by CCash | Aug 18, 2025 | Blog, Podcast Episodes
with Andrea Zuvich “I think this be the most villanous house in all London road for fleas…” – Henry IV Part I (II.1) So complains one of Shakespeare’s characters in The Merry Wives of Windsor, voicing what was surely a common frustration in the...
by CCash | May 26, 2025 | Blog, Podcast Episodes
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 predecessor on the road to later...
by CCash | May 26, 2025 | Detailed Show Notes
These are the detailed history notes that coordinate with Ep 371 of That Shakespeare Life. Here you will find museum artifacts, woodcuts, illustrations, paintings, and primary documents related to the lenses prescribed in Shakespeare’s lifetime, and the people...
by CCash | Apr 28, 2025 | Blog, Podcast Episodes
“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...
by CCash | Apr 28, 2025 | Uncategorized
Text on this page is a rough transcript from our interview (unless otherwise noted). Details under the images are related to the picture or artifact and are not reflective of any comments by the guest. Paper Was Made From Linen In a word—rags. If the paper was meant...
