055 Women be committing financial fraud: Henrik Ibsen's Doll's House (1879)
A 19th Century Norwegian naturalistic social drama... It’s much more exciting than it sounds.
27 Aug 2026
054 The Problem(atic) Play: Measure for Measure (1604)
What price would you pay for your brother's life? Your life? Your body?
The Duke's left town, leaving the puritanical Angelo in charge. Suddenly, pre-marital intercourse will get you the death penalty. After a night with his girl, Claudio gets locked up, and he begs his sister Isabella to beg Angelo for mercy. Angelo says he will let Claudio go... if she gives Angelo her body! What will she do?
How does Shakespeare tackle this moral dilemna? Join Michael and Sophie to find out!
Make sure to subscribe and share this podcast! Comments and questions can be sent to shakespeare.pals@gmail.com
Sources:
The Oxford Shakespeare: Measure for Measure (Oxford University Press)
Shakespeare: The Critical Heritage, edited by Brian Vickers (Routledge)
30 Jul 2026
053 Renaissance Reddit Tales: The Decameron and The Heptameron
Shakespeare needed to steal his stories from somewhere.
We just did All's Well That Ends Well, but did you know Shakespeare nicked the plot from Boccaccio's Decameron? The Decameron is foundational work of Italian and Renaissance literature. A set of short stories by turns savage, funny, and bawdy.
But it's not just men writing short stories in the Renaissance. Marguerite, Queen of Navarre, gave it a go with the Heptameron. And would you believe her tales are punchier, bloodier, and darker than Boccaccio's?
Join us to discuss the Decameron (Day 3, Tale 9) and two tales from the Heptameron.
Sources:
Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron, Penguin.
Marguerite, Queen of Navarre, The Heptameron,
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