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  • Julius Caesar: Stuff to Chew On

    Julius Caesar: Stuff to Chew On
    Jan 14 2026

    Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you.

    As we start off another one of Shakespeare's plays, we will first take a look at the themes, motifs, and production history of Julius Caesar in this Stuff to Chew On episode. This will provide a basis for future conversations as we dive deeper in later episodes.

    Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

    Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

    For updates:

    • Join our email list
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    • Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

    Support the podcast:

    • Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone -- get 50% off of your first month with code HBD5 until February 1, 2026
    • Buy us a coffee
    • Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores.
    • Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link.

    Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.

    Works referenced:

    Mowat, Barbara, and Paul Werstine. "About Shakespeare's Julius Caesar." Folger Shakespeare Library, 2025, www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/julius-caesar/about-shakespeares-julius-caesar/.

    Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Edited by Andrew James Hartley, Arden Shakespeare, 2024.

    SparkNotes Editors. "Julius Caesar" SparkNotes.com, SparkNotes LLC, 2005, https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/juliuscaesar/
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    34 Min.
  • Julius Caesar: Synopsis

    Julius Caesar: Synopsis
    Dec 31 2025

    Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you.

    It's time for our eleventh play! Today we are starting our series on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with a synopsis episode. In this episode, we will provide a detailed summary of the plot, breaking down the action of the play scene by scene.

    Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

    Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

    Special thanks to Nat Yonce for editing this episode.

    For updates:

    • Join our email list
    • Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod
    • Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

    Support the podcast:

    • Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone -- get 50% off of your first month with code HBD5 until February 1, 2026
    • Buy us a coffee
    • Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores.
    • Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link.

    Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.

    Works referenced:

    Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. Edited by Andrew James Hartley, Arden Shakespeare, 2024.
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    1 Std. und 55 Min.
  • Bonus: Twelfth Night Wrap-up Redux

    Bonus: Twelfth Night Wrap-up Redux
    Dec 17 2025

    Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you.

    Back in 2021, we recorded our second ever wrap-up episode for our second play series: Twelfth Night. We both watched two versions of Twelfth Night: Trevor Nunn's 1996 film and She's the Man, then we also each watched an additional version. Kourtney watched the The Globe's 2012 production starring Mark Rylance, and Elyse watched National Theatre's 2017 production featuring Tamsin Greig.

    But then, tragedy struck when Kourtney went to edit the episode! The audio files for the majority of the episode were corrupted and could not be used. The only usable audio was the portion of our conversation about She's the Man. So, we released what we could as our "Twelfth Night: Wrap Up" episode.

    Since that day, we've dreamed about going back and revisiting the three productions that were lost to technological issues. Today, we are so excited to revisit those productions and share our 2025 thoughts with you.

    Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

    Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

    Sound effects obtained by ZapSplat.com.

    For updates:

    • Join our email list
    • Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod
    • Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

    Support the podcast:

    • Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
    • Buy us a coffee
    • Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores.
    • Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link.

    Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.

    Works referenced:

    Carroll, Tim, director. Twelfth Night: Live from Shakespeare's Globe. Performance by Stephen Fry, and Mark Rylance, Electric Sky, 2012.

    Godwin, Simon, director. Twelfth Night. Performance by Tamsin Grieg, et al., National Theatre at Home, 2017, https://www.ntathome.com/products/twelfth-night. Accessed 2025.

    Nunn, Trevor, director. Twelfth Night; or What You Will. Performance by Imogen Stubbs, Helena Bonham Carter, and Ben Kingsley. Entertainment in Video, 1996.
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    50 Min.
  • Bonus: Revisiting Henry V and The Tempest

    Bonus: Revisiting Henry V and The Tempest
    Dec 3 2025

    Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you.

    At the end of each year, we revisit the Shakespeare plays we covered over the past twelve months. We've gone back and re-read both Henry V and The Tempest, and we will discuss what has changed in our readings of these plays after completing our research as well as what we would like to see more (or less) of in future productions or research relating to these two plays.

    Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

    Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

    For updates:

    • Join our email list
    • Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod
    • Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

    Support the podcast:

    • Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
    • Buy us a coffee
    • Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores.
    • Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link.

    Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.

    Works referenced:

    Shakespeare, William. King Henry V. Edited by T. W. Craik, Arden Shakespeare, 1995.

    Shakespeare, William, et al. The Tempest. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.
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    24 Min.
  • Mini: Shakespeare in the Borderlands with Dr. Katherine Gillen and Ruben Ramirez of Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva

    Mini: Shakespeare in the Borderlands with Dr. Katherine Gillen and Ruben Ramirez of Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva
    Nov 19 2025
    Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. Each year, in recognition of the National Day of Mourning/Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, we examine how British colonialism is irrevocably intertwined with Shakespeare. Over the past four years, we explored this topic through close reading of Jyotsna Singh's Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory. After completing our episodes on Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory, we wanted to turn to highlighting and amplifying the work of artists, activists, and scholars who are working in decolonial Shakespeares. In this year's episode, we are joined by Dr. Katherine Gillen and Ruben Ramirez of the Borderlands Shakespeare Collectiva to discuss how artists, activists, scholars, and educators in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands engage with Shakespeare in ways that reflect their lived realities. We discuss the plays from this region that adapt or appropriate Shakespeare and how these texts can be used in the classroom or in production alongside Shakespeare's text to illuminate themes and engage new audiences. We also learn more about the work of Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva and how they uplift and amplify this work, connecting scholarship with theatrical performance. For more on the work of Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva, or to get involved, visit their website at https://borderlandsshakespeare.org/. For more on Shakespeare and Postcolonial Theory, check out our previous episodes from this series: Mini: Shakespeare and the Colonial Imagination Mini: Shakespeare's World: Immigrants, Others, and Foreign Commodities Mini: "Decolonize the Mind" through Shakespeare Mini: Intercultural and Global Shakespeare in a Postcolonial World Katherine Gillen is Professor of English and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University–San Antonio. With Kathryn Vomero Santos and Adrianna M. Santos, she co-founded the Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva and is co-editing the three-volume anthology, The Bard in the Borderlands: An Anthology of Shakespeare Appropriations en La Frontera. She is also working on a monograph titled The Renaissance of Whiteness: The Classical Foundations of Shakespeare's Racial Politics, which examines Shakespeare's use of classical sources within the context of emerging racial capitalism. Ruben Ramirez is an MA student at Texas A&M- San Antonio and currently serving in a Graduate Assistantship Research position with the Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva. His research interests include Latino/a/x literature, Ecocriticism, Environmental Justice, and Decolonial Theory. Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva is an award-winning group of scholars, educators, artists, and activists who engage with Shakespeare in ways that reflect the lived realities of the U.S.–Mexico Borderlands. We aim not only to change the way Shakespeare is taught and performed but also to promote the socially just futures envisioned en el arte de La Frontera. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: Join our email listFollow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepodVisit our website at shakespeareanyone.com Support the podcast: Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Buy us a coffeeBookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores.Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link. Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.
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    33 Min.
  • The Tempest: Wrap-Up

    The Tempest: Wrap-Up
    Nov 5 2025

    Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you.

    In this episode, we conclude our exploration of The Tempest by examining three distinct interpretations of Shakespeare's final solo play. We begin with Julie Taymor's 2010 film adaptation, featuring Helen Mirren as Prospera, and reflect on the criticism of it we read about in our episode, The Tempest: Patriarchy, Gender, and Power in Shakespeare's Play. We then turn to The Globe's 2013 stage production, directed by Jeremy Herrin, to discuss how its traditional staging and ensemble approach illuminate the play's theatricality and humor. Finally, we analyze the Donmar Warehouse's 2016 production, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and starring Harriet Walter, which reimagines The Tempest within a women's prison as part of Lloyd's groundbreaking Shakespeare Trilogy. Throughout this episode, we reflect on what (for us) makes an effective production of The Tempest and discuss how these productions can be used to illuminate the text.

    Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

    Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

    For updates:

    • Join our email list
    • Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod
    • Visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

    Support the podcast:

    • Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone
    • Buy us a coffee
    • Bookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores.
    • Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link.
    • Grab Anthony Hopkins' memoir, We Did Okay, Kid, at Libro.fm or Bookshop.org.

    Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.

    Works referenced:

    Herrin, Jeremy and Ian Russell, directors. The Tempest. Performance by Roger Allam, et al., Globe Player, Shakespeare's Globe, 2013. https://player.shakespearesglobe.com/productions/the-tempest-2013/. Accessed 2025.

    Lloyd, Phyllida, director. The Tempest. Performance by Harriet Walter, et al., Digital Theatre: The Tempest, Digital Theatre+/Donmar Warehouse, 2018, https://www.digitaltheatre.com/watch/vod/37666819/the-tempest. Accessed 2025.

    Taymor, Julie, director. The Tempest. Performance by Helen Mirren, et al., Buana Vista Home Entertainment Inc, 2011.

    Trueman, Matt. "London Theater Review: Phyllida Lloyd's All-Female 'the Tempest.'" Variety, Variety, 23 Nov. 2016, variety.com/2016/legit/reviews/the-tempest-review-all-female-women-1201925792/.
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    59 Min.
  • Mini: Interview with Ana Davis on My Keen Knife, a Young Adult Dark Fantasy Retelling of Macbeth

    Mini: Interview with Ana Davis on My Keen Knife, a Young Adult Dark Fantasy Retelling of Macbeth
    Oct 22 2025
    Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we sit down with Ana Davis to discuss her debut novel, My Keen Knife. Set in a Portugal-inspired country, My Keen Knife follows three teenagers as they strive to achieve their foretold fates. We discuss Ana's inspirations for My Keen Knife, her writing process, and how her background in International Affairs influenced the world of her novel. We also discuss how Shakespeare's Macbeth weaves throughout the plot and the Macbeth Easter eggs she's hidden for Shakespeare fans like us. My Keen Knife is out now at a bookseller near you! Support Shakespeare Anyone? by purchasing your copy through this link. About My Keen Knife Fair is foul and foul is fair in a country ravaged by the lies of its monarchy. To claim the crown, Adelina, Seba, and Jasibin must learn to be a little wicked…even if it means betraying each other. All hail Malves, who shall wear crowns. On the night of her brother's murder, Adelina Malves holds him as he dies, inheriting both his title and the prophecy that spelled out his doom. If she's to avenge him and avoid a similar death, she must claim the crown of Jumaral by ruthlessly cutting down every family member ahead of her in the line of succession and uncover the secret that got her brother killed. Hail! Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. Ghost-whispering Jasibin holds the key to Adelina's plan to contact her dead brother—if only his strange magic wasn't killing him slowly. To fulfill his own prophecy and protect his brother Seba, he must discover the source of his magic before he's lost to the land of the dead. All hail, Sebastião, that shall be king hereafter. Seba is desperate for a way out of Jumaral and the substantial financial debt his dead mother left him. When a witch sees the riches of a king in his future, Adelina's offer of coin in exchange for help feels like fate, pulling Seba into a fake dating plot with Adelina that hides their sinister plans. In this stunning, innovative retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth set in a Portugal-inspired country, three teenagers will stop at nothing to fulfill their destinies. About Ana Davis Ana Davis is a Portuguese-American fantasy writer, currently pursuing double master's degrees in what amount to Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (the actual names are a mouthful). She recently graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor's degree in International Affairs. Ana was a mentee for round nine of Author Mentor Match, and she remains far too invested in the books she read in high school English class. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com Support the podcast: Become a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone Buy us a coffeeBookshop.org: Since 2020, Bookshop.org has raised more than $38 million for independent bookstores. Shop our Shakespeare Anyone? storefront to find books featured on the podcast, books by our guests, and other Shakespeare-related books and gifts. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores.Libro.fm: Libro.fm makes it possible to purchase audiobooks through your local bookshop of choice. Use our link for 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for a new Libro.fm membership using our link. Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Davis, Ana. My Keen Knife. Turner Publishing Company, 2025.
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    32 Min.
  • The Tempest: Grimoires, Alchemy, and the Making of Prospero's Art

    The Tempest: Grimoires, Alchemy, and the Making of Prospero's Art
    Oct 8 2025

    Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you.

    In this episode, we begin by exploring how Prospero's magic in The Tempest reflects early modern grimoire traditions—a form of ritual magic rooted in books, incantations, and precise ceremonial practice, especailly as compared to the types of magic we discussed in our Macbeth episodes. We examine how Shakespeare's depiction of Prospero's art, Prospero's relationship with Ariel, and the creation and disappearance of the masque parallel descriptions of grimoire magical practices found in a grimoire manuscript from the late 1500s.

    From there, we examine how The Tempest itself mirrors the alchemical process, moving through symbolic stages of separation, purification, and reconciliation. By tracing how the structure of the play parallels the alchemist's pursuit of transformation, we uncover how Shakespeare weaves together the worlds of science, faith, and magic to create a story of power, renewal, and artful creation.

    Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

    Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

    For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

    You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org).

    Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree.

    Works referenced:

    Folger Shakesepeare Library. "Book of Magic, with Instructions for Invoking Spirits, Etc, ca. 1577-1583. [Manuscript]." Digital Collections, Folger Shakepeare Library, digitalcollections.folger.edu/bib228887-238418. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

    Simonds, Peggy Muñoz. "'My Charms Crack Not': The Alchemical Structure of 'The Tempest.'" Comparative Drama, vol. 31, no. 4, 1997, pp. 538–70. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41153887. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025. Tribble, Evelyn. "'A Strange, Hollow, and Confused Noise': Prospero's 'Start' and Early Modern Magical Practices." Shakespeare Quarterly, Volume 72, Issue 3-4, Fall-Winter 2021, Pages 229–253, https://doi.org/10.1093/sq/quac016
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    54 Min.