Episode 59 - Shakespeare and Economics

It is natural to wonder what Shakespeare was trying to tell us about money. He was, after all, the owner of his own theatre company, a man who made several wise financial decisions involving his land holdings in his later years. He’d grown up around money. Surely we can read into his plays and discover something of the business acumen and economic philosophy of the man, right?

Maybe. Maybe not. All the same, we’re going to look at the various depictions of money and economic concerns within the works of Shakespeare this week on The Bicks Pod.

 

Ancient Bickerings: If Shakespeare were writing a play based on a modern financial or economic news headline, what story would he choose?

 

Notes:

- For an interesting look at mentions of money in Shakespeare, check out the aptly titled "Money in Shakespeare" by Fumita Ojima
- Funnily enough, the Watcher YouTube series Puppet History did a hilarious deep dive into the world of 'coin clipping' (and Isaac Newton, who was Master of the Mint from 1699 until his death in 1727) in their episode "Isaac Newton's Nemesis", so if you would like to learn more about this kind of early currency counterfeiting, check it out! 
- "This is the Very Coinage of Your Brain: Shakespeare and Money Revisited" by B.J. Cook, a numismatic examination of Shakespeare's work
- If you would like to hear us discuss the modern Shakespeare industry, check out our episode "Selling Shakespeare"
- This 2014 BBC article breaks down the modern day economy of Shakespeare