Mar 30, 2020
When you study Hamlet, especially in school or when you read or watch a commentary on the play, it is not surprising to have someone point out to you that the flowers Ophelia carries in her bouquet as she sings her sad song after the loss of her Father, Polonius, hold powerful 16th century historical significance....
Mar 23, 2020
The term "hand-and-a-half sword" is often used in reference to long-swords but is not considered a historical description of the weapon. There is no evidence of the term “hand-and-a-half” having been used during the Middle Ages when the sword saw its heyday in popularity and there’s no reference to hand and a half...
Mar 16, 2020
During the 16th century, William Shakespeare had his own way of pronouncing words as well, and exploring how to define what that pronunciation was, and how it impacts our understanding of the plays, is a special field of historical linguistics called Original Pronunciation. Our guest this week, Dr. David Crystal is the...
Mar 9, 2020
Shakespeare mentions kites seven times in his plays, often using the term to reference specific attributes of the bird to describe someone in the story. He'll refer to someone as "a kite" as if that's bad, or other times, he'll use the bird (or 16th century reputation of the bird) to suggest attributes like suspicion:
Mar 2, 2020
Biron in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost declares “O my little heart:—
And I to be a corporal of his field,
And wear his colours like a tumbler's hoop!”
And in Romeo and Juliet there are stage directions which call for Romeo to
[He climbs the wall, and leaps down within it] |
These references...