by CCash | Apr 27, 2026 | Blog, Podcast Episodes
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,...
by CCash | Apr 20, 2026 | Blog, Podcast Episodes
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...
by CCash | Apr 13, 2026 | Blog, Podcast Episodes
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...
by CCash | Apr 6, 2026 | Alls Well That Ends Well, Blog, Podcast Episodes
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,...
by CCash | Mar 30, 2026 | Blog, Podcast Episodes
Easter was one of the most important seasons on the early modern calendar—not just for its religious significance, but for the community, customs, and traditions that surrounded it. In this week’s episode, we’re joined by historian Peter Marshall to explore what...
by CCash | Mar 23, 2026 | Blog, Podcast Episodes
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...
