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Ripe Good ScholarThe Shakespeare ApocryphaHello and welcome to episode 43 of Ripe Good Scholar. Ever since Shakespeare started gaining popularity, people have been attributing plays to him that he may not have had anything to do with. Some of these have been easier to disprove than others. There are a few lingering plays that we cannot say whether Shakespeare had a hand in and so we have The Shakespeare Apocrypha. Things get much more complicated as we dive deeper into what it meant to be a playwright in Shakespeare’s time. There was a lot of collaboration, stealing, and editing. This can make it ne...
2022-02-1433 minRipe Good ScholarGeorge Peele and Titus AndronicusHello and welcome to Ripe Good Scholar. Today we are beginning to get a clearer picture of the Elizabethan theatre scene. It was a place of collaboration and mentoring. Novice writers would hone their craft with the help of more seasoned ones. Writers would also imitate each other and edit each other’s work for their own use. This realization has caused scholars in recent years to look more closely at Shakespeare’s work and see where he may have collaborated. One unsurprising candidate was Titus Andronicus, easily Shakespeare’s most gruesome play, and one of his earliest. The top ca...
2022-01-1528 minRipe Good ScholarThe Sources for Twelfth NightThis is episode 41 of Ripe Good Scholar: The Sources for Twelfth NightHello and welcome to Ripe Good Scholar. Since we just celebrated the epiphany, or twelfth night, we thought it would be worthwhile to visit the famous Shakespeare text of the same name. Like most of Shakespeare’s work, the story was borrowed from another source. In this case, it was an English prose version of an Italian play. The prose adaptation, Apollonius and Silla, was written by an English soldier, Barnabe Rich. Today Eli and I are going to look at Rich’s text to see...
2022-01-0832 minRipe Good ScholarEleanor Cobham Witch TrialIn this episode we will be discussing the case of Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester. We Shakespeareans will know Eleanor as the woman that Margaret of Anjou slapped in Henry VI Part 2. In the play and in real life, Eleanor was accused and found guilty of using witchcraft which led to severe consequences, but fortunately not death. It was, of course, much more complicated than what we see in Shakespeare. By looking into the life and downfall of Eleanor Cobham, we see a smart woman who was caught in the crossfire of a power struggle between her husband and...
2021-11-0627 minRipe Good ScholarWitches - Halloween SpecialHello and welcome to Ripe Good Scholar, spooky edition. Since it’s Halloween, let’s explore a topic that would have been all too familiar to the Shakespearean audience: witches. King James in particular was very anti-witch and led some of the most brutal witch hunts in history. Today Dr. Lisa Grogan and I are going to explore the history of witchcraft and witch hunts, specifically focusing on the time of King James. Lisa is familiar with the history of witchcraft because she identifies as a witch and follows the wiccan religion. Join us as we explore what it was...
2021-10-3124 minRipe Good ScholarVenus, Adonis, and OvidThis is episode 38 of Ripe Good Scholar: Venus, Adonis, and OvidHello and welcome to Ripe Good Scholar. During his school days Shakespeare was studying the Latin classics, including one that would be a favorite in his life as a playwright, Ovid. Shakespeare adapted a story from Ovid into his best-selling poem, Venus and Adonis. While we are very familiar with Shakespeare adapting other works, readers may be surprised to notice such a stark difference between the two tellings. That is why today Eli and I will be examining the story in both Ovid and Shakespeare to...
2021-09-2827 minRipe Good ScholarA Groatsworth of WitHello and welcome to Ripe Good Scholar. One of the first written references to Shakespeare in the London Theater scene is a pamphlet written by Robert Greene on his deathbed, A Groatsworth of Wit. In it, he warns his fellow playwrights to beware of this “upstart crow” who was coming in to steal their glory. These Shakespeare references are why the pamphlet is so well known today, but there is so much more to it than that. There is a story, a peek into the inner world of Elizabethan theater and some insults so damning that the editor had to i...
2021-09-2129 minRipe Good ScholarShakespeare in Colonial AmericaHello and welcome to Ripe Good Scholar. William Shakespeare is not just a staple of British culture. His works are an important staple of American culture as well. This evolution was not a simple one or one that was straight forward. There were obstacles to overcome and despite the questionable odds, Shakespeare became ingrained in American culture. Today we are going to look at the early days of the american colonies and when Shakespeare made the journey across the Atlantic. It’s an interesting look into the history of America and the role Shakespeare played in the early days of...
2021-09-0624 minRipe Good ScholarLeontes’ ParanoiaIn this episode…Dr. Lisa Grogan and I will take a look at Leontes’ from The Winter’s Tale. Early in the play, he becomes obsessed with the idea that his wife is having an affair with his friend, the King of Bohemia. His paranoia escalates quickly and, once he suffers any consequences, subsides just as quickly. This, to me, seemed unrealistic, so I spoke with Dr. Grogan about it. Her insights were interesting because the pattern was realistic, just sped up, which is pretty on par with Shakespeare.In addition to examining Leontes in partic...
2021-08-2324 minRipe Good ScholarCity ComediesWelcome to episode 34 of Ripe Good Scholar: City Comedies.In this episode, Eli and I will be discussing one of the most popular play genres of Shakespeare’s time, the city comedy. While the precise definition is difficult, the basic definition is a play which focuses on the day to day happenings of the middle class. Common topics were sex and money. The comedy also tended to be on the raunchier or bawdier side. It’s like if you took all of the most hilarious scenes in Shakespeare’s plays and put them into one play. Because the pl...
2021-08-2023 minRipe Good ScholarFolklore CymbelineWelcome to episode #33 of Ripe Good Scholar the podcast where we explore the journey Shakespeare’s texts have travelled through the centuries. In this episode,Eli and I will be comparing Shakespeare’s Cymbeline to the folktale Snow White. Despite the fact that Snow White was not published until decades after Shakespeare’s death, the folktale would have been passed down through the oral tradition for many years before publication. It is these oral tales that influenced Shakespeare as he wrote his play. In fact, it looks like Shakespeare drew inspiration from a few dif...
2021-08-1021 minRipe Good ScholarThe Analyzing of a ShrewWelcome to episode 32 of Ripe Good Scholar: The Analyzing of a Shrew. In this episode…Dr. Lisa Grogan and I will take a trip through the mind of Katherine from The Taming of a Shrew. From the start of the play, Katherine is portrayed as an unpleasant and outspoken woman. These traits make her an outcast in her society. The people in her life make it clear to her that her behavior is not desirable or even very likable. It doesn’t prompt her to change though, even though it makes finding a husba...
2021-08-0223 minRipe Good ScholarRestoration RewritesFollowing the Restoration of the monarchy and therefore playhouses, Shakespeare's plays had to change with the changing expectations of theatre.Show notes: ripegoodscholar.com/ep32 Teller of Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Minstrel Guild by KevinMacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4056-minstrel-guildLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
2021-07-2627 minRipe Good ScholarDarkness Representing EvilWelcome to episode 30 of Ripe Good Scholar: Darkness Representing Evil In this episode…We are looking at the evolution of race from the Middle Ages to Shakespeare’s time. The discussion is more complicated than we might think. This period of time was when the concept of race as we know it today was being forged. Renaissance Europe was experiencing a huge step forward in globalization. This period was the beginning of colonization and the slave trade. There was also a LOT of trade happening. This meant that what was an exotic other was s...
2021-07-1927 minRipe Good ScholarThe Norse Origins of HamletWelcome to episode 29 of Ripe Good Scholar: The Norse Origins of Hamlet. In this episode…We will be taking a deep dive into the texts that inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It all started in the early days of Danish history and went through a few iterations before finally reaching Shakespeare. Without these texts that came before, we may not have the amazing play that we have today. It’s important to acknowledge and pay homage to these texts as we appreciate the surviving masterpiece, which is exactly what we will be doing today.Fo...
2021-07-1230 minRipe Good ScholarKing Lear’s Need to Be LovedThere’s a lot going on in King Lear. There are big emotions and tons of drama. It’s what makes the play so compelling. However, it’s more than just drama that draws us in. It’s that human element that we immediately identify with in some capacity. Today, I’m going to talk with Dr. Lisa Grogan about Lear and why he is the way that he is. Full show notes at ripegoodscholar.com/ep28 Teller of Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-t...
2021-07-0531 minRipe Good ScholarThe Creation of Shakespeare’s First FolioIn this episode we will be looking at how Shakespeare’s First Folio came to be and the lasting effect it had on our image of Shakespeare. There were a handful of people involved in the creation of the First Folio and each has an interesting story to tell. Beyond that, the process of getting such a large book published would have been a feat in and of itself. These efforts were not in vain though because the impact of the First Folio can be felt even today.For this episode, I had the opportunity to speak wi...
2021-06-2833 minRipe Good ScholarQueen Elizabeth and the Fairy CourtIn 1575 Elizabeth travelled to the home of Robert Dudley and, while there, was greeted by the Lady of the Lake herself. From that point forward, it became a trope to compare Elizabeth to the Fairy Queen. Even Shakespeare himself dipped his toes in the fairy waters with a Midsummer Night’s Dream, but his flattery was a little different than you may be expecting. Find the full show notes at ripegoodscholar.com/ep26 Teller of Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http...
2021-06-2126 minRipe Good ScholarJewish People in Elizabethan EnglandWelcome to episode 25 of Ripe Good Scholar: Jewish people in Elizabethan EnglandIn this episode…We will explore the history of the Jewish people in England and across Europe. In addition, we will look at the stereotypes believed by Elizabethans and how it may have influenced Shakespeare as he wrote The Merchant of Venice. Today, Shylock is often depicted as a sympathetic character. However, this was not necessarily the case in Elizabethan England. Find the full show notes at ripegoodscholar/ep25 Teller of Tales by Kevin MacLeod
2021-06-1433 minRipe Good ScholarRomeo & Juliet Source MaterialToday we look at the materials Shakespeare used to write Romeo and Juliet. This includes the novella by Matteo Bandello. The poem by Arthur Brook and the short story by William Painter. Let's dive in to see how the story got to Shakespeare and how he changed it.Show notes can be found at: ripegoodscholar.com/ep25 Teller of Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Minstrel Guild by KevinMacLeodLink: https://incompetech.fi...
2021-06-0732 minRipe Good ScholarShakespeare as a Writer“Brokering and improving source texts explains how his crowd-pulling plays rapidly had an audience, and how he rapidly came to be known as a man of the theatre. The pillaging of sources also accounts for the early dates of several plays, and the fact that plays with confusingly similar names, plots and characters existed before Shakespeare could have written them. Substantially freed from the need to conceive of scenarios, characters and plots, Shakespeare could focus on the writing, and the drama.” - Stuart Kells, Shakespeare’s Library When we think of Shakespeare, too often the image c...
2020-11-0632 minRipe Good ScholarAntony and Cleopatra Source Material“Now Antonius was made so subject to a woman’s will, that though he was a great deal stronger by land, yet for Clepatra’s sake he would needs have this battle tried by sea.” - Plutarch in Parallel LivesWe cannot underestimate the role Shakespeare played in establishing Antony and Cleopatra as one of the world’s most infamous tragic couples. Their story is a unique and powerful one. They were two of the ancient world’s most powerful people and when they came together, they should have been a force to be reckoned with. However, their love d...
2020-09-1147 minRipe Good ScholarDiagnosing Lady MacBethI thought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more! Macbeth is murdering sleep.” Innocent sleep. Sleep that soothes away all our worries. Sleep that puts each day to rest. Sleep that relieves the weary laborer and heals hurt minds. Sleep, the main course in life’s feast, and the most nourishing.MacBeth Act 2 Scene 2There can be no doubt that Macbeth is a tragedy. It is filled with ominous prophecy and - above all else - death. The key plot point is the murder of King Duncan committed by the MacBeths to secure their power. From that m...
2020-08-2640 minRipe Good ScholarHamnet ShakespeareTrigger Warning: Child Loss “If William Shakespeare wrote about his son’s death at all, he concealed it in the lines of his late sonnets and plays that reveal a depth of understanding about grief.” - Vanessa Thorpe, Alas, Poor Hamnet, The GuardianBecause there is so little known about Shakespeare’s private life, we are left to speculate. We no nothing of his private life and his relationship with his family. All we know is what is contained within the surviving records. We know he had three children: two daughters and one son. We a...
2020-07-1438 minRipe Good ScholarDoes It All End Well?“Shakespeare’s unpleasant young men are numerous. Bertram, as a vacuity, is authentically noxious.” - Harold Bloom in Shakespeare: The Invention of the HumanAs I reached the end of All’s Well That Ends Well, I found myself asking: but does it all end well? Helena, by all accounts a wonderful woman, ends up married to the man of her dreams, who - as it turns out - is an all around terrible person. She fought long and hard with many ingenious plots to win Bertram. We’re left wondering why though. She is beautiful, intelligent, and kind...
2020-07-0738 minRipe Good ScholarShakespeare and Plague“I could draw forth a catalogue of many poore wretches, that in fields, in ditches, in common Cages, and under stalls (being either thrust by cruell maisters out of doores, or wanting all worldly succor but the common benefit of earth and aire) have most miserably perished.” -Thomas Dekker “The Wonderful Year” The bubonic plague was a regular part of Shakespeare’s life. He lived through several large outbreaks, and even when there wasn’t an outbreak, the threat always loomed. With each wave significant portions of the population died. Death was everywhere and the ringin...
2020-05-2926 minRipe Good ScholarThe Truth About Prince Hal“From his father’s usurpation of Richard II’s throne in 1399, when Henry was but twelve, he was active in the government of England. [...] Henry V came to the throne extensively experienced in politics, administration, and warfare: few kings have been so well trained for their job.” - Peter Saccio in Shakespeare’s English KingsHenry IV Parts 1 and 2 are some of the least historically accurate of all of Shakespeare’s history, and that is saying something. This is largely due to the fact that he focused so much of the play on Prince Hal, the future Henry V. Shak...
2020-05-0534 minRipe Good ScholarHamlet and GriefHello, and welcome to another episode of Breaking Bard, I’m your host Sara. You may have noticed a distinct lack of a cold open. That is because this episode is very long and my fluff was deemed unnecessary...by me. On today’s episode I am joined by Dr. Lisa Grogan, a clinical psychologist and close friend. I am also joined by Sara Clark with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. She was casted to play Hamlet in a production that was cancelled as of our recording. However, since recording, they have announced that Hamlet will kick off their 2020-2021 seas...
2020-04-211h 15Ripe Good ScholarTroilus & Cressida Sources“For now will I go straight to my matter,In which you may the double sorrows hearOf Troilus in loving of Criseyde,And how that she forsook him ere she died.”Troilus and Creseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer Troilus and Cressida is one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, and I kind of understand why. The ending is not the most satisfying. However, Shakespeare did not come up with this story. Chaucer did. Or at least, Chaucer wrote it down. Of course, Shakespeare adapted the story for the stage, but the...
2020-04-1541 minRipe Good ScholarThe Essex Rebellion and Shakespeare“The swooning lover crashed into Elizabeth’s chamber in his filthy travelling clothes ‘so full of dirt and mire that his very face was full of it’ to confront his fair mistress, barely out of bed, her wrinkles brutally exposed in the morning light and her wig off." - Lisa Hilton, The Renaissance PrinceThe swooning lover here is Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex and that wrinkled old woman is Queen Elizabeth I. Unsurprisingly, this incident marked the start of Essex’s downfall. Prior to this time, he was the Queen’s favorite. He benefited greatly from her favor and...
2020-04-0340 minRipe Good ScholarRomeo & Juliet: Love or Lust“Two households both alike in dignity,In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.From forth the fatal loins of these two foesA pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;Whose misadventured piteous overthrowsDo with their death bury their parents’ strife.”-Prologue, Romeo and JulietNearly everyone is familiar with the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet, two teens in love separated by their warring famili...
2020-03-2737 minRipe Good ScholarShakespeare’s Lost Years“It has become a commonplace of Shakespearian biography that, from roughly his age of twenty to his age of twenty-eight, we encounter the ‘lost years.’ But no years are ever wholly lost. There may be a gap in chronology, but the pattern of a life may be discerned obliquely and indirectly.” - Peter Ackroyd in Shakespeare the BiographyFrom the birth of his twins to his arrival on the London theatre scene, we have no record of what Shakespeare was doing. This isn’t from a lack of trying, but if you weren’t getting baptised, married or buried, i...
2020-02-2640 minRipe Good ScholarRichard III“And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover,To entertain these fair well-spoken days,I am determined to prove a villainAnd hate the idle pleasures of these days.Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams,To set my brother Clarence and the kingIn deadly hate the one against the other”Richard III Act I, Scene 1When I say, Richard III, images of a hunchback villain likely come to mind. One that is cruel and tyrannical to his...
2020-02-1156 minRipe Good ScholarMacBeth Sources“But screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not fail” - Lady MacBeth Act I, Scene 7 of the Scottish PlayMany have heard of MacBeth, the tyrannical title character of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Many more are unaware that MacBeth was a real Scottish King. Shakespeare however was completely aware because he relied heavily of Raphael Holinshed’s history of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Now, whether Holinshed was accurate to history is a whole different story, but Shakespeare borrowed heavily from the works of Holinshed while writing the Scottish Play.But...
2020-01-1440 minRipe Good ScholarDiagnosing PortiaA little disclaimer about this episode. Dr. Lisa Grogan and I are talking about Portia from Julius Caesar. There is a significant discussion about self-harm and suicide, so if those are subjects that bother you, you may want to skip this episode. “I have made strong proof of my constancy, giving myself a voluntary wound here, in the thigh; can I bear that with patience and not my husband’s secrets?” Portia in Julius Caesar Act 2, Scene 1Brutus’ wife, Portia, has a tiny part in Julius Caesar, but there is a lot to unpack th...
2020-01-0244 minRipe Good ScholarFairies“We fairies that do run.../ Following the darkness like a dream/ Now are frolic; not a mouse/ Shall disturb this hallowed house./ I am sent with broom before/ To sweep the dust behind the door” Midsummer Night’s Dream Act 5 Scene 1Today when we hear the word fairy, a small winged creature probably comes to mind. A little glowing girl fluttering amongst the flowers. This, however, would not be the image that came to mind for most Elizabethan playgoers. They would have been picturing a wide variety of creatures that were all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some were b...
2019-12-1700 minRipe Good ScholarTitus Andronicus’ Fatal Flaw“A nobler man, a braver warrior, lives not this day within the city wall” - Titus Andronicus Act I, Scene 1Not too many people are familiar with Titus Andronicus, one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays. It is also easily Shakespeare’s goriest play. Most of the main characters die, some after horrible mutilation. A couple even get baked into a pie and fed to their mom. It’s quite a doozy. The copious amount of violence can make it easy to dismiss this particular play. However, that is doing a disservice to Shakespeare and the possible audience. You se...
2019-12-0436 minRipe Good ScholarElizabethan Grammar School“We may see the young Shakespeare, therefore, spending thirty or forty hours each week in memorising, construing, parsing and repeating prose and verse in Latin. We may hear him talking the language, to his schoolmaster and to his fellow pupils.” Peter Ackroyd in Shakespeare: A BiographyA common argument of anti-Stratfordians is that Shakespeare was uneducated. He only completed grammar school and never even attended a single day of university. So, it seems impossible that a man with a “grade school” education could grow up to be such a prolific writer. That idea, though, completely disregards the realitie...
2019-11-1940 minRipe Good ScholarDiagnosing Henry VIOne of Shakespeare’s earliest and arguably worst plays is probably Henry VI, all three parts. It’s essentially about the start of the wars of the roses. As such, I would not qualify Henry as the star of his own play. This is actually an excellent reflection of his life. He was king from infancy and lacked the strong will necessary to be a medieval ruler, so he was dominated by other nobles and even his own wife. By some accounts he was feeble minded, by others extremely pious. One thing the historians can agree...
2019-11-0536 minRipe Good ScholarWhat’s Wrong with Two Gentlemen of Verona"Sweet Proteus, no; now let us take our leave to Milan let me hear from thee by letters of thy success in love, and what news else betideth here in absence of thy friend and I likewise will visit thee with mine" - The Two Gentlemen of Verona Act 1, Scene 1For being an Englishman, Shakespeare set a surprisingly few number of plays in England. Many people assert that Shakespeare either travelled Europe during the lost years or was not the man from Stratford at all. These people seem to forget that Shakespeare had an extremely poor grasp...
2019-10-2227 minRipe Good ScholarA Comedy of ErrorsIn this episode we look into the plot points of William Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors and why it makes for an excellent farce. Music: Teller of Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Minstrel Guild by KevinMacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4056-minstrel-guildLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Minstrel Guild by KevinMacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4056-minstrel-guildLic...
2019-10-0830 minRipe Good ScholarThe Life and Death of Richard IISometime around 1595 William Shakespeare penned a new play, The Life and Death of King Richard II. If you couldn’t already guess, it was a history play. History plays were all the rage at the time. However, it was a daring endeavor because it depicted the deposition of a legitimate monarch. One shouldn’t be too surprised that the current monarch at the time, Elizabeth I, who faced multiple coup and assasination attempts, may have not been the biggest fan of a deposition play. But, the play went on with the deposition scene usually removed. I say...
2019-09-1018 minRipe Good ScholarThe Problem with BardolatryIn this introductory episode, we explore the thesis of the podcast: the need to break down bardolatry. Teller of Tales by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4467-teller-of-the-talesLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Minstrel Guild by KevinMacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4056-minstrel-guildLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
2019-08-2619 min