Shakespeare and Taylor Swift

April 4, 2025April 4, 2025 | astronut1

One of my colleagues at work showed me this book, and it really fired my imagination. Taylor Swift is one of the most if not THE MOST successful singer/songwriter of our era. Her songs go across multiple genres and tones and, like many writers, they often contain allusions to classical poetry, nursery rhymes, and occassionally even Shakespeare.

My own Reservations with Taylor

I’m not exactly a Swifite, and I know I’m running the risk of offending MILLIONS of people here by offering criticisms of Taylor Swift, but I honestly think it’s a good idea to be able to critique the things you love. In the past I’ve criticized Shakespeare’s plays, his characters, and even suggested that he might be racist. I would like to offer that, in the case of Love Story, Ms. Swift simplifies the plot of Romeo and Juliet, and leaves out its tragic elements, which kind of misses the point. As an allusion, it seems a little watered down. That said, I feel other TS songs are better, use their allusions more skillfully, and create a more coherent picture in the listeners’ mind. Dispite my issues with this one song, I heartily admit that Ms. Swift is prolific, talented, and has created songs that are classic works of art!

What I’m not interested in doing is getting into a “battle” where I try to justify Shakespeare as being better than Taylor Swift. When I see memes like the one above, it makes me immediately disengage with whoever posted it. I don’t want a Swiftie to talk in the comments about how Shakespeare was a talentless hack. Alternatively, I don’t want a Shakespeare nerd to dismiss Taylor as being infantile or any other critique. Both these writers had different goals, went about them differently, and achieved success in their own special ways. So now, let’s look at how Taylor Swift borrowed from different literary traditions to make her songs more dramatic, more visceral, more insightful, and more poetic.

Her Literary Allusions

Obviously, Love Story mentions Romeo and Juliet, as well as The Scarlet Letter and various princess stories. TS rarely makes direct references to Shakespeare in her work, but some scholars have suggested that there might be more oblique references in some of her songs. For instance, when I look at the lyrics of Willow, I can’t help wonder if she wasn’t at least partially inspired by Shakespeare’s song of the same name in Othello:

Wait for the signal and I’ll meet you after dark
Show me the places where the others gave you scars
Now this is an open-shut case
Guess I should’ve known from the look on your face
Every bait and switch was a work of art

The more that you say
The less I know
Wherever you stray
I follow
I’m begging for you to take my hand
Wreck my plans
That’s my man

I can’t hear this song and not hear the parallels with the Othello story- the speaker alludes to eloping with her beloved (which Desdemona nearly does in the first act), that he has scars (which Othello clearly does mentally and physically). In addition, I imagine the refrain as like a duet between Othello (who is reluctant to kill Desdemona), and Desdemona (who wants to leave Cyprus and have a normal married life with Othello:

Desdemona: The more that you say
The less I know
Othello: Wherever you stray
I follow
I'm begging for you to take my hand
Wreck my plans
Desdemona: That's my man

Even if Shakespeare isn't mentioned directly in many of Taylor's songs, like Shakespeare she often uses Greek myths, the Bible, and other popular works as allusions. Some scholars have suggested that both Shakespeare and TS write using their own experiences through the lenses of classical poetry and literature. Simmilar to how Shakespeare probably wrote Hamlet to deal with his grief over his son's death, Taylor writes songs about past relationships, feuds with pop stars, and her own evolution as an artist through the lens of Shakespeare, novels, poetry, and other works.

TS’s Poetry

Ms. Swift’s songs are more than just catchy beats with a few allusions stuffed in. Like Shakespeare, she makes use of alliterations, internal rhymes, clever metaphors, and strong rhythms that help her songs tell their stories clearly and effectively. As an exercise, I fed the lyrics to “Bad Blood” into a poetry analyzer and found a very interesting analysis:

The poem features a rhythmic and catchy structure, typical of song lyrics. The syllabic patterns vary but often maintain a consistent beat, enhancing its musical quality. The use of internal rhymes and alliteration (e.g., “mad love,” “bad blood”) adds to the flow and memorability. The stresses often fall on the first word of each line, creating a strong start and a compelling rhythm that engages the listener. The word choice in the poem is evocative and charged with emotion. Phrases like “bad blood,” “deep cut,” and “salt in the wound” create vivid imagery and convey the depth of the narrator’s pain. The use of questions, such as “Did you have to do this?” and “Did you think we’d be fine?” emphasizes feelings of confusion and hurt. –Studycorgi.com

I highly encourage students and teachers to do an analysis of both Shakespeare and Taylor Swift because studying one can help us appreciate the other. Similarly, learning the way each writer conveys ideas can help the reader become more creative!

Who Said It? Shakespeare or T.Swift?

Lots of teachers play this game and there are many Youtube videos of people playing it. Occassionally, even Shakespearean actors have played it:

There are also online quiz forms available on Quizlet and Gimkit. You can also show your students this video below:

What iF SHakespeare’s Characters were Swifties?

I posted on Reddit a while back to ask the internet which Swift songs would be great soundtracks for the lives of Shakespearean characters. This is sort of an outgrowth of my: Infinite (Variety) Playlist activity. Here are some of the results I got:

What Are Shakespeare's Characters' Favorite TayTay Songs?
byu/shakes-stud inshakespeare

Richard III and Henry Tudor- Bad Blood
Macbeth- Look What You Made Me Do
King Lear- Anti-hero
Lady Macbeth- No Body No Crime
Julius Caesar- My Tears Ricochet
Richard II- Castles Crumbling
Antony and Cleopatra- Style
Mercutio from “Romeo and Juliet”- 22 and “Shake it Off”
Goneril from “King Lear”- Blank Space

Do you agree with my list?

I hope this post can help teachers see the value in analyzing Taylor Swift with their students, and help students in analyzing Shakespeare. I think the term “classic” applies to anything good enough to stand the test of time. Shakespeare has already passed that test, and based on her clever allusions, evocative wordplay, and emotionally-charged subjects, I believe Taylor Swift to be classic too!

For More Information:

Prestige Online: Literary References in Taylor Swift: https://www.prestigeonline.com/my/lifestyle/culture-plus-entertainment/literary-references-in-taylor-swift-the-tortured-poets-department-ttpd-peter-pan-romeo-juliet/
Allusions (Taylor’s Version)

3. Taylor Swift and Shakespeare by Stephanie Burt (who taught a course on Taylor Swift at Harvard) https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/taylor-swift-and-shakespeare/

Close Reading: Juliet’s Soliloquy: “My dismal Scene I needs Must Act Alone.”

March 13, 2025January 14, 2026 | astronut1

The Text

LADY CAPULET  Good night.
Get thee to bed and rest, for thou hast need.
Lady Capulet and the Nurse exit.
JULIET 
Farewell.—God knows when we shall meet again.
I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins
That almost freezes up the heat of life.
I’ll call them back again to comfort me.—
Nurse!—What should she do here?
My dismal scene I needs must act alone.
Come, vial. She takes out the vial.
What if this mixture do not work at all?
Shall I be married then tomorrow morning?
She takes out her knife
and puts it down beside her.
No, no, this shall forbid it. Lie thou there.
What if it be a poison which the Friar
Subtly hath ministered to have me dead,
Lest in this marriage he should be dishonored
Because he married me before to Romeo?
I fear it is. And yet methinks it should not,
For he hath still been tried a holy man.
How if, when I am laid into the tomb,
I wake before the time that Romeo
Come to redeem me? There’s a fearful point.
Shall I not then be stifled in the vault,
To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes in,
And there die strangled ere my Romeo comes?
Or, if I live, is it not very like
The horrible conceit of death and night,
Together with the terror of the place—
As in a vault, an ancient receptacle
Where for this many hundred years the bones
Of all my buried ancestors are packed;
Where bloody Tybalt, yet but green in earth,
Lies fest’ring in his shroud; where, as they say,
At some hours in the night spirits resort—
Alack, alack, is it not like that I,
So early waking, what with loathsome smells,
And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth,
That living mortals, hearing them, run mad—
O, if I wake, shall I not be distraught,
Environèd with all these hideous fears,
And madly play with my forefathers’ joints,
And pluck the mangled Tybalt from his shroud,
And, in this rage, with some great kinsman’s bone,
As with a club, dash out my desp’rate brains?
O look, methinks I see my cousin’s ghost
Seeking out Romeo that did spit his body
Upon a rapier’s point! Stay, Tybalt, stay!
Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink. I drink to
thee. 
She drinks and falls upon her bed
within the curtains.

The Given Circumstances

This famous soliloquy comes from Act IV, Scene iii. In this speech, Juliet grapples with her fears and anxieties about taking the Friar’s sleeping potion.

Traditional Interpretations

Ellen Terry (Vinal Record Recording, C. 1911)

Ms. Terry, like her famous grandson John Gielgud, is more interested in delivering the text clearly, beautifully, and strongly than getting Juliet’s character across. Consequently, by our standards, her reading of the speech is slow, declamatory, and maybe a bit over-the-top. However, this kind of delivery really brings out the rhythm of the verse, the beauty of the individual words, and the structure of the speech itself, so I recommend actors listen to it as a jumping off point. In my opinion, having a good technical grasp of the speech will keep an actor from going too far with the emotion, (making it hard for the audience to hear and understand them). This is why there’s still value in these dusty old recordings.

Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet directed by Franco Zephirelli, 1966)

Zephirelli was very sparing with the dialogue- choosing to condense this entire speech to one line “Love, give me strength.” Hussey has a great deal of passion in the speech, as if she is absolutely certain that taking the potion will re-unite her with Romeo.

Claire Danes (Romeo +Juliet, 1996)

Claire Danes contemplating the vial in *Romeo + Juliet*

Danes has a sense of almost macabe trance-like energy when she delivers the speech. Like all the edged weapons in the movie, the dagger is replaced by a gun. Most of the speech is cut because Luhrman wanted to emphasize the character’s obsession with violence, rather than fears about ghosts and arranged marriages. Consequently, Danes does little other than put the gun under her pillow, take out the vial, and drink it.

Ellie Kendrick (Globe Theater, 2009)

Ms. Kendrick is one of my favorite Juliets ever! She is a wonderful blend of sweetness and naivety, tempered with anxiety and practical thinking. She delivers the whole speech to different parts of the audience and makes sure every idea and every horrible thought of Juliet lands. Furthermore, her fast pacing around the stage helps her not only connect with the audience, but to use the Globe theater to make them imagine the Capulet vault.

Verse

As I always say, verse is the heartbeat of a character, and based on this, Juliet’s heart is beating a mile a minute. You’ll notice that five of these lines start with a trochee (T), and five of them have trochees. This means Juliet is unsettled, she’s literally off-beat. In addition, there are frequently pauses in the middle of the lines called cesuras, which might indicate that either Juliet is trying to answer her own questions, or that she is so worried, that she’s gasping for breath.

In this second part of the speech, the lines start running together. Juliet’s pace is quickening and she breathes every 2-3 lines instead of at the end of each line.

Structure

The speech is organized as a series of questions:

“What if…”

“How if…”

“Or if I live…”

“O, if I wake, shall I not…”

and then the terrifying statement: “O look…”

So, with this in mind, the actress needs to convey Juliet’s overactive imagination, her fears, and her ability to answer these fears with inner calm and inner strength.

Imagery

It’s a horrific idea being shut up alive with the dead. Shakespeare gives us the sights and smells and the grim reality of feeling “stifled” in a vault. I created this image to demonstrate the smells, the fear, and the claustrophobic nature of the vault.

I chose to have the vault lit with candles, and to use green smoke to represent decay and possibly noxious gas, like the nitre that sometimes dips from walls of tombs. I also added some stone faces of ancestors to stare down at Juliet.

Historical Research

Sarcophagus in church of San Francesco al Corso, an old Franciscan monastery in Verona.

The plain stone sarcophagus above has become a tourist attraction as the traditional ‘resting place’ of Juliet. As I mentioned in my Friar Lawrence post, the Friar who marries Juliet is a Franciscan, which is probably why they chose this church in Verona as the ‘site’ for Juliet’s grave.

It is a plain, open, and partly decayed sarcophagus, in a wild and desolate conventual garden once a cemetery now ruined to the very graves. The situation struck me as very appropriate to the legend, being blighted as their love.

– Lord Byron, Letters and Journals Vol. III

Since Italy is a small, hot country, bodies in the 16th century were buried almost immediately. First, the body would be wrapped up in a shroud or winding sheet, as Juliet mentions at the end. The corpses might be decorated with Rosemary or other sweet-smelling herbs.

Wealthy families like the Capulets or the church, would store all the bodies of their ancestors in burial vaults or crypts. Some bodies would be anointed with oil or preserved with vinegar.

Literary Inspiration: The Cask of Amontillado

Montressor and Fortunato move through the burial crypt in “The Cask of Amontillado”

When I think of the dark, macabre atmosphere of a family tomb, I think of The Cask of Amontillado, a short story by Edgar Allen Poe where the anti-hero Montressor, tricks his enemy Fortunato into going into his family crypt and buries him alive! There are some interesting parallels between Montressor and Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet- both men belong to ancient families, both men are violent, and both refuse to let any kind of insult stand. I think Juliet sees the vault as a hostile place, where her ancestors are angry at her for “betraying the Capulet name,” after marrying a Montague.

Image Research 4: Tybalt’s Angry Ghost

Like Montressor in The Cask of Amontillado, Tybalt embodies the Capulet feud, and it makes sense that Juliet would see him when she thinks of being shut up in the vault. The real question is, what does seeing him do to her? Is she terrified? Is she remorseful? Is she moved to protect Romeo? How does seeing Tybalt’s ghost motivate her to take the potion?

Our Interpretation

Again, it’s a little too early for me to tell you our interpretation yet, but I’ll post it later.

Resources:

Myshakespeare.com. This website will allow you to look up unfamilliar words, download pictures and videos of the scene, and even watch an ‘interview’ with Juliet, where, just as in this speech, she becomes more and more anxious and fearful until the very end.
https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/literarytourist/?p=49

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Playlist of my Outschool Classes

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Happy Thanksgiving From the Shakespearean Student

November 27, 2024November 27, 2024 | astronut1

Shakespeare actually lived during the settlement of Virginia, and the Pilgrims came to America just 4 years after he died. I wonder, if Shakespeare had lived, what he would have made of this American tradition?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Intro to Coriolanus

October 16, 2024April 15, 2025 | astronut1

Why no Coriolanus?? David Oyelowo is playing him at the National Theatre and it’s the one analysis of Shakespeare you don’t have! Please hurry! I’m seeing it on Friday!

User Noittickles, sent to me today

Well, with a request like that, how can I refuse!

Coriolanus is the only Shakespearean story about Republican Rome, which is to say, before Julius Caesar turned Rome into a dictatorship. The play has been called pro-democracy, pro-monarchy, fascist, Marxist, and many other things. In some ways, the play is rather simple and its verse isn’t much fun to read, but the questions it poses, and the way Coriolanus shows the clash between power and common people, makes it fascinating to think about.

The play’s title character is also the most opaque one Shakespeare ever wrote. Some say he is a war hero, undone by the mob. Some say he is a want-to-be dictator who hates the common people and wants to keep power among the military elite. Unlike Hamlet, Macbeth, or any of Shakespeare’s other tragic heroes, we never get a sense of his true intent, or his actual feelings on anything.

To illustrate this, let’s look at two very different interpretations of the same speech. In Act III, Scene iii, the tribunes (representatives of the commons in the Senate), have organized a smear campaign to prevent Coriolanus from becoming Consul, (the highest rank a Roman aristocrat could achieve before Emperor Augustus). Coriolanus is furious at the Tribunes, and vows to leave Rome to take his revenge on the city. Here’s the text of the speech:

Coriolanus. You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you;
And here remain with your uncertainty!
Let every feeble rumour shake your hearts!
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair! Have the power still
To banish your defenders; till at length
Your ignorance, which finds not till it feels,
Making not reservation of yourselves,
Still your own foes, deliver you as most
Abated captives to some nation
That won you without blows! Despising,
For you, the city, thus I turn my back:
There is a world elsewhere.
[Exeunt CORIOLANUS, COMINIUS, MENENIUS, Senators,]
and Patricians]
Aedile. The people's enemy is gone, is gone!
Citizens. Our enemy is banish'd! he is gone! Hoo! hoo!

In the first speech, Tom Huddleston plays Coriolanus as a heroic soldier, disgusted and hurt by the lies of the scheming Tribunes:

Hiddleston chose to play Coriolanus not as a villain but as a frustrated demagogue- someone who wants to lead his people to greatness, whether they like it or not. Whether you approve of his methods, Hiddleston’s Caius Martius does care about the good of Rome. You can almost see the tears in his eyes as he leaves the city he loves, the city he bled for, and that has now betrayed him.

By Contrast, Ralph Fiennes takes a much more authoritarian and cruel route in the film Coriolanus, which Fiennes also directed:

Youtube critic Kyle Kallgren made the excellent case that Fiennes’ Coriolanus is first and foremost, a soldier. You could argue that perhaps Coriolanus has no political ambition whatsoever; he merely wants to keep fighting because war is all he knows. Maybe he purposefully sabotaged himself during his campaign for Consul, because all he wishes to rule is the battlefield:

Kalgren also highlights the “proto fascist” parts of Fiennes’ performance, since Fiennes himself has played Nazis, serial killers, and of course, Lord Voldemort, who is essentially a fascist dictator. Like Merchant of Venice, the Nazi party used Coriolanus as a propaganda tool, claiming that Caius’ fall from grace showed the failure of a weak democracy:

The poet deals with the problem of the people and its leader, he depicts the true nature of the leader in contrast to the aimless masses; he shows a people led in a false manner, a false democracy, whose exponents yield to the wishes of the people for egotistical reasons. Above these weaklings towers the figure of the true hero and leader, Coriolanus, who would like to guide the deceived people to its health in the same way as, in our days, Adolf Hitler would do with our beloved German Fatherland.

Martin Brunkhorst, “Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in Deutscher Bearbeitung. Quoted from Weida

It makes sense that fascists would gravitate towards a play about a seemingly virtuous Roman military leader. After all, the word “fascism” is an Italian word, coined by Benito Mussolini, to evoke the glory days of the Roman Empire- days when Roman society was based on military conquest under a strong leader. What these fascists fail to recognize is that Coriolanus is not a strong leader- he hates politics and is unable to gain any support from the people or from the elites in power. His inability to “play the game” of Roman politics, does make him appealing to some, but on the whole, his career is a disaster.

Some have chosen to interpret the story of Coriolanus as a sort of action-movie wish fulfillment- a man in a lawless society who uses his fists rather than words. Back in the 1990s, Steve Bannon (former advisor to President Donald Trump), wrote a hip-hop musical called: The Thing I Am, which re-interpreted the story of Coriolanus as a police captain who is trying to clean up downtown LA, which is embroiled in gang warfare. I find this interpretation paper-thin and not at all conducive to the spirit of the original play. It also has very racist and paternalistic undertones. You can read my review of it here:

Steve Bannon’s Rap Musical Version of Coriolanus is Just as Messed-Up As It Sounds

Coriolanus Today

https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/coriolanus/

Shakespeare refuses to be prescriptive on political or social issues. He tries to represent all sides of an issue and let the audience decide. With the rise of neo-fascist movements, sectarian violence, and the persistent questions surrounding police and military forces, Coriolanus is more relevant than ever. I haven’t seen this production at the National Theater, but I hope it calls attention to the various angles and points of view of the play- Coriolanus the war hero, Coriolanus the traitor, Coriolanus the soldier, Coriolanus the would-be-dictator. David Oyelowo is a fantastic Shakespearean actor, so I’m sure he can bring a great deal of complexity and nuance to this complicated man.

What I find interesting is that the trailer chooses to use this speech, when Coriolanus has defected to Rome’s enemies, the Volskies. He seems sorrowful, desperate, and afraid of what the Volskies will do to him, now that he is in their camp. One line that Oyelowo delivered exceptionally well was the line “Only the name remains.” I haven’t seen the whole play, but it seems THIS Coriolanus is concerned with the glory of his name living after him. The final question this play asks is, for such a complicated man, how will Coriolanus be remembered?

Well, there you go, Stopittickles! Hope you enjoyed this overview of the play Coriolanus. If you like this review, you might like to sign up for my online class on Julius Caesar via outschool.com:

Click here to sign up and get a $5 discount: https://outschool.com/teachers/The-Shakespearean-Student

RIP James Earl Jones

September 13, 2024January 7, 2026 | astronut1

Speak of me as I am, nothing extenuate- Othello

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that one of the most iconic voices of our generation, James Earl Jones has passed away at the age of 93. I’m sure I also don’t need to mention his iconic film roles in such films as Field of Dreams, Coming To America, The LIon King, and of course, his (initially uncredited) role as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars Trilogy. As I’ve written before, Jones had a powerful, authoritative voice that played kings, generals, knights, and even gods, which came directly from his training as a Shakespearean actor. So, instead of taking a look at his illustrious film career, I’d like to celebrate Jones’ contributions to Shakespeare, and how Shakespeare changed his life, and through him, changed mine.

Jones and Poetry

“I don’t mind talking about my stuttering because it’s just another example of you finding yourself with a weak muscle and you exercise it, and sometimes that becomes your strong muscle,” Jones told KCRA in 1986. “I was mute from grade one through freshman year in high school — mute because I just gave up on talking.”

-James Earl Jones in a TODAY Show interview, 1986

James Earl Jones was born in 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi. Not only did he struggle with racial discrimination at home and in his career, he also dealt with a debilitating stutter which, as you can see in the quote above, left him all but mute for years of his life. It was one of his teachers who helped Jones find his voice by giving him poetry to read, inspiring him to become an actor. As a Shakespearean actor who also struggles with a stutter, reading this about Jones helped me become an actor as well.

The New York Shakespeare Festival

Your voice has the power to inspire, motivate, and change lives. Don’t be afraid to use it.

James Earl Jones

Before he became a star in the Hollywood firmament, Jones was a classically trained actor who starred in many contemporary and classic plays like The Iceman Cometh, The Great White Hope, and a title role in a drama about the great Shakespearean actor, Paul Robeson. In addition, Jones was a regular performer at the New York Shakespeare Festival, starring as King Claudius in Hamlet, Oedipus Rex, The Prince of Morocco in The Merchant of Venice, and like Paul Robeson, Jones was celebrated for his dignified and powerful portrayal of Othello.

James Earl Jones as Othello and Cecilia Hart as Desdemona in a scene from the Broadway revival of the play “Othello.”

James Earl Jones as Othello and Christopher Plummer as Iago in a scene from the Broadway revival of the play “Othello” (New York 1982)

“Mr. Jones commands a full, resonant voice and a supple body, and his jealous rages and frothing frenzy have not only size but also emotional credibility,” .”

The Times wrote in a review in 1964

From Shakespeare to Strangelove

James Earl Jones made the leap from stage and TV (he was one of the first celebrity guests on Sesame Street among others), after a surprising performance. In 1964, he was playing the relatively minor role of the Prince of Morocco in Merchant of Venice at the New York Shakespeare Festival, while George C. Scott played the more iconic role of Shylock. Surprisingly, Director Stanley Kubrick saw both of them and cast them both in Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love the Bomb, Jones’ first film role.

This goes to show that success is often not a straight line, that sometimes it’s the people you know and the reputation you garner that gives you success in your field.

Success should not be measured by material possessions, but by the contentment and fulfillment we find within ourselves.

James Earl Jones

My Favorite Performance of Jones

Though his film roles brought him international acclaim, James Earl Jones still performed onstage well into his 80s, including many more memorable performances at the New York Shakespeare Festival, including my favorite performance of all Jones’ stage roles- his role as King Lear. I’ve written before that Jones is still my favorite Lear- he plays the characters’ rage and commanding presence extremely well, but tempers it with the frailty and foolishness of age. You get the sense that this man was a force to be reckoned with, but is now unable to command himself, much less others. Jones’ interpretation apparently changed drastically in rehearsal, as he delved into Lear’s all-too-human flaws, playing him more like a king with dementia than like Mufasa.

Final thoughts

James Earl Jones would be the first to admit that Shakespeare and poetry changed his life. I would argue that the poetic qualities of his voice was what made him such a great actor. He could rumble and smash but also soothe and charm with a single sentence, and that is why I am glad that his voice is now preserved in the halls of Hollywood. Though he was a movie star, his voice was a Shakespearean through and through.

True strength is not in showing power over others, but in conquering your own fears and insecurities.

James Earl Jones

For More Information

https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/09/12/james-earl-jones-voice/

Is Harry Potter Hamlet?

July 30, 2024March 7, 2025 | astronut1

1. Introduction

Hamlet as a Hogwarts student (AI artwork)

As is often the case for me, I like to get at the heart of what makes a piece of pop culture relevant and compare it to Shakespeare. I wish to stress that Shakespeare is not the source of all great art, but at the same time, he knew where to find the source of art, and most great art has some sort of Shakespearean influence.

2. Plot

In the case of Harry Potter, we have some surface plot similarities to Hamlet: a young man brooding over the loss of his parents, who takes revenge against the man who took them from him. Both stories also have a powerful autocrat who is associated with snakes:

The serpent that did Sting thy father’s life

now wears his crown.

Is Harry hearing voices? Chamber of Secrets

In both Harry Potter and Hamlet, the hero’s friends worry that he’s losing his mind; in the second book: Harry Potter can hear the basilisk because he speaks the snake language. Nobody else can understand what he’s hearing, and they conclude Harry is hearing voices. Meanwhile, Hamlet is the only one who hears the ghost of his father:

In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry can hear voices coming from a vale between the land of the living and the land of the dead, because he saw death at a very young age. This isolates Harry from other characters, (who have not suffered loss), and they once again think that he is losing his mind.

Hamlet and Harry have a visceral understanding of grief; they understand that when one is experiencing grief, one sees the world in a way that most other people can not comprehend. In a way, insanity is a metaphor for grief, and both characters (both of whom, by the way, spend most of their time wearing black) personify how this grief changes their worldview.

The fundamental difference between Hamlet and Harry Potter could be summarized like this; Hamlet is devoted to his father, Harry to his mother. The ghost of Hamlet’s Father sets the action of Hamlet into motion, as he demands that his son revenge his murder. By contrast, Harry Potter is constantly inspired by his mother. Although he only sees his mother for a short time, it’s what he learns about her that drives many of Harry’s actions. Even after death, the memory of Lilly’s kindness and love not only inspires Harry, but other characters like Snape, Slughorn, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Lupin. Lilly’s memory rallies all the heroes to unite and defeat Voldemort.

In addition, Harry’s choices emulate his mother’s personality more than his father’s. Harry’s primary concerns are to stop Voldemort from taking over the Wizarding World, to show kindness and respect to everyone, and to guard his friends with his life if necessary, just as his mother did for him. In other words, the matriarchal virtues of love, self-sacrifice, and familial devotion drive Harry, not a patriarchal desire for vengeance which drives Hamlet. Therefore, Harry Potter is a more modern Hamlet, driven by a desire to improve a world and a community, rather than just “The royal bed of Denmark,” which Claudius has defiled.

The Melancholy Dane is driven by anger over his father’s untimely and foul murder and the sadness of losing him. Many actors have chosen to play Hamlet as a man who wants revenge, but one for whom vengeance doesn’t come naturally. Hamlet’s conscience, his scruples, his gentleness, and sometimes his sympathy for Claudius, blocks him from quickly taking revenge. In the clip below, Ethan Hawke is literally watching an avenger in a movie (Brandon Lee in The Crow) on a movie screen. It’s as if Hamlet is looking at a reflection of what he wishes he could be- a decisive, ruthless avenger:

As mentioned before Harry Potter’s ability to command loyalty, friendship, and respect from others allows him to accomplish his goals; he succeeds by rallying everyone, his friends, family and even his enemies to unite and fight. By contrast, Hamlet is a man who cannot trust anybody and therefore must rely on his own cunning (and sometimes ruthlessness), in order to achieve his goals.

Harry’s powers to mobilize the best in people are the powers that the dark Lord did not understand. Like a tyrant, Voldemort keeps all the power to himself; he rules by being more powerful than the people around him and inspiring fear. This makes him vulnerable when his foes band together, and his friends desert him, like when Laertes implicates Claudius for killing Hamlet and finds himself alone, friendless, and ready to taste Hamlet’s revenge:

When Shakespeare sat down to write Hamlet, the Elizabethan age was very cut throat- England had gone through the Civil War, violent factions were springing up at court, and Elizabeth herself suffered multiple assassination attempts. Hamlet is very much a product of a time where everyone is worried about being watched and betrayal can happen at any moment. By contrast, Harry Potter was written at another paranoid time- right after the September 11th attacks where racism, homophobia, and xenophobia were (and to a certain extent, still are), ripping the world apart. For all her faults, JK Rowling created a new kind of Hamlet figure, one who tries to bring people together in times of fear and grief, not one who wishes he could be “bounded in a nutshell” or that his “too too solid flesh”Close Reading: “Oh That This Too Too Solid Flesh” would melt away.

3. A Common Ancestor- Hercules

Like all Renaissance playwrights, Shakespeare took inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman sources. Scholars have seen echoes of Orestes, Perseus, and of course, Oedipus in Hamlet, but one Greek myth that pops up in both Hamlet and Harry Potter is the myth of Hercules. Here’s a short list of commonalities:

1. Both heroes defeat a serpent as a baby and is raised by people who aren’t his parents. Hercules strangles snakes in his cradle, Harry defeats Voldemort, and Hamlet (who is still a child), defeats his uncle who is called a serpent by the Ghost.

2. Cursed by a malevolent creature who hates his mother. Harry gets his scar, Hercules is cursed by Hera (his father’s wife, but not his biological mother). Hamlet

3. Labors involving wild beasts- Nemean Lion (sorting hat), Hydra= basilisk. 3. Captures a stag (Conjures a patronus) 4. Boar= Troll 5. Stables= basilisk in the bathroom 6. Stymphalian birds= golden snitch 7. Girdle of Hipolita= Ravenclaw diadem 8. Cattle of Geryon= other horcruxes 9. Golden Apples= mermaid egg guarded by dragon

10 and most obvious- BOTH OF THEM FACE A THREE HEADED DOG

I bring this up because in many ways, Harry Potter, Hamlet, and Hercules are timeless myths that represent what Joseph Campbell called “The Hero’s Journey”- an eternal story of growth, struggle, death, and rebirth that transcends time, place, and cultures.

Another character that shares a lot of similarities with Hamlet and Harry Potter is Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. If you enjoyed this analysis of Shakespeare and Harry Potter, you might enjoy my course on Shakespeare and Star Wars from Outschool.com:

This two-week course is fully online and fully immersive. You can learn about Shakespeare through the lens of Star Wars, (and like this post), you will learn about characters, plots, and the ideas behind classic stories by comparing them to contemporary pop culture. Click the link below to get started:

https://outschool.com/classes/shakespeare-and-star-wars-MA83xDoK?usid=MaRDyJ13&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

Thanks so much for reading, and stay tuned for more insightful content!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Graphic Novel

July 14, 2024October 2, 2024 | astronut1

Name: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Adapted by Nel Yomtov (Adaptor), and Berenice Muniz (illustrator)
Media: Graphic Novel compilation, with accompanying website https://www.mangashakespeare.com/titles/midsummer.html
Ages: Pre Teen- teen. The story is highly condensed so older readers might want a more in-depth adaptation to understand the themes and ideas of the plot.
Premise: This graphic novel is a good introduction to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It tells the bare minimum of the story with very little dialogue and almost none of the original text. Most of the story is conveyed through the visual medium.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATORS (Reprinted from the graphic novel)

https://www.behance.net/berelince?locale=en_US
Berenice Muniz is a graphic designer and illustrator
from Monterrey, Mexico. In the past, she has done
work for publicity agencies, art exhibitions, and
she’s even created her own webcomic. These days,
Berenice is devoted to illustrating comics as part of
the CGraphikslava crew. In her spare time, “Bere”
loves to draw, read manga, watch animated movies,
play videogames, and kill zombies
Fares Maese is a graphic designer and illustrator. He
has worked as a colorist for Marvel Comics and as a
concept artist for the card and role-playing games
Pathfinder and Warhammer. Fares loves spending
time playing video games with his Graphikslava
comrades, and he’s an awesome drum player: https://faresmaese.artstation.com/

About the Retelling Author

The career path of Nel Yomtov has taken him from
the halls of Marvel Comics, as an editor, writer,
and colorist, to the world of toy development. He
then became editorial and art director at a children’s
nonfiction book publisher, and now Nel is a writer and
editor of books, websites, and comics for children. A
harmonica-honking blues enthusiast, Nel lives in
New York with his wife, Nancy. They have a son. Jess.

mY rEACTION

I read this version to my five year old son and he enjoyed the colors and characters, which is why I feel confident recommending this version to younger children. It won’t help you pass a test on Midsummer and you won’t get the whole story. But you might get a tantalizing glimpse of Shakespeare’s world of fairies, lovers, and funny fools and honestly, that’s fine with me. As I’ve stated before, parody and short pop-culture adaptations of Shakespeare are great ways to connect with young people, and I see this book as a tool to do just that.

tECHNICAL eXECUTION

Character Design. It’s interesting to see the difference in style between this version, and the Manga Shakespeare version I previously read. That one was very much inspired by the Shoujo manga style, which emphasizes drama and relationships. This version’s drawings are softer, more cartoonish, and the expressions are less stiff, (except for Oberon, who is drawn very austerely). I particularly like the design for Puck with his big mischievous eyes and squat, childlike shape. I would argue however that the lovers and Mechanicals aren’t distinct enough, which is a problem since they are the most important characters.

The Adaptation

Like I said, this is a bare minimum adaptation of the play. None of Shakespeare’s text is used and the lines and speeches are cut liberally. The entire book is only 77 pages which of course means, that there are a lot of cuts. There’s no mention of the Indian boy, Titania’s tiff with Oberon, Philostrate, the other fairies, and all the great speeches are cut. This version is focused entirely on the plot, and it cuts it quite efficiently. To demonstrate this, below on the left is a panel that shows how Lysander and Hermia express their frustration with not being allowed to marry. On the right is the original text of the scene.

Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth;
But, either it was different in blood,
Lysander. Or else misgraffed in respect of years,
Lysander. Or else it stood upon the choice of friends,
Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,
War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it,
Making it momentany as a sound,
Swift as a shadow, short as any dream;
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,
And ere a man hath power to say ‘Behold!’
The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion.

The Colors

The colors are very beautiful. Other manga stories have colorful title pages but no color in the panels. This comic is alive with color and the colors help tell the story. Athens represents the world of the daytime, so the colors are very warm and vibrant. In the nighttime, the colors are cool and the characters are drawn with very sharp lines to make sure they don’t fade into the background.

IN Conclusion

This version tells l the story quickly and entertainingly with a vibrant and colorful style that was lacking in the Manga version. Granted, the Manga Shakespeare did allow me to focus on the text more, but I think I actually prefer this version, simply because of its beautiful artwork. Check it out if you get a chance!.

How to Throw a Bridgerton Themed Party

June 19, 2024June 20, 2024 | astronut1

Greetings Dear Gentle Readers,

With the new season just released on Netflix, I’m sure a lot of us literary nerds will rejoice and be happy to have an excuse to play dress up, eat some scrumptious food, and converse on the sweet little confection that is Bridgerton. What follows is by no means a comprehensive list of ideas, I just wanted to share some of my research that went into my own party in the hopes that it gives you ideas. Please feel free to respond to this post by commenting or by hitting me up on Twitter at @Shakestud and share your own Bridgerton Party Pics!

On A Personal Note:

“I seek you out at every social assembly because I know you will lift my spirits and make me see the world in ways I could not have imagined.”

Colin Bridgerton.

I need to give a special thank you to my wife in this post. She’s the one who introduced me to Bridgerton, did a lot of research into Regency etiquette and dining, and bought all the ingredients for the party. More than that, she is an extremely talented writer and educator who inspires me in ways even Penelope Featherington couldn’t enumerate. Watching Bridgerton has become a kind of nightly tradition for us and I am very grateful

Background: Bridgerton and the Gorgeous Georgian Era

Bridgerton is a period comedy on Netflix based on the popular novel series. It is set in an idealized version of the late 18th and early 19th century; a time when England was wealthy, cosmopolitan, and when one’s social standing was everything. The shows writers pay homage to great literary figures like Jane Austin, George Brimsley Sheridan’s The School For Scandal, Shakespeare (of course), and real-life scandal writers of the time; rags like Town and Country, The Spectator, and Courtesans.

My Personal Opinion on the SHow

Some people have criticized the show for not being historically accurate. Others claim that the show’s plots and characters are highly derivative from other comedies like Gossip Girl and others. I would argue that THAT’S THE POINT. Bridgerton is not trying to do anything original- it is nostalgia bait for literature nerds like me who know that shows like Gossip Girl are ripped off from classical sources. What Bridgerton does, is take these classic tropes, put them back into the period where they became popular, and then update the setting to make it more accessible to a modern audience. Much like the party ideas I’ll give you later, this show is like a sweet confection- comforting, unassuming, with an air of nostalgia and romance like a cup of tea and a crumpet.

https://www.vulture.com/article/bridgerton-characters-ranked-netflix.html

The show focuses on the hopes, dreams, and above all, loves of the Bridgeton family; a noble family in Georgian England. Viola, the matriarch of the house, seeks to find love matches for all her children and to avoid scandalous gossip. She does so through her own intelligence and through the help of her network of female friends, all while avoiding the watchful eye of Queen Charlotte (the powerful wife of King George III), and the mysterious scandal monger Lady Whistledown

Like its dazzling costumes, the show is very much fluff and feathers. Bridgerton’s use of color blind casting is extremely refreshing to me and it signals loudly and clearly that Bridgerton doesn’t want to be painstakingly historically accurate. This is an candy-coated and show that concocts an idealized version of Georgian society- one where painful racial problems are thrown out, there are few economic or political problems to sour one’s pallate, but everybody is rich and pretty and looking to fall in love with a wealthy eligible young man or lady. So, with a concept this delicious, I knew I had to throw a party based on it!

Part One: The Invitations

There’s a ton of fancy invitations templates online. Below is an invitation I created for free with an app called Canva and a parchment background picture I found online.

You probably also know that I am a huge fan of the website Immortal Longings because of their excellent Shakespearean art and they sell cards too. You can buy the cards or download the pictures on their website.

Shakespearean Greeting Cards from Immortal Longings.com

Part Two: Decorations

The Georgian Era was firmly in the Baroque era- a time known for opulence, excess, and as many frills as possible. Deck your home with as much gold, crystal lace as possible! Use electric candles liberally. Also, use curtains and fancy throw pillows to fancy up your dining room! Here are some more ideas from Chateau Challain:

Part Three: The Feast

As you can see, since the Georgian era was known as a time of wealth and excess, you could very easily break your wallet or your back trying to replicate an authentic Georgian dinner party, (especially if you lack an entire household staff to bring it to life). What we tried to do was distill some of my favorite foods from the Georgian era down and come up with an easy plan so that a plebian cooking-impaired soul like myself could make them at a reasonable price. I did not want my wife to have to cook for this, though she did wind up trying out a very interesting Georgian recipe:

Salmagundi

Thought I honestly doubt that the upper crust Bridgertons would ever eat this, it is an authentic Georgian recipe and it was common among middle class people, American Revolutionary War soldiers, and even pirates! It’s a savory salad that uses eggs, pickles, mixed greens and anchovies. The name is French for “hodge-podge” and it honestly can be swapped out with any number of ingredients. Here’s a recipe that’s pretty close to what my wife used:

https://ancestorsinaprons.com/tag/salmagundi/

1. dinner course- pie 🥧, 🥗 , cheese, grapes, wine 🍷

Just like decor, a party or ball amongst the nobility was a sign of wealth and status. If you wanted to impress foreign dignitaries or net a wealthy spouse, you had to show off the wealth and sophistication of your household. We served duck as the main dish since it’s the sort of game the Bridgertons would have on their land. My wife and I also served a meat pie as an homage to the one Daphne eats excitedly in Season 1. Meat pies were very popular in the British isles due to the lack of refrigeration in the Georgian era. For our party, my wife bought the Steak and Stout pie from Trader Joes, which I realize not everyone likes, but it does have a good hearty feel to it. Accompanying the pie, we served cheese, grapes, and some good red wine!

Dessert

High tea is a real ritual in England to this day, and if you don’t have a lot of time or money on your hand it can be a bit daunting. Again, we relied on Trader Joes to help fill in the gaps of my cooking skills (since again, I wanted my wife to enjoy the party, not cook). I leaned heavily on ice cream, macarons, and of course, tea since they are all foods featured on the show. In fact, there’s a whole scene at the house where the family fight over the last chocolate macaron.

In case you don’t know, macarons are delicious French sandwich cookies made by sifting dry ingredients, combining them with egg whites, piping them onto a baking sheet, and baking them into light, flaky little half circles. From there you can add any kind of filling you like. Now, these cookies are notoriously temperamental, so I just bought some, but for the brave souls with a little more time on their hands, here’s a recipe from NYT:

Other Dessert ideas: You could incorporate scones petit fours, or jam/ cucumber sandwiches. I find a dessert tower is really nice for this kind of “take what you like” dessert atmosphere. Also, don’t forget the ice cream!

Tea-

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that tea has great cultural significance to the British and I labored over what kind of tea to serve during the party. I personally love Indian Chai and that would be appropriate since it’s mentioned in Season 2. I also enjoy Earl Grey (though that one might be too bitter for most people). However, I decided on Harney and Sons Paris Tea, which is my wife’s favorite, and in my humble opinion, is one of the best teas readily available. It’s a black tea that has been withered, rolled, and baked to make it more flavorful and aromatic, though easy to mass produce. I LOVE THIS TEA. Here’s a link if you want to learn more:

https://www.harney.com/pages/this-is-tea

Now, I should mention that there is a lot of officially branded Bridgerton tea, coffee, and tea snacks (of course), but this post isn’t an ad. If you’re interested in the branded stuff, here’s a few links below:

https://www.republicoftea.com/bridgerton-teas/c/bridgerton/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=%28ROI%29%20Bridgerton&utm_id=16617930863&utm_content=139952089092&utm_term=bridgerton%20tea&gad_source=2&gclid=CjwKCAjwps-zBhAiEiwALwsVYTdJnUCecawcRiXjJvgyCWRxQYqNtghyY1Ta7f6BOCHkQ6DSZCMzRhoCHvgQAvD_BwE

Music

Bridgerton is famous for featuring classical music covers of pop songs, which I really enjoy- it is a nice way of retelling the story of the characters by connecting them with something contemporary. Most of these covers were done by a group called the Vitamin String Quartet and there are playlists on Youtube, Spotify, and others.

During the Regency, music by Mozart and Hayden were all the rage, so if you want to intercut the covers with real classical music from the time period, you can also use them. I would recommend using waltzes or minuets if you want to get people on the dance floor:

Games

1. Charades

2. Blind Man’s Bluff

3. Bridgerton official Games! There’s an official branded Bridgerton game where you write love notes as Lady Whistledown, while everyone else tries to guess who she is. Here’s a link to the Amazon site:https://www.amazon.com/Bridgerton-High-Society-Board-Game/dp/B0CC6SNRWV

Costumes:

Again, for people on a budget, you might want to forgo full Georgian outfits, but this was a time of ball gowns and elaborate wigs for ladies, and men with waistcoats, knickerbockers, and breeches. For more information on the period, here’s a link to Fashion History Timeline:

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/category/18th-century/

Well, that’s my advice, happy Midsummer everyone!

And to conclude, I want to dedicate this post to my wife who introduced me to the wonderful, sweet, and heartfelt world of Bridgerton. I hope this post helps you bring a fun, fancy-but laid back evening into your home. I hope also that it helps you become closer to and appreciate your loved ones, just as I wish to keep enjoying the show with my wonderful wife.

New Course: Shakespeare’s Histories

June 9, 2024July 22, 2025 | astronut1

Shakespeare’s History Class

Course trailer

Parent Description- A fully online, fully interactive course into Shakespeare’s histories taught by a professional text coach and actor.

Students- Uncover the scandalous and gory history behind Shakespeare’s most action-packed plays! Shakespeare’s histories have inspired such works as “Empire,” “Game of Thrones,” “Hamilton” and even the “Star Wars” trilogy. This class will unlock for you why these stories of power and betrayal have been so popular for 400 years.

Format:

0. The class will have a Nearpod with slides, activities, and links to my other resources. The class will be a combination of slides, activities, and videos. Each class will have

Weekly Discussion questions via Google Forms such as: “What do you know about Shakespeare the man?” or, “Are Shakespeare plays still relevant today?”
Video Analysis- Every week I’ll discuss a different play with a short video.
1. I’ll provide some context, explaining what is happening in the play durin the speech, and any relevant historical context.
2. We’ll watch a recording and the students can write their impressions on what they like and don’t like.
Immersive activities such as:
1. – Shakespeare arts and crafts and recipes such as making costumes and props.
2. – My online Shakespeare board game.
3. Virtual tours of the Tower Of London,
Weekly Web Quests like “find a Shakespeare quote that you use in normal speech,” “find a movie or character that’s based on Shakespeare,” or “Draw a picture of a Shakespearean character (stick figures are acceptable).

6 Week Course

Week 1 – Why Hamilton is Like A Shakespeare History Play Hamilton and Shakespearean History We’ll discuss what makes a history play a history play, why they were so popular in Shakespeare’s day, and draw parallels between Shakespeare and the Broadway Musical “Hamilton.”

What is a history play?
Song quest: Watch the Horrible histories king song
Worksheet- which Shakespearean character reminds you most of Hamilton?
Video- the 10 Duel commandments of Shakespeare

Week 2- Richard II

The history of Richard Shakespeare’s Richard II | Animated short
Watch the presentation and fill in the blanks of the story: Richard the Second Intro Presentation
Web quest- go online and write down three things about the Wilton Diptych
1. Wilton Diptych https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/english-or-french-the-wilton-diptych
  1. Open ended question- if you were Richard, how would you feel about your role as king?
John of Gaunt’s speech
1. Watch Patrick Stewart reading this: Shakespeare: “This scepter’d isle”
2. Now see John McInerny performing it in context
  1. What images were the most striking?
  2. Did you feel more sorry for Gaunt, or England?
  3. What would you call the tone of this speech? Patriotic? Mournful? Excited? Bitter?
The deposition Scene (video- 3 minutes)
1. The danger of this scene:
  1. Though Queen Elizabeth I is now almost universally beloved, she wasn’t always in Shakespeare’s time. By 1601, she was 68 years old and had no male heir. Her government had also failed to put down a rebellion in Ireland. Some people in her government were getting restless.
  2. Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex was one of those restless nobles. He’d been one of the Queen’s favorites, but after failing to crush the rebellion in Ireland, his relationship with her sourered. He then plotted to rebel against the Queen, and take the throne for himself.
  3. To do that though, Essex would need to get people on his side, so he recruited Shakespeare! One of Essex’s servants paid Shakespeare’s companies to perform a scene from Shakespeare’s Richard II; the scene where a handsome and charismatic nobleman convinces the king to willingly give up his power.
  4. This scene was so dangerous that when the play was published, it was taken out by Elizabeth’s censors.
  5. Quotes from Richard II
Playing Richard video: Fiona Shaw
Questions
What does making Richard female emphasize for an audience? What point does Shaw’s performance say about women in power?

Week 3 Henry V week

Basic plot- Young king fights a war and conquers France proving himself to the world.
Olivier vs. Branaugh

-Concept- what if the play was a Hockey movie?

Henry is like the coach or team captain who gives inspirational speeches
The underdogs win
The snooty bad guys lose

How this translates to staging fights/ directing the characters (website/ youtube interviews)

Activity= write a trailer or design a poster for Henry with a cool tag line.

Week 4- The Wars of the Roses-

Summary of the three Henry VI plays
1. Wars of the Roses Horrible Histories
2. Web quest- research one major character from the 3H6 ASC website:
  1. Richard of Gloucester
  2. Henry VI
  3. Margaret of Anjou
  4. Richard of York
Medieval warfare
1. Watch one of the Weapons that Made Brittain videos and answer 5 questions.
2. The battles of the Wars of the roses
Costumes

Week 5- Richard III- The rise of the corrupt king

Close reading- “Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent”
Slides on Richard’s plot.
Richard and Machiavelli
Richard and Emperor Palpatine
Richard and Modern Leaders
Richard vs. the Amir of Gloucester
Propaganda activity- make a campaign slogan/ poster for Richard.

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