Episode 41 - Shakespeare and Politics

We live in a politically-charged age -- how can anyone deny that? But it's likely true that there has never been an age that hasn't been touched by politics at all, whether by the formal politics of our various governmental systems or the personal politics of our daily interactions; Aristotle himself claimed that human beings are inherently political creatures, and the wars and elections of the last two thousand years has yet to prove him wrong. So since our podcast is, in its current incarnation, focused on the world of William Shakespeare, and given the current climate in which we live, it makes sense that we would turn this political focus on the Early Modern period and the Bard himself. How does Shakespeare operate politically? How can we use his works to inform our views of the world today? And should we even bother?

Ancient Bickerings:

Shakespeare's theatre company, The Chamberlain's Men (later The King's Men), were not immune from the politics of their day. They famously found themselves caught up in scandalous treason when they were engaged to perform Richard II on the eve of the Essex Rebellion, all because the conspirators promised to pay a whopping 40 shillings above the normal engagement cost for the troupe to put on that particular play. (Greedy capitalists to the bitter end!) Considering this, what play would Shakespeare and The King’s Men put on to mark 2020?

Notes:

• Encyclopedia Britannica entry on English Humanism: https://www.britannica.com/topic/humanism/The-English-humanists
• The American Interest: "Shakespeare's Politics"
• Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said
• "Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality" from The West Wing (Season 2.16)
• For all your Vine needs: "God and Anime" and other Vines that toast our buns. (Enjoy, and RIP Vine, we hardly knew ye)
• Bustle: "14 Things Shakespeare Can Teach You About Politics"
  
• The Guardian: "How tech's richest plan to save themselves after the apocalypse"
• "Shakespeare and the Tragedy of Politics"