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With plot twists that depend on poor facial recognition, one-sided bets over cuckoldry, one of the most idiotic kings in Shakespeare, and a truly villainous stepson whose beheading we are unfairly denied on stage, Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” is an interesting and often forgotten play in the Shakespeare canon. Will and James discuss which of these twists is most incredible as well as the Bard’s portrait of Cloten, the aforementioned stepson whose incel tendencies lead to depravity, and what we should make of the play’s British patriotism and ambivalent relationship to the Roman Empire.CreditsIntro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)Illustrative Excerpts: “Cymbeline,” dir. Michael Almereyda (2014); “Cymbeline,” dir. Cylan Brown, Shakespeare by the Sea, (2016); “Cymbeline,” dir. Laura Gordon, Band of Brothers Shakespeare Company (2019)

In a land ruled by a paranoid and jealous king hell-bent on destroying his own family and buffeted by violent storms, miracles, and a very large and hungry bear, Shakespeare’s characters go from intense melodrama to comedy to redemption in the five wild acts of The Winter’s Tale. In this week’s episode, Will and James find themselves surprised by how much they liked this romance and debate what makes it so much more successful than some of the Bard’s later plays.CreditsIntro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)Illustrative Excerpts: “The Winter’s Tale,” dir. Gregory Doran, Heritage Theatre (1999); “The Winter’s Tale,” dir. Kenneth Branagh, Garrick Theatre (2015)

In this week’s minisode, Will interviews Dr. Eliot A. Cohen, former Counselor at the Department of State, professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and co-host of the podcast Shield of the Republic. Dr. Cohen talks about his latest book project on Shakespeare and politics, the best stage to see the Bard come to life, what we can learn about war and peace from Coriolanus, and why Henry V is both the best and worst person to have in your foxhole. CreditsIntro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)

What happens when a virtuous general gets drafted to run for office after defeating Rome’s enemies in battle? Nothing good! In this classic tale of martial virtue, popular politics, banishment, and treason, Shakespeare explores the divide between soldiers and the public, martial honor and private wounds, and some of the most epic “mommy issues” this side of Hamlet. Will and James discuss the protagonist Coriolanus’s “great resignation” in this potent but lesser known tragedy.CreditsIntro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)Illustrative Excerpts: “Coriolanus,” dir. Ralph Fiennes (2011); “Coriolanus,” dir. Allen Fletcher, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (1953); “Coriolanus,” dir. Howard Sackler, Shakespeare Recording Society (1962)

On a tour with the least linear ports of call since The Odyssey, Shakespeare’s Pericles tries to win the hand of a princess in an incestuous relationship with her father by solving a riddle, ends a famine, gets into a shipwreck, wins a different bride in a tournament, and loses his family to a storm and pirates involved prostitution, only to miraculously reunite with them in the end. Will and James discuss this strange epic, the possible identity of its co-author, and whether Marina’s destruction of prostitution in Mytilene is the best brothel scene in Shakespeare.CreditsIntro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)Illustrative Excerpts: “Pericles,” dir. Howard Sackler, Shakespeare Recording Society (1964)

In one of the most famously torrid love affairs of all time, defined by extramarital cheating, lavish outfits, histrionics, and the shadow of collapsing empires, this episode’s main characters define obsession and the insanity of passion. No, not Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton! Antony and Cleopatra! Picking up where “Julius Caesar” left off, Shakespeare cranks up the operatic dialogue and battle scenes as Rome tears itself asunder. Will and James discuss why Cleopatra is one of the most fascinating women in Shakespeare, the amazing language throughout the play, and whether their relationship represents puppy love or a clichéd midlife crisis.CreditsIntro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)Illustrative Excerpts: “Cleopatra,” dir. Joseph Mankiewicz (1963); “Antony & Cleopatra,” dir. Iqbal Khan, Royal Shakespeare Company (2017); “Antony & Cleopatra,” dir. Trevor Nunn, Royal Shakespeare Company, (1974); “Casablanca,” dir. Michael Curtiz (1942); “Antony and Cleopatra,” dir. Lawrence Carra (1984); “Antony and Cleopatra,” dirs. Gary Griffin/Barry Avrich, Stratford Festival (2015)

In this film club minisode, Will and James talk about what happens when two great masters collide in director Akira Kurosawa's adaptations of Shakespeare to the samurai epics of medieval Japan. Kurosawa's adaptation of "Macbeth" in his moody and gore-spattered "Throne of Blood" in 1957 and "King Lear" in his vivid, colorful 1985 masterpiece "Ran" are classics that take the Bard's plots and characters and mix them with katanas, castles, and visual spectacle beyond belief. // Credits // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)

Double, double toil and trouble! Fire burn and cauldron bubble! Haunted by witches, ghostly daggers, murder, Macbeth is an obvious classic. But why? Will and James discuss Shakespeare's finest marriage story, the power of ambition and guilt, and a short play packed with an improbable concentration of amazing soliloquies, phrases, and speeches. // Credits // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous); Illustrative Excerpts: Judi Dench, "Thames Shakespeare Collection: Macbeth", dir. Philip Casson (1979); "Macbeth," dir. Roman Polanski (1971); Alan Cumming, "Macbeth," dirs. John Tiffany and Andrew Goldberg (2013); Patrick Stewart, "Macbeth," dir. Rupert Goold (2010)

In a classic riches-to-rags story, the wealthy and generous Timon goes from commissioning artwork and giving interest free loans to subsisting on roots and railing against humanity in Shakespeare's bleak comedy. The atmosphere is lightened somewhat by how he seeks revenge on his faithless creditors and his city as a whole through practical jokes, the machinations of a dishonored general, and a cadre of women working in the world's oldest profession. Will and James discuss just how sorry we should actually feel for Timon, how to deal with bosses that don't want to hear bad news, and what the Bard can teach us about the National Security Council. // Credits // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous); Illustrative Excerpts: Al Jolson, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” NBC (1932); "Timon of Athens," dir. Robert B. Loper, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (1955); Nia Gwynne, "Timon of Athens," dir. Simon Godwin, Royal Shakespeare Company (2018)

Pro tip from King Lear to parents of all varieties, especially those running hereditary monarchies and dictatorships: retirement ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be! The British ruler’s efforts to step away to enjoy his dotage by dividing his kingdom among his daughters backfires horribly in a dark play chronicling vanity, aging, madness, and favoritism among siblings. Will and James discuss how actors have tackled Shakespeare’s greatest role for thespians with AARP cards, whether Cordelia should have just humored her dad to spare everyone pain, and the bleakness of one of Shakespeare’s darkest plays. // Credits // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous); Illustrative Excerpts: “King Lear,” dir. Jonathan Miller, BBC (1975); “King Lear,” dir. Gregory Doran, Royal Shakespeare Company (2016); “King Lear,” dir. Richard Eyre (2018)

In a plot worthy of a day-time reality show, All’s Well that Ends Well tells the story of a low-born ward named Helena who cures an ailing king and asks for the hand of a young nobleman who will do just about anything to avoid marrying her. Of course, she finds a way to snare the cad with some clever dece -- a plot development that leads Will and James to discuss who the real villain is in this play and whether anyone really learns anything in the end. // Credits // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous); Illustrative Excerpts: “The Maury Povich Show”; “The Jerry Springer Show”; “All’s Well that Ends Well,” dir. Robert B. Loper, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (1955)

Lust, jealousy, rage, race, and one very inconveniently misplaced handkerchief lie at the center of Shakespeare’s "Othello," an emotional tour de force that takes manipulation and evil to new levels. Will and James discuss where Iago falls in the pantheon of Shakespearean villains, their visceral reactions to the breakdown of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage, and the role that Othello’s race and status as an outsider in Venice play in his downfall. // Credits // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous); Illustrative Excerpts: "Inception," dir. Christopher Nolan (2010); "Othello," dir. Oliver Parker (1995); Eileen Atkins, “If wives do fall,” The Guardian (2016).