Shakespeare and popular culture

Why has Shakespeare become such a cultural hero? 

How we use our personal influences and theoretical positions to inform our reading of Shakespeare. 

A discussion debating these two different methods of analysing Shakespeare's work. 

Playwright William Shakespeare is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential writers in the English language, and his plays have been read or performed millions of times around the world. He was also quite prolific: Between about 1590 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote at least ... Show More

In this episode, we explore the life and stories of William Shakespeare, one of the most famous writers in history. We'll talk about how he grew up in a small town and went on to write amazing plays like "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet." You'll learn fun facts about his life, what ... Show More

Sophie (age 7) and Ellie (age 5) tell the story of the Life of William Shakespeare.----more---- William Shakespeare was born into Tudor England 500 years ago. He wrote some of the most famous plays in history. We tell the story of Hamlet and Ellie points out that this the same st ... Show More

Nearly four centuries after his death, no writer has come close to matching Shakespeare’s understanding of the world – or his gift for dramatic poetry. It’s not just kings and queens that he captured so uniquely in his transcendent verse. Shakespeare analysed the human condition, ... Show More

In this episode I talk to my parents about the topic of William Shakespeare. We discuss the enduring appeal and significance of William Shakespeare's work, biographical details of his life, the key themes in Shakespeare’s plays, and the impact of his language on modern English. W ... Show More

Did you know that William Shakespeare, one of the most famous English writers, hugely shaped how we speak English? In fact, he invented over 1700 new English words. So in this podcast we have hand picked 15 of the most useful expressions that you can start using to add a bit of s ... Show More

Writer and contributor Lauren Emily Whalen returns to the podcast to discuss her new novel, Take Her Down, a YA re-telling of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar! To commemorate it's release, she agreed to discuss two of our generation's most beloved Shakespeare ad ... Show More

AWilliam Shakespeare might well rank as the most influential writer in the English language. But it seems he also had a knack for numbers. Rob Eastaway, author of Much Ado about Numbers, tells Tim Harford about the simple maths that brings Shakespeare’s work to life. Presenter: T ... Show More

Irish journalist and author, Fintan O'Toole on how the Victorians changed the meaning of Shakespeare's plays, and how we can bring them back to life.Fintan O'Toole is an Irish journalist and author who writes on politics and history for the New York Review of Books and the Irish ... Show More

In the first couple of years of the 1600s, several new Shakespeare plays appeared. ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘As You Like It’ were recorded in the Stationer’s Register, and a third play called ‘The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’ was likely performed on the stage for the ... Show More