Something Shakespeare This Way Comes

Something Shakespeare This Way Comes
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Join this part-time scholar, full-time nerd as they dive into the writings, adaptations and historical context surrounding William Shakespeare. We're gonna have some fun.

  1. JUN 12

    Ep 38: Taming of the Shrew in Perspective Over Time

    Has the shrew been tamed or was the taming just the friendswe made along the way? I am back with the third and final episode looking at TheTaming of the Shrew! And, phew, it’s been quite a ride. In this episode, I’ll be discussing contemporary reactionsto The Taming of the Shrew, performances of the play across time, and my final take on the play now that I’ve finished reading way too much about it. When we build out the context surrounding a work of art,that allows us to think about it more deeply and consider the merits or problems with the text we didn’t consider the first time around. It’s a worthwhile exercise, even if you end up still disliking something after doing additional reading. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. Enjoy me taking every last opportunity to diss Petruchio!Next time I’ll talk about something else. Promise. Further Reading and Watching ⁠⁠The Taming of the Shrew⁠⁠ by William Shakespeare, specially the Arden Shakespeare The Woman’s Prize, or, The Tamer Tamed by John Fletcher ⁠Shakespeare and feminist performance: ideology on stage⁠ by Sarah Werner "I Will Be Master of What Is Mine Own": Fortune Hunters and Shrews in Early Modern London by Eleanor Hubbard The Tamer as Shrewd in John Fletcher's "The Woman's Prize: Or, The Tamer Tam'd" by Holly A. Crocker "The Taming of the Shrew" with Morgan Freeman⁠, episode of Shakespeare Uncovered from PBS   Credit where credit is due Podcast art by ⁠⁠Halie Branson⁠⁠ Music recording by ⁠⁠josdvg

    1h 7m

  2. APR 12

    Ep 37: 10 Things I Hate About You (1998) with Guest Ben Roman

    Hello boys, I’m back! The long-awaited 10 Things I Hate About You episode is here. Please enjoy listening to me and my brother probably defend this movie too hard. Honestly, for being a late ‘90s romcom, it’s doing a pretty good job of being a Shakespeare adaptation. And has the added advantage of being put against a Shakespeare play that is…more problematic than many of his other comedies. While we are open to other people’s interpretations of thisfilm, we here at Something Shakespeare This Way Comes will not be allowing any Kat slander at this time. Thank you. Warning: This episode has a higher swearing content than most episodes of this podcast (I was too tired to censor them). So please be aware that there will be some four-letter words flung about! Credit where credit is due Podcast art by ⁠Halie Branson⁠ Music recording by ⁠josdvg⁠

    1h 25m

  3. MAR 15 · BONUS

    Bonus Ep 7: It's the Ides of March (Again)

    It’s that time of year again to look back at what happened on the Ides of March many years ago and consider how badly the conspirators fumbled the ball. While I will be celebrating March 15 my favorite way, by posting jokes on social media, I wanted to take the time to collect some general thoughts about the assassination of Julius Caesar and the relevance of Shakespeare’s play. When I covered it last year, I thought that the action of play definitely felt relevant, but that the general reception of it seems to fall a little flat. Is there a way to make the play feel more immediate to a modern audience? This year, as the events of the late Roman Republic feel more immediate than ever, I wanted to think about what we might take away from Julius Caesar, the conspirators, and the play Julius Caesar itself. What new takeaways can we draw from old material and how can we contend with those conclusions? If you want to listen to my original episodes on the Ides of March and Julius Caesar: Bonus Episode 4: Beware the Ides of March Episode 14: Can Julius Caesar Still Feel Relevant?Further Reading and Listening If you’re looking for a more comprehensive view of Roman history as a whole, I cannot recommend Mike Duncan’s The History of Rome podcast highly enough. Or if you want to focus in on the late Roman Republic, Duncan wrote a book about it: The Storm Before the Storm

    23 min

  4. MAR 10

    Ep 36: The Taming of the Shrew, Examining Kate and Petruchio

    This episode is a true example of what happens when you don't make yourself stop falling down the research rabbit hole. We're back with more The Taming of the Shrew and looking specifically the two main romantic leads. What is Petruchio's deal? What is Kate's? And why is everyone so obsessed with them? I wade my way through a reading of the play, several books, and a number of articles to see what people have said about these two characters to get a better idea of why the conversation surrounding this play is so lively. Initially, I thought this was something I could get through quickly. But it turns out, I had way more feelings about it than anticipated. So enjoy a discussion of a romantic male lead who might actually be the worst person ever and a romantic female lead who maybe makes no sense? Enjoy, and gird your loins for an eventual part three! Further Reading and Watching ⁠The Taming of the Shrew⁠ by William Shakespeare (I read the Arden edition, which always has lovely introductions) Shakespeare and feminist performance: ideology on stageby Sarah Werner "Performing Marriage with a Difference: Wooing, Wedding,and Bedding in 'The Taming of the Shrew" by Amy L. Smith Shakespeare for Students: Book 2 by Catherine C Dominic "Comic Structure the Humanizing of Kate in The Taming of the Shrew" by John C. Bean, chapter in In The Women’s part: feminist criticism of Shakespeare, edited by Carolyn Lenz "From Shrew to Subject: Petruchio's Humanist Education ofKatherine in 'The Taming of the Shrew'" by Elizabeth Hutcheon "The Taming of the Shrew" with Morgan Freeman, episode of Shakespeare Uncovered from PBS Further Listening Episode 35: The Taming of the Shrew, Context and Confusion Credit where credit is due Podcast art by ⁠Halie Branson⁠ Music recording by ⁠josdvg

    1h 27m

  5. FEB 20

    Ep 35: The Taming of the Shrew, Context and Confusion

    Our long-awaited Shrew series has begun! And I have discovered that I committed myself to doing three episodes surrounding a play that maybe I don’t like? But regardless of whether I’m going to banish Petruchio to my rejected list, there are still interesting things to talk about concerning The Taming of the Shrew, because of course there are! It’s Shakespeare. There’s always something to talk about. So let’s do that. In this episode we’re talking the plot ofthe play, why so much of it involves men putting on disguises and pretending to be someone else, what is up with the Christopher Sly setup that seemingly goes nowhere, and the play’s complicated relationship with another play that hasalmost exactly the same title. As always, I did discover a couple things to appreciateabout this play after doing some intensive reading. It never fails to delight me how research can make my experience of a Shakespeare play better. Enough to redeem this particular play? Time will tell. Join me for an introduction to this complicated play that has proved to be tricky for modern audiences. Then, next episode, we’ll really get into the controversy surrounding this one. Further Reading The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (I read the Arden edition, which always has lovely introductions) Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber, the “The Taming of the Shrew” chapter “‘I Will Be Master of What Is Mine Own’: Fortune Hunters and Shrews in Early Modern London" by Eleanor Hubbard (This is the article that talks about a real divorce case in early modern England) Credit where credit is due Podcast art by ⁠Halie Branson⁠ Music recording by ⁠josdvg⁠

    1h 3m

  6. FEB 14 · BONUS

    Bonus Ep 6: How Shakespeare Is It? Conclave (2024)

    The Academy recently announced its Best Picture nominees,and while there’s been plenty of discussion over how good those nominees are, not even enough people are discussing how Shakespeare these movies are. I’m here to the change that by starting with the only nominee I’ve seen so far: Conclave. How Shakespeare is this movie about electing the pope? Well, seems like it has the potential to be pretty Shakespeare, doesn’t it. Join me on my first foray into a little series I’m calling “How Shakespeare Is It” as I look at this interesting little Best Picture nominee and the parts of it that are Shakespeare (or not) and then rate it. Then, give me some suggestions for what else I rate based onhow Shakespeare it is! Or which Best Picture nom I should tackle next. Credit where credit is due Podcast art by ⁠Halie Branson⁠ Music recording by ⁠josdvg⁠

    14 min

  7. JAN 31

    Ep. 34: Interiority, Narration, Art, and Shakespeare

    This episode is brought to you by the newsletters about books that I subscribe to and my ability to sometimes overthink things. This time around we are talking books! First-person perspective! Theater! Soliloquy! Do you find it true that in the modern books you read, there’s more action than introspection and thought? Do books seem to be cinematic, already poised perfectly for an adaptation to the screen? If we remove the insight into a character’s mind, how effective is the book? We love books for how close they bring us to characters and often turn a side eye when movies tried to capture that interior knowledge through voiceover. What about when we turn it over to the stage? How can the theater capture characters, their inner thoughts, and show the perspective of a single person? And how did Shakespeare do that? Some fun musings abound this episode. Thinking about interiority in theater, how Shakespeare lets us get into character’s thoughts (or not), the purpose of stage directions, and ultimately land on the position that all art is interconnected and what a beautiful web we weave. Credit where credit is due Podcast art by ⁠Halie Branson⁠ Music recording by ⁠josdvg⁠

    50 min

  8. JAN 18

    Ep. 33: Beware the Inspirational Shakespeare Quote

    How often have you seen a quote on a beautifully colored background with the claim that the words are from William Shakespeare himself? If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet, then probably at least a handful of times. But there are pitfalls when it comes to taking what seems to be good advice from Shakespeare himself. One of them being that most of what was written by Shakespeare are words said by characters in his plays who often have other things going on that have nothing to with being generally inspirational. Join me as I consider why it’s helpful to more thoughtfully consider inspirational quotes being passed off as Shakespeare and look at a couple of popular quotes people do like to use. We’ll determine the original context of those quotes and what they mean once you ground them in the plays they’re from. Credit where credit is due Podcast art by ⁠Halie Branson⁠ Music recording by ⁠josdvg⁠

    47 min
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Join this part-time scholar, full-time nerd as they dive into the writings, adaptations and historical context surrounding William Shakespeare. We're gonna have some fun.

Information

  • Creator
    Something Shakespeare This Way Comes
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Something Shakespeare This Way Comes
  • Show Website
    Something Shakespeare This Way Comes