The Bicks Pod

Episode 53 - Jealousy in Shakespeare

Shakespeare's ability to write convincing human emotions is one of the reasons why he remains such a popular playwright to this day. His works explore what it truly means to be human -- warts and all. And the warts are what we're talking about in today's episode, in which we take a look at the roots of jealousy in Shakespeare's plays. 
From the murderous rage of Othello to the living room comedy of The Merry Wives of Windsor, jealousy gets its hooks into Shakespeare's characters in ways that are both surprising and surprisingly mundane. Whether it's the ridiculous farce of Sir John Falstaff's attempts at cuckolding Masters Ford and Page, the somewhat Oedipal longing underpinning Hamlet's madness, or the shocking descent faced by Othello or The Winter's Tale's Leontes, Shakespeare has a way of making jealousy appear out of nowhere and yet feel like a natural part of the worlds he creates; one might even go so far as to say that the 'green-eyed monster' is its own unique character whenever it arrives. So join us as we look at the function of jealousy in Shakespeare's plays.
Ancient Bickerings:
Who is Shakespeare's most jealous character?
Notes:
Cuckoldry in Shakespeare (Prezi)
Love, Revenge, Jealousy and Legacy: The Psychology of Shakespeare
https://geoffrey-gibson.com/2019/12/05/here-and-there-envy-and-jealousy-in-shakespeare/
Theorising Early Modern Jealousy A Biocultural Perspective on Shakespeare’s Othello
https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/green-eyed-monster/

Episode 52 - Othello

Jealousy, sex, revenge, racism and outcasts - Othello is a play brimming with emotional themes and characters swayed by those same emotions. We discuss all these themes, try to place them within a bit of context, then discuss how they interact as we look into one of Shakespeare's most beloved and troubling tragedies.
Notes:
As is often the case, Folger's essay, "Othello: A Modern Perspective" gives a good overview of some of the themes in the play in a modern setting, though it doesn't tackle race as directly as the play forces you to.
The 2001 production "O" (here on IMDB) was a surprisingly ok attempt at updating the story for a modern context - consider checking it out if you haven't.
Ancient Bickerings:
The question this episode was a simple one: who is the most jealous character in Othello?

Episode 51 - Comedy of Shakespeare

While it's certainly possible to do Shakespeare without any hint of comedy (and lord knows we've seen a few productions, especially on film, that lean that way), it's also possible to have Shakespeare plays that get the audience rolling in the aisles. This episode we talk all about Shakespeare's comedy - not the comedies, but the sense of humour and jokes that have kept people laughing for 400 years. Is Shakespeare's text itself still funny? Or does it rely entirely on the actors to make it work? What parts of comedy are universal among different productions, and which ones need you to keep a 17th century dictionary at hand to get? Find out with this episode all about Shakespeare's funny business.
Notes:
"Shakespeare's Use of Comedy in Tragedy" by Arthur Huntington Newton (from 1906) gives a solid background on the titular topic.
The article about Shakespeare's Holy Trinity bust is quite telling of how Shakespeare may have seen himself.
Ancient Bickerings:
We asked three related questions of one another this time, and we'd love to hear your answers as well. What are Shakespeare's funniest...
Character?
Scene?
Line?

Episode 50 - Measure for Measure

While many of Shakespeare's plays are talked about as being timeless, most of them are in fact very grounded in the specificities of Elizabethan and Jacobean England and the larger European renaissance. Measure for Measure is no different, but because of the topics on display, as well as how little our society has actually changed around those topics, the themes of female sexuality, religion and politics, and moral laxity still feel just as fresh as they did in Shakespeare's time. Join us for a chat about this surprisingly fun and partially subversive play on this episode!
Ancient Bickerings:
Do any of the characters in Measure for Measure get what they deserve?
Notes:
"Measure for Measure: A Modern Perspective" has some salient points regarding the play's modern topics.
Handfasting - read all about it!
Aidan called a Romulan Warbird a "Romulan Bird of Prey" and will happily submit his nerd card to the nearest enforcement officer.

Episode 49 - Shakespeare's Lesser Known Plays

In 1996 Joni Mitchell released two compilation albums - Hits and the appropriately contrapuntal Misses - to show how even the most well-regarded of artists occasionally creates something that never really finds the audiences they might deserve. When it comes to Shakespeare, the Bard had a number of stinkers in his repertoire, including ones we've already covered like Henry VI (parts 1 & 3 especially), but also a number of later works that have never captured audiences the way Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet or Midsummer Night's Dream have.
This episode we're taking a look at some of those lesser known plays and asking the simple question: why? What sets these plays apart from the canonical "great works" and what lessons can we as more modern audiences take from their successes, failures, and experiments? So join us for a talk about Shakespeare's swings that didn't quite land with a resounding thud.
Ancient Bickerings:
This episode we discussed the question: which of the lesser known plays do you think is primed for a comeback in popularity?
Notes:
The Smithsonian Magazine article Lindsay mentioned has a great dive into the shifting understanding of King Lear.
There was no The Winter's Tale film adaptation, Lindsay was probably thinking of the Much Ado About Nothing version done by Joss Whedon in 2012.
Our list of lesser known plays, pulled purely from the ether without hard data or really anything to back them up:
Merry Wives of Windsor
As You Like It
All's Well That Ends Well
Winter's Tale
Pericles
Two Noble Kinsmen
King John
Henry VI
Henry VIII
Edward III
Troilus and Cressida
Coriolanus
Timon of Athens
Cymbeline

Episode 48 - Troilus and Cressida

Troilus and Cressida is one of Shakespeare's least popular, least performed plays, and there are a multitude of reasons why that might be. None of the characters are particularly likeable. The various plots are mercenary, cruel, and violent. And it's certainly not the easiest play to classify, and it has baffled scholars since Shakespearean scholars first emerged: it is absolutely one of Shakespeare's "problem plays", defying all attempts at categorization.
But does it deserve to be cast aside and ignored as it has been for these reasons?
Today we discuss the various issues in this play and try to discover if there is redemption for one of Shakespeare's most confusing plays. Is it a postmodern masterpiece? Does it have anything to tell us about capitalism? Is our inability to pigeonhole this play one of its strengths?
Ancient Bickerings
Can this play be salvaged? Or does it even need to be salvaged?
Notes:
- Some scholars list The Merchant of Venice as a problem play, so technically Lindsay misspoke when she called this the first problem play we have discussed.- Troilus and Cressida in quarto form (British Library)- Geoffrey Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde" (Project Gutenberg)- "Troilus and Cressida: A Modern Perspective" by Jonathan Gil Harris- BBC Troilus and Cressida (1981) listing at IMDb- Aidan absolutely wrote a screenplay version of Troilus and Cressida around the time the "sword and sandals" genre was taking over theatre screens. He may still have a copy kicking around in an outdated version of Microsoft Word. He may be willing to share it with you if you email him. thebickspod[at]gmail[dot]com.

Episode 47 - The Fictional Shakespeare

Shakespeare may have penned some of the most memorable characters, from Shylock to Hamlet to King Lear, but he's also shown up as a character himself over the years. This episode we are looking at a different kind of Shakespeare, the man created for the screen (both big and small), and the various tropes and modes of interpretation that show up over and over again. We look to have fun with a character that many others also have fun with - the legend turned tangible: the fictional Shakespeare.
List of Works Discussed:
Black Adder "Back and Forth" Special
Doctor Who "The Shakespeare Code"
Good Omens "Hard Times"
Upstart Crow
Anonymous
All is True
Shakespeare in Love
Notes:
Kyle Kallgren, aka the Brows Held High YouTube channel, has a great analysis of Roland Emmerich's 2011 Anonymous which we reference several times in the episode.
The Brows Held High video on Shakespeare in Love is also great.
Liza Tarbuck is the actress who plays Anne Hathaway so well in Upstart Crow.
Larry David's WGA award acceptance speech is frankly great.
Aidan was way off - the Globe Theatre was not used in the filming of Shakespeare in Love, but instead a studio set was built to show the Rose Theatre (which would have been the one Romeo & Juliet was performed in, duh).
Ancient Bickerings:
This episode we went for one non-bickering and one bickering in our back and forth discussion. Our two questions were:
If you were to write Shakespeare as a fictional character, what would it look like?
Which of the fictionalized Shakespeare's discussed would you most like to have a beer with?
 

Episode 46 - Twelfth Night

One of Shakespeare's better loved comedies, Twelfth Night brings the gender-bending of Merchant of Venice and Two Gentlemen of Verona together with the love-as-illness of Romeo & Juliet, then stirs everything together with a sense of carnival-esque revelry. Join us for a discussion about love, class, gender, and justice as we look over the characters and conundrums of this thoroughly enjoyable play.
Ancient Bickerings:
This episode we're looking at a simple question: does Malvolio deserve the punishment he receives?
Notes:
We slagged on the Trevor Nunn 1996 filmed adaptation (Aidan called it a stage production once or twice) of Twelfth Night a bit, but it is definitely worth a watch if you have the chance. Helena Bonham Carter is particularly enjoyable as Olivia.
The 2017 Globe production is also available for rental or purchase from the Globe website, and features a bit more comedic tone.