That Shakespeare Life Podcast
1) Courts, Rackets, Balls, and Rules: The Game of Tennis in the 16th Century
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 refe...Show More
2) Easter in Shakespeare's England: Faith, Feasting, and a New Doublet
Shakespeare's only reference to Easter comes up in Romeo and Juliet Act III when Mercutio talks about buying a new doublet for Easter. Despite only a single reference to this holiday, for the people o...Show More
3) Monkeys and Apes in Shakespeare's England
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 wor...Show More
4) Children's Toys and Games in Tudor England:
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5) How HIstorians Know Shakespeare is Shakespeare
Joined this week by historian Susan D. Amussen, we take a close look at the historical evidence that confirms William Shakespeare as a real working playwright and actor in early modern England. Drawin...Show More
6) Ides of March in Renaissance England
In this episode, we explore what the "Ides" actually meant in ancient Rome and how March 15th transformed from an ordinary—sometimes even festive—date on the Roman calendar into one of history's most ...Show More
7) Three Hours Too Soon: How Shakespeare Kept Time
In this episode, we explore how time was measured in Shakespeare's England — from weight-driven household clocks to elite pocket watches imported from Germany. With Dr. Jane Desborough, we uncover how...Show More
8) Hoof, Boat, & Shoe: Travel in Shakespeare's England
In Shakespeare's lifetime, travel wasn't reserved for grand tours or royal progresses — it was woven into daily life. Ordinary Elizabethans crossed rivers, walked muddy roads, boarded boats, hired hor...Show More
9) Second Hand Shops: How Old Wares Were Redistributed in Shakespeare's England
In Shakespeare's play, The Winter's Tale, Autolycus talks about "selling all my trumpery." The reference made me wonder if Autolycus was packing up all his attic junk and random periphery collected ov...Show More
10) Henry Wotton and the Invention of Diplomacy
There are many men who lived alongside William Shakespeare in turn of the 17th century England, but today's featured contemporary is a man who served as King James' ambassador to Venice in the 1600s. ...Show More