That Shakespeare Life

So complains one of Shakespeare’s characters in The Merry Wives of Windsor, voicing what was surely a common frustration in the 16th and 17th centuries. Fleas were an ever-present part of daily life—so much so that they appeared in poems, jokes, love songs, and even seven different times across Shakespeare’s plays. This week, we’re scratching the surface of these itchy invaders to explore what their presence reveals about hygiene, health, and humor in the early modern world. Our guest is 17th-century historian Andrea Zuvich, here to help us explore how people really managed fleas in Shakespeare’s lifetime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Love’s Labour’s Lost, Berowne declares, “Let us dance and sport,” while in Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch exclaims, “Shall we set about some revels?” Shakespeare’s plays are filled with movement—more than 100 stage directions across his works call for a dance, making dance not merely entertainment, but a powerful form of expression in the early modern world. This week on That Shakespeare Life, we’re taking a closer look at what those dances might have looked like in real life. What was the significance of dancing in the 16th and early 17th centuries? What kinds of dances were popular? And how did they reflect the politics, courtship, and social hierarchies of the day? To help us explore the rhythm and meaning behind Shakespeare’s choreography is our guest, historian and dance scholar Emily Winerock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you picture a Shakespeare play, you likely imagine a continuous performance—scene following scene, act following act—until the final bow. But in Shakespeare’s lifetime, especially at indoor theatres like the Blackfriars, plays weren’t always presented without pause. Candlelight, used to illuminate the stage, had to be trimmed, replaced, or even relit during performances, which meant intentional gaps were built into the show itself. These intervals weren’t just practical; they were part of the theatrical experience—inviting music, moments of reflection, and a rhythm that modern audiences rarely consider. Today we’re diving into this largely overlooked aspect of early modern theatre: the interval. What did it look like? What happened during it? And how did it influence the pacing and experience of Shakespeare’s plays? To help us explore this topic, we’re delighted to welcome Mark Hutchings, whose latest research shines a spotlight on the physical and performative realities of candlelit stages, and their intervals, for the 16th and 17th centuries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In King Lear, Shakespeare has the king cry out, “Break, heart; I prithee, break!”—a line rich with sorrow, and one that may have held deeper meaning for Shakespeare’s audience than we often assume. Modern medicine identifies Takotsubo Syndrome—also known as “broken heart syndrome”—as a temporary dysfunction of the heart triggered by emotional distress. Incredibly, this concept may have had early roots in the Renaissance understanding of how emotion and the body were intertwined. In this episode, we explore the 17th-century medical beliefs that made room for literal heartbreak, and the evidence in Shakespeare’s plays that suggests he was engaging with those very ideas. From Lear and Gloucester to Enobarbus and Cleopatra, Shakespeare’s characters don’t just feel emotion—they suffer from it physically, sometimes fatally. Our guests this week, Dr. Bríd Phillips and Dr. Claire Hansen, are here to unpack their research connecting Shakespeare’s portrayals of heartbreak with modern cardiology, showing us how the science of the heart may have been hidden in plain sight on the Renaissance stage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A letter fragment recently rediscovered in an archive may contain the earliest surviving reference to Shakespeare’s name—and a clue to where he lived in 1596. This week, Matthew Steggle joins us to explore the evidence behind the Trinity Lane location and its connection to Shakespeare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“He that eats my capon, shall know me better.” — All’s Well That Ends Well (Act II, Scene 2) Roasted to perfection and served at noble feasts, the capon—a castrated rooster prized for its tenderness and rich flavor—was one of the most luxurious poultry options available in Shakespeare’s England. While today the word may be unfamiliar to many, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the capon was a delicacy, frequently mentioned in early modern literature, including a dozen times across Shakespeare’s plays. But what did it mean culturally and culinarily to serve a capon in the Elizabethan era? How were they raised, what status did they hold in society, and what does their appearance in Shakespeare’s works reveal about daily life and dining customs of the time? To help us explore the fascinating world of capons, roosters, and poultry practices in Renaissance England, our guest this week is food historian and prolific author Ken Albala. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we think of Shakespeare collaborating with another writer, the name John Fletcher quickly comes to mind. Together they penned Two Noble Kinsmen, All is True (also known as Henry VIII), and the now-lost play Cardenio. But what do we actually know about the working relationship between these two men? Did they sit down side-by-side at a table to write, or pass drafts back and forth in letters? Thanks to new research into the living arrangements of early modern Londoners, we have fresh insight into the possibility that Fletcher and Shakespeare were not just professional collaborators—but next-door neighbors. This week, we’re exploring the archival evidence that places them both on Bishopsgate Street in the late 16th century. Our guest is Domenico Lovascio, whose article “Giles, John, and Will: The Fletchers and Shakespeare in Bishopsgate Street, London, 1596” offers a compelling look at the real-life proximity of these famous playwrights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the year 1603, just as Shakespeare was writing Othello and the reign of Elizabeth I was transitioning to James I, Galileo Galilei—famous for exploring the heavens—was also measuring the invisible. Among his lesser-known inventions was a device called the thermoscope, an elegant glass instrument that could detect changes in temperature—centuries before the modern thermometer. Today, we call it the Galilean thermometer, named after Galileo because he discovered the principle that the density of a liquid changes in proportion to its temperature—a concept that set the foundations for modern meteorology. To help us explore how Galileo made his discoveries, exactly how a Galilean thermometer works, and how these scientific advancements were received in Shakespeare’s England, we’re joined by Dr. Dario Camuffo, author of extensive research on Galileo’s contributions to the measurement of temperature and the early development of thermometers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Bait the hook well; this fish will bite.” So says Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, and he’s not alone—Shakespeare drops over 70 references to fish and fishing across his plays, from slippery metaphors to full-on fishing scenes, including actual Fishermen characters in Pericles. But behind those lines lies a very real part of daily life in Elizabethan England. In a world where Protestant reform gave rise to fish days on the calendar and entire industries formed around what came out of the water, one has to wonder: Where did all this fish actually come from? Who was catching it? What tools did they use? And could Shakespeare himself have cast a line into the Thames for a bit of dinner? Today, we’re casting our net into the past to find out. Joining us is historian Mark Ferguson, here to help us explore the methods, markets, and meaning behind commercial and sport fishing in Shakespeare’s England. Let’s dive in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While Shakespeare’s plays are filled with references to ale and sack, wine played a central role in both the economy and social customs of Renaissance England. In this episode, we uncork the history of winemaking in Shakespeare’s lifetime—what kinds of grapes were grown, how wine was stored and served, and why a cold snap in the 1500s forever changed England’s vineyards. Our guest, winemaker and historian Stephen Franzoi, joins us to explore the world of Elizabethan viticulture and what Shakespeare himself might have been sipping. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Romeo and Juliet” may be Shakespeare’s most famous love story—but it wasn’t entirely his own. Long before the Bard set quill to page, a tale of star-crossed lovers was already circulating in Europe. In this episode, we’re joined by filmmaker Timothy Scott Bogart, director of the new musical film Juliet & Romeo, which reimagines the lovers’ story in its earlier, 13th-century context. Together, we explore the poems, legends, and historical figures that shaped the world Shakespeare would later dramatize, and discuss how the shifting timeline—from medieval Italy to Renaissance England—changes the story we think we know. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shakespeare wrote his play Hamlet in the early 1600s and by the late 1600s, well after the death of William Shakespeare in 1616, playing troupes are taking plays including Shakespeare’s Hamlet and other works by early modern playwrights, and turning them into performance adaptations using a new medium---specifically, they’re using puppets. Puppetry, marionettes, and glove puppets perform miniature versions of their human like counterparts as a popular form of theater entertainment for the 17th century. Our guest this week, Tiffany Stern, recently gave a lecture at the University of Birmingham, outlining how the examination of these puppet performances and how exploring the puppets themselves, like one that survives from the 17th century puppet named Amleto, suspiciously similar to the name Hamlet, can not only shed light on stereotypes that carry over from Shakespeare’s lifetime, but these puppets also influence how we understand what it means to be a storyteller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shakespeare uses the word “castle” over 40 times in his works. He talks about sieging a castle, the power of castle walls, and even mentions specific real life castles by name including Berkley Castle and “Pomfret” castle which is another name for Pontefract Castle, along with at least a dozen more. These castles were prominent features in the landscape of Shakespeare’s lifetime, playing roles both in their commanding presence on the visual horizon on the physical landscape, but also their place in society, monarchy, and the broader political landscape as well. In this week’s episode we’ll explore the castles of Shakespeare’s lifetime, looking at which castles were actively in use around England, as well as what they were used for, major events that occurred there, and which of these architectural giants survive to the present day, allowing us to visit them centuries later. Here this week to take us on a tour of the real castles mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays is our guest, Audrey Thorstad. Get bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff says “the appetite of her eye did seem to scorch me up like a burning-glass!” Burning glasses were a specific kind of lens, that allowed you to harness the sun’s rays to create fire. They were a predesessor on the road to later lens construction that allowed for the convex shape which allows someone to create prescription glasses. In Shakespeare’s lifetime, a specific kind of spectacles known as aphakic spectacles were prescriped as a matter of routine in post operative care for someone that underwent a cataract surgery .Paintings from this tim period show a variety of spectacles and eyewear that were used in this time period, and Shakespeare’s plays themselves reveal the cultural impression of glasses and how they were perceived. Here today to explain the development of lenses form Shakespeare’s lifetime, the post operative care for cataract surgery in particular, and to tell us more about special lenses like “burning glasses” and “reading stones” are our guests and ophthalmological historians, Chris Leffler and Charles Letocha. Get bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Orlando, from the play As You Like It, talks about church bells knolling, and later in that same play, the Duke talks about how we “have with holy bell been knoll'd to church.” There’s a conversation in Act II of Pericles where two fishermen discuss a parish getting swallowed by a whale, and they refer to the parish as “The whole parish, church, steeple, bells, and all.” These references demonstrate the important cultural place of bells in England for Shakespeare’s lifetime. While Moses is credited with introducing bells to Jewish religion, Italian monks are given credit for introducing bells to Europe, with Saint Bede bringing them specifically to England when he introduced their use in funerals around 700 AD. By the time of William Shakespeare, metallurgy and construction had experienced a metamorphosis, with churches in Europe adopting not only intricate design, but seeking to increase both the size and the sound of their church bells. Here this week to tell us about the history, size, shape, sound, and technical process of building a church bell in Shakespeare’s lifetime, is our guest Guthrie Stewart Get bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth I is perhaps the most famous Queen of England, reigning from November 1558 until her death in 1603. When you study her life, you quickly learn that she was known as “the Virgin Queen” for her staunch stance against marriage. Despite directives from her court and intense peer pressure from those around her, Elizabeth faced down scandal, rumors, and suspicion throughout her reign, only to remain stalwart in her commitment to not only never marry, but to never be known as someone whose virginity was taken from her. Given that the royal lineage is so important not only in England, but in all monarchal governments, and that literal wars have been fought over the rightful heir to the throne, it is definitely a challenge to the status quo that Elizabeth not only did not produce an heir, but intentionally chose not to do so. Here this week to help us explore what this stance was like for people of England, why it was so important to Elizabeth that she risked so greatly to maintain her choice, as well what happened at her death that prevented a war from rising up with the lack of an heir, is our guest, British historian, and professional history podcaster, Carol Ann LLoyd. Get bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since 1939, when Francios E. Matthas wrote it into scientific literature, the Little Ice Age has been known as a period in history between the 15th and 19th centuries, when the climate was significantly colder than what is typical. The history generally divides the Little Ice Age into sections, which alternate with periods of warming to create wild weather phenomena, including long frozen winters and cold, wet summers. According to the latest research from our guest this week, this Little Ice Age was delayed in England, specifically, not taking hold there until much later, in the first part of the 17th century. While continental Europeans encountered Little Ice Age conditions during the sixteenth century, the English population faced volatile seasonal variations with extremes of drought and severe storm weather and violent tidal surges. Our guest this week, Laurie Johnson, joins us to share some of the weather data he is compiling for his latest publication that looks at the impact of climate and weather on how we should understand the plays that were written as these climate phenomena were occurring, as well as the playing companies staging them. Get bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Get me the ink and paper.” Cleopatra demands in Antony and Cleopatra (I.5) In Henry IV Part I, Peto says “Nothing but papers, my lord.” (II.4) These are just two of over 100 references to paper in Shakespeare's plays, with characters reading papers, carrying papers, delivering them, and of course, writing on papers. Naturally, the technology of paper itself isn’t that remarkable, being centuries older than Shakespeare, but what is surprising is that in addition to over 100 references to paper, Shakespeare’s plays also contain references to parchment, with Hamlet himself asking if parchment was made from sheepskins. There’s even a reference in Cymbeline to tablets. These words suggest that paper and parchment were common for Shakespeare’s lifetime, but as far as paper like material goes, there’s also canvas that some of the most famous 16th-17th century paintings were prepared upon, along with vellum, linen, and even wax tablets. With all of these options for what to write on, I wanted to learn more about how paper was made, what it was made from, whether Hamlet was right about parchment and sheep, and to know which of these options was most popular, and why. That’s why we are delighted to welcome Cathy Baker to the show today to help us explore the history of paper, vellum, and canvas, from Shakespeare’s lifetime. Get bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Shakespeare’s play, Antony and Cleopatra, Cleopatra declares “It is my birth-day: I had thought to have held it poor: but, since my lord Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra.” Indicating that she was relieved to be marking the occasion in a better way. Julius Ceasar, similarly declares in Act V, “This is my birth-day; as this very day was Cassius born.” In Pericles, the First Fisherman says “he hath a fair daughter, and to-morrow is her birth-day;” (Act II). In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Marcellus talks about celebrating our Savior’s birth with singing. Other references to the day of one’s birth show up in Henry VI Part II the Earl of Suffolk talks about having a cunning old man calculate the day of his birth (Act IV), and later in that same act, Jack Cade talks about how his father was ignorant of both his birth and parentage. All of these mentions of birth days, their calculations, and their celebrations, has me wondering what exactly birthdays were like for Shakespeare’s England. We always celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday in style in around here, but would the bard have celebrated his own day of birth? To find out, we’ve invited one of the authors of the article “Debating the Birthday: Innovation and Resistance in Celebrating Children” Peter Stearns, to the show to day, to help us explore the history of marking a birthday with cakes, gifts, and a gathering of friends. Would this have occurred for Shakespeare’s lifetime? Let’s find out right now, on That Shakespeare Life. Get bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we have a special opportunity here on the show to explore the Historic home of Shakespeare’s eldest daughter, Susanna Shakespeare Hall, that has been brought to life in a beautiful digital 3Dformat thanks to a pioneering new digital archive that has created an augmented reality exhibition that lets visitors like you and me, visit and virtually walk through Susanna’s home known as Hall’s Croft, from anywhere in the world. The 3D component allows users to bring 17th-century early modern objects into their own spaces using the AR feature, while the digital archive allows users to explore 3 rooms from Hall’s Croft from the comfort of their own homes. This week we are delighted to welcome Ailsa Grant Ferguson, the lead on this digital project, back to That Shakespeare Life, to tell us about the research that went into this program, what they learned about Hall’s Croft, and about Susanna Shakespeare through their research, and to share the details on how you can explore this 3D model for yourself. Get bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.