness and Vagrancy in Shakespeare's England
For the 16th century, a vagrant was someone who operated outside of societal norms, someone who moved around without a fixed home, or produced a profit without the oversight of a noble patron. In a culture that highly prized both hierarchy and organization, someone who fell outside these categories was cast under severe scrutiny, seen as a potential threat, and faced harsh punishments specifically aimed at preventing vagrancy. During Shakespeare’s lifetime, new laws were being passed to aggressively define and control the vagrant, casting a net that often saw players and playwrights like William Shakespeare caught right up in the chaos. To help us understand how those categories worked — and why they mattered — we’re joined by Dr. David Hitchcock, Reader in Early Modern History at Canterbury Christ Church University. Dr. Hitchcock’s research focuses on poverty, mobility, and the cultural meaning of vagrancy in early modern England. He’s here today to help us explore why early modern England was so focused on vagrancy, what the laws were that tried to prevent it, and how these laws impacted theater, and Shakespeare specifically.
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Starlings in Shakespeare's England
04/20/2026
Starlings in Shakespeare's England
In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Hotspur delivers a chilling threat against King Richard: “I’ll have a starling shall be taught to speak Nothing but ‘Mortimer,’ and give it him To keep his anger still in motion.” It’s a line rooted in the politics of kingship and rebellion—but it also hinges on something strikingly practical. The idea of teaching a starling to speak wasn’t poetic fancy. It was entirely possible. In fact, it was happening in Shakespeare’s lifetime. This week, we’re stepping beyond the metaphor to explore the real bird behind the threat. What was the behavior, temperament, and reputation of the starling in early modern England? Were they truly trained to mimic speech? Were they kept as pets—or even raised for the table alongside other fowl? Here to guide us into the world of the early modern starling is Lee Raye, author of Creatures of Story and Song: Tracing Britain’s Lost Species. Lee’s work traces the historical presence of wild animals and plants, and today, they help us uncover how fact and drama intersect in the history of one of the world’s most fascinating birds.
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Seige of Famagusta and Shakespeare's Othello
04/13/2026
Seige of Famagusta and Shakespeare's Othello
In Shakespeare’s Othello, the Second Senator in Act One warns of a Turkish fleet bearing down on Cyprus. Later in that same scene, the Duke of Venice remarks, “The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes for Cyprus. Othello, the fortitude of the place is best known to you.” References to Cyprus appear again and again throughout the dialogue—calling attention to wars, naval battles, and the conflicts surrounding the island, including, as Iago puts it, the struggle between “grounds Christian and heathen.” Shakespeare places Othello in Cyprus at a moment of extreme tension. In the play, the island has just faced an imminent invasion by the Ottoman Turks. The Venetian fleet is mobilized, generals are dispatched, and Cyprus is on high alert. It makes for an exciting story—but what’s even more compelling is that the setting Shakespeare chose mirrors real history almost exactly. In 1570 and 1571, Cyprus—then a Venetian possession—was attacked by the Ottoman Empire. The final and most famous stronghold was a city called Famagusta, whose siege became infamous across Europe. For Shakespeare’s audience, Cyprus under Turkish threat was not fictional—it was recent news. When Othello opens with fears of invasion, Shakespeare is tapping into a collective memory of terror and loss that was still emotionally raw. To help us explore how the play connects to the real history Shakespeare’s audience would have recognized immediately, I’m delighted to welcome our guest today, Michael Walsh.
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Courts, Rackets, Balls, and Rules: The Game of Tennis in the 16th Century
04/06/2026
Courts, Rackets, Balls, and Rules: The Game of Tennis in the 16th Century
In Shakespeare’s plays, we see 6 total references to tennis. Polonius mentions an argument over a tennis game in Hamlet. Henry V and Pericles talk about tennis courts and there’s even a couple of references to “tennis balls” showing up in Shakespeare’s other plays, talking about them being played with at the game of tennis, as well as being stuffed as part of the process of making a tennis ball. We can tell that Shakespeare and his contemporaries knew about the game of tennis, but where did it come from? How was it played? Do we know anything about these tennis courts they used? To find out more about the history of tennis from Shakespeare’s lifetime, today we’re talking with Laurence Grove. Laurence is a Professor of French and Text/Image Studies at the University of Glasgow, and was recently the guest expert for an article inside PBS’s report into newly discovered images that reveal some interesting new findings about the 16th century history of tennis. Laurence joins us today to share these findings, as well as to explain what tennis would have been like for Shakespeare.
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Easter in Shakespeare’s England: Faith, Feasting, and a New Doublet
03/30/2026
Easter in Shakespeare’s England: Faith, Feasting, and a New Doublet
Shakespeare’s only reference to Easter comes up in Romeo and Juliet Act III when Mercutio talks about buying a new doublet for Easter. Despite only a single reference to this holiday, for the people of 16-17th century England, Easter was a major event. Holidays in Shakespeare’s lifetime largely followed the life of Jesus Christ, and the resurrection of Jesus that is celebrated on Easter Sunday was a high point of the year’s festivities. Here today to share with us the customs, foods, and yes, the clothing like a new doublet, that would have been staples for the observance of the Easter Holidays in Shakespeare’s lifetime, is our guest, and author of Reformation England 1480-1642, Peter Marshall.
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Monkeys and Apes in Shakespeare's England
03/23/2026
Monkeys and Apes in Shakespeare's England
In this episode of That Shakespeare Life, we explore the surprising presence of monkeys, apes, and baboons in early modern England and the role these animals played in the culture of Shakespeare’s world. Shakespeare refers to primates dozens of times in his plays, and those references were not purely imaginative—exotic animals were arriving in England through global trade, kept as fashionable pets by elites, and even trained to perform tricks for public entertainment. By examining travel narratives, natural history books like Edward Topsell’s The History of Four-Footed Beasts, and records of animal performances near the London theatres, we uncover how early modern audiences understood these creatures and why primates became such vivid symbols in Renaissance literature and stage culture.
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Children’s Toys and Games in Tudor England:
03/16/2026
Children’s Toys and Games in Tudor England:
What toys did children play with in Shakespeare’s lifetime? In this episode, historian Dr. Julia Martins joins That Shakespeare Life to explore the games, dolls, rattles, hobby horses, and playground activities that shaped childhood in Tudor England—and how these playful details appear in Shakespeare’s world.
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How HIstorians Know Shakespeare is Shakespeare
03/09/2026
How HIstorians Know Shakespeare is Shakespeare
Joined this week by historian Susan D. Amussen, we take a close look at the historical evidence that confirms William Shakespeare as a real working playwright and actor in early modern England. Drawing from Susan’s book What’s in a Name?, we explore the documentary records—from theater company memberships and tax records to property purchases—that trace Shakespeare’s life from Stratford-upon-Avon to London’s vibrant theatrical world. We also compare the surviving evidence for Shakespeare with what we know about other playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, and discuss how historians interpret the gaps in the historical record. Along the way, Susan explains what the archives reveal about Shakespeare’s work with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later the King’s Men) and how these records help historians answer the enduring question: how do we know Shakespeare is Shakespeare?
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Ides of March in Renaissance England
03/02/2026
Ides of March in Renaissance England
In this episode, we explore what the “Ides” actually meant in ancient Rome and how March 15th transformed from an ordinary—sometimes even festive—date on the Roman calendar into one of history’s most infamous days. Jörg Rüpke explains how Romans understood their calendar, what rituals or superstitions may (or may not) have surrounded the Ides, and how news of Caesar’s assassination would have spread through the city. We also examine the differences between ancient historical sources and Shakespeare’s dramatic choices, from Calpurnia’s ominous warnings to the political and religious tensions surrounding tyrannicide. We then turn to Shakespeare’s England, asking how Renaissance audiences would have interpreted Roman dates, costumes, and political symbolism on stage. Did Elizabethans already fear March 15th, or did Shakespeare himself help create that association? Along the way, we consider how the play reflects the delicate political climate of Elizabeth I’s reign, the moral dangers of overthrowing authority, and why the assassination scene unfolds at “the Capitol” instead of the historically accurate Curia of Pompey.
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Three Hours Too Soon: How Shakespeare Kept Time
02/23/2026
Three Hours Too Soon: How Shakespeare Kept Time
In this episode, we explore how time was measured in Shakespeare’s England — from weight-driven household clocks to elite pocket watches imported from Germany. With Dr. Jane Desborough, we uncover how early modern clocks tracked not only hours but lunar phases, zodiac signs, and seasons, and why “accuracy” meant something very different before minute and second hands became standard.
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Hoof, Boat, & Shoe: Travel in Shakespeare's England
02/16/2026
Hoof, Boat, & Shoe: Travel in Shakespeare's England
In Shakespeare’s lifetime, travel wasn’t reserved for grand tours or royal progresses — it was woven into daily life. Ordinary Elizabethans crossed rivers, walked muddy roads, boarded boats, hired horses, and rode in wagons for business, family visits, market days, court appearances, and worship. England was constantly in motion. But how did people without titles or servants actually get from place to place, and what did it cost them in time, money, and effort? Today we’re joined by Dr. Charmian Mansell, Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Sheffield and award-winning author of Female Servants in Early Modern England. Her research uncovers the practical realities of everyday travel in the 16th and 17th centuries — from routes and lodging to ferries, weather delays, and the surprising distances ordinary people were willing to go.
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Second Hand Shops: How Old Wares Were Redistributed in Shakespeare's England
02/09/2026
Second Hand Shops: How Old Wares Were Redistributed in Shakespeare's England
In Shakespeare’s play, The Winter’s Tale, Autolycus talks about “selling all my trumpery.” The reference made me wonder if Autolycus was packing up all his attic junk and random periphery collected over the years to sell them in what might be considered a yard sale for Elizabethan England. Did Shakespeare’s England have garage sales where people sold their gently used items to their peers and neighbors? And what about the potential for the Renaissance equivalent of a Goodwill wtore, a thrift store, or even a consignment or pawn shop? Was it possible that people in Shakespeare’s lifetime were selling their used items for profit? In order to explore the world of second hand clothing, thrift stores, and pawn shops of Elizabethan England I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Kate Kelsey Staples, author of “The Significance of the Secondhand Trade in Europe, 1200–1600” to join us to help us explore exactly where one would have deposited or dispatched of their superfluous household goods.
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Henry Wotton and the Invention of Diplomacy
02/02/2026
Henry Wotton and the Invention of Diplomacy
There are many men who lived alongside William Shakespeare in turn of the 17th century England, but today's featured contemporary is a man who served as King James' ambassador to Venice in the 1600s. This man was named Henry Wotton. At grammar school, he received the same humanist education as Shakespeare, but unlike Shakespeare, Henry went on to university, studying at Oxford where he was tutored by Alberico Gentili, the man who was just then publishing the first handbook on international diplomacy. After graduation, Wotton spent five years travelling across Europe, stacking up experience that gained him employment, after which he returned to England to serve as personal secretary Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. That life abruptly ended when Wotton fled England after the 'Essex Rebellion' that cost Devereux his life. But a chance encounter brought Wotton to the attention of the man who, within months, would claim the English throne. King James recalled Wotton from exile -- and immediately sent him ambassador to Venice. Here today to share the remarkable story of Sir Henry Wotton—a man whose real-life adventures in diplomacy were unfolding even as Shakespeare was staging ambassadors on the London stage and setting his plays amid the politics of Venice—is our guest, Professor Carol Chillington Rutter, author of Lying abroad: Henry Wotton and the invention of diplomacy. In her book, Dr. Rutter explores the extraordinary life of the man King James I called his “honest dissembler”—a maverick diplomat who fled England in disgrace, only to return and redefine the very art of diplomacy in ways that still influence international relations today.
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Much Ado About Cooking
01/26/2026
Much Ado About Cooking
From delectable marchpane in Romeo and Juliet, and the herbs of the Merchant of Venice to stew’d prunes of Henry IV, and carving capons in Love’s Labour’s Lost, there is a wide gambit of meals consumed in Shakespeare’s plays that span from bawdy feasts to elite noble banquets, and even popular meals eaten as much to control your behavior as they were seen as nourishment. The details about food found throughout Shakespeare’s plays reflect the real foods enjoyed from the peasants to the royalty of Shakespeare’s life. This week we are diving into these delectable delights with food historian and author Sam Bilton, to talk about her latest book, Much Ado About Cooking—which was created in collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe---that allows us to get a literal taste of Shakespeare. Much Ado About Cooking takes Shakespeare’s own food references and pairs them with real recipes from his lifetime, then reimagines those recipes for the modern cook so that you can easily make, and eat, food from the life of William Shakespeare.
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The Real Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
01/19/2026
The Real Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
When Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, he gave the melancholy Dane two university friends with peculiarly Danish names—Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. For many centuries, audiences assumed these were simply fictional creations. Yet history reveals that Frederik Rosenkrantz and Knud Gyldenstierne were real men—Danish noblemen who traveled to England during Shakespeare’s lifetime as part of an official embassy from the Danish court. Their visit took place during a fascinating moment of cultural diplomacy: King James VI of Scotland’s marriage alliance with Denmark, his 1589 voyage to meet Anne of Denmark, and the exchanges of royal gifts that linked two kingdoms. This same period saw Tycho Brahe’s astronomical fame rise across Europe, the University of Wittenberg flourish as an intellectual hub, and England’s awareness of the Dutch Golden Age begin to take shape. Today we’ll explore these threads with our guest, Paul Lockhart, Professor of HIstory and Drage Gould Distinguished Professor of Research at Wright State University. He has published seven single author books including “Denmark, 1513-1660: The Rise and Decline of the Renaissance Monarchy. You can see more of his publications and links to his current work in the show notes for today’s episode. He joins us today to help us explore the story of two real courtiers whose names—and perhaps personalities—live on in one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
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What Did “Weird” Mean to Shakespeare? The Strange History of Macbeth’s Weird Sisters
01/12/2026
What Did “Weird” Mean to Shakespeare? The Strange History of Macbeth’s Weird Sisters
When Shakespeare called the sisters in Macbeth “weird,” he did not mean what we mean by the word today. In early modern England, “weird” carried deep associations with fate, prophecy, and supernatural power—ideas rooted in classical mythology, medieval folklore, and Renaissance belief. In this episode of That Shakespeare Life, we explore what “weird” really meant in the 16th and early 17th centuries, and how that meaning reshapes our understanding of one of Shakespeare’s most famous groups of characters. Joining me are Dr. Anne-Maree Wicks and Professor Laurie Johnson, co-authors of Weird Shakespeare: The Weird Sisters and Macbeth, whose research traces the shifting language, textual history, and performance traditions surrounding Macbeth’s enigmatic sisters. Together, we examine why Shakespeare never actually uses the phrase “weird sisters” in the play itself, how early spellings like weyward complicate modern interpretations, and when editors began standardizing the word as “weird.” We also explore whether these figures may originally have been understood as fairies or nymphs rather than witches—and how later historical events, including witch trials and changing beliefs about the supernatural, shaped how audiences came to see them. This conversation invites us to step back into Shakespeare’s world, where language was fluid, meanings were unstable, and the boundary between fate, folklore, and fear was anything but clear.
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New Year’s Gifts at the Court of Elizabeth I
01/05/2026
New Year’s Gifts at the Court of Elizabeth I
Today, we think of Christmas as the season of giving—but in Shakespeare’s England, it was New Year’s Day that reigned supreme as the biggest gift-giving holiday of the entire year. Shakespeare himself alludes to this entrenched tradition in The Merry Wives of Windsor, where Falstaff quips: “I’ll have my brains ta’en out and buttered, and give them to a dog for a new-year’s gift.” It’s a grotesque image—thank you, Falstaff—but it reveals just how deeply the practice of New Year’s gifting permeated society, to the point where even dogs might expect a present. Of course, no one in Elizabethan England gave and received gifts quite like the queen herself—which is why this week, we’re diving into the fascinating world of New Year’s gifts at the court of Elizabeth I: how these gifts were chosen, presented, and meticulously recorded—and how they served as powerful tools of politics, loyalty, and social hierarchy in Shakespeare’s lifetime. Joining us to unravel this glittering and strategic tradition is Maria Hayward, whose research on the New Year’s Gift Rolls shines a light on the court culture, textiles, and customs that shaped this extraordinary annual ritual.
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Arthurian England: How the Tudors Used Myth to Build a Nation
01/01/2026
Arthurian England: How the Tudors Used Myth to Build a Nation
When we think of King Arthur, many of us imagine medieval romance—knights in shining armor, enchanted swords, or chivalric quests. But for the Tudors, Arthur wasn’t just storybook material. In the 16th century, Arthurian legend was a political tool, a national symbol, and—for some—an actual piece of English history. From Henry VII naming his heir “Prince Arthur,” to Elizabeth I being welcomed at Kenilworth with Lady-of-the-Lake imagery, the Tudors used Arthurian myth to define their dynasty, elevate their authority, and shape the emerging idea of English nationalism. This week, we’re exploring how Arthur, Merlin, and the world of Geoffrey of Monmouth were reinvented for a new age of politics, performance, and propaganda. Our guest, historian Andrew, walks us through royal pageants, literary allegory, and visual symbols that connected the Tudor monarchy to a heroic—and sometimes ominous—legendary past.
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“What Masque? What Music?” Ben Jonson & the Art of Court Spectacle
12/29/2025
“What Masque? What Music?” Ben Jonson & the Art of Court Spectacle
"Say, what abridgement have you for this evening?
What masque? what music? How shall we beguile
The lazy time, if not with some delight?"
— A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act V, Scene 1
There are over a dozen mentions of masques, masquers, and masquing in Shakespeare's plays, and when it came to masques in England for the 16-17th century, no one did them better than Ben Jonson, who was known for staging truly spectacular
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