That Shakespeare Life

Dec 09 2024 196 ep. 32 mins 965

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Hosted by Cassidy Cash, That Shakespeare Life takes you behind the curtain and into the real life of William Shakespeare. Get bonus episodes on Patreon
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Mead, Metheglin, Hydromel, and Other Fermented Drinks

Dec 09 2024 54 mins

Mead has been made since ancient times and is the poster drink for historical gatherings, often being carried around in a large mug. You may know that this beverage is alcoholic, but you may be surprised to learn how it is different from other alcoholic drinks, particularly in the 16th century. If you look up mead today, it’s known as a honey wine and can be mixed with a variety

Migraines, Symptoms, and Treatments for 16-17thC

Dec 02 2024 31 mins

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the nurse complains of a headache saying “Lord, how my head aches! what a head have I! It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces.” In 1582, Bartholomew the Englishman’s 13th century text was reprinted in London, describing a condition called “emigraina” that Bartholomew defined as “similar to hammers beating in the head.” Whe

Samoset, his Life, and His Legacy

Nov 25 2024 47 mins

Samoset is a name spoken with respect around American dinner tables every November as we celebrate Thanksgiving, when Samoset is remembered with gratitude, for being willing to bridge the language gap for the English colonists who had just arrived at Plymouth. While Samoset’s visit to the colonists happened 5 years after Shakespeare’s death, the rest of Samoset’s life is actu

Doors, How They Were Built, and Designed

Nov 18 2024 41 mins

Shakespeare has all kinds of references to doors in his works, at least 195 instances of the actual word “door” in fact, and for many of us, we probably gloss over the word ‘Door” thinking we understand what he’s talking about. However, architectural history tells us that doors were actually quite different for Shakespeare’s lifetime than what we have today from how the

Gamut, a Musical Scale for the 16th Century

Nov 11 2024 29 mins

All 4 of Shakespeare’s references to the word “gamut” show up in his play Taming of the Shrew where the characters talk about learning, and teaching, the “gamut.” If you’ve ever heard the expression “run the gamut” or “cover the gamut” these expressions are based on an 11th century understanding of the word “gamut” developed by the musician and monk named Gu

The Gunpowder Plot

Nov 04 2024 43 mins

Tomorrow night, November 5, is when many in England will celebrate an occasion known as Bonfire Night. They celebrate this day to mark the moment King James I was saved from the Gunpowder Plot (along with many in his government) when Guy Fawkes was thwarted in his attempt to blow up England’s Parliament using gunpowder hidden beneath the building during an official government mee

Witch Trials During Shakespeare’s Lifetime

Oct 28 2024 33 mins

Shakespeare made the three witch sisters famous in his play, Macbeth, by showcasing their manupulative power, encantations, and their famous pot of double double toil and trouble. While this version of witches makes for a fun spoof at Halloween parties today, when Shakespeare was originally bringing these sisters to life on stage, witches were not only considered real beings, but w

Revenge Plays, Madness, Murder, and Ghosts

Oct 21 2024 27 mins

Revenge Tragedy is a genre of plays, applied posthumously to Shakespeare's works. Just like modern day film and tv has genres like romance, western, or comedy, plays of Shakespeare’s lifetime had these categories, too, and today we're going to explore a particular subcategory of tragedy known as Revenge Tragedies. While the genre itself didn't exist in Shakespeare's lifetime, the

Night Walking, Link Boys, and Artificial Light

Oct 14 2024 29 mins

In 1552, a lexicographer gave us the word “noctivagation” which means walking around at night. The word itself was a legal term for Shakespeare’s lifetime, used to describe someone that wandered around at night without any particular purpose. Vagrancy, on the whole, was frowned upon for Shakespeare’s lifetime, but vagrancy at night was viewed with extreme suspicion. In fact

Collaboration and Influence on Shakespeare's Plays

Oct 07 2024 56 mins

When Shakespeare was writing plays in the 16th to early 17th century, he was participating in an industry that was both established, as well as rapidly evolving. Shakespeare himself ushered in innovation for the theater industry, while the bard, along with his contemporaries, equally embraced long held traditions that included shamelessly copying one another’s work. Acknowledging