In today's episode, we are joined by Shakespeare scholar, Darren Freebury-Jones, to discuss his soon-to-be-released book, Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers, which explores how Shakespeare was influenced by his fellow contemporary dramatists like John Lyly, Ben Johnson, and Christopher Marlowe, and how he also influenced their work. 

We'll discuss Darren's research process and the methods he used to analyze the works of Shakespeare and Shakespeare's contemporaries. We will also learn from Darren what this research reveals about the playwrighting and theatrical community of early modern London, and what readers and theatre-makers can learn from having a broader knowledge of early modern drama beyond Shakespeare. 

About Darren Freebury-Jones

Dr Darren Freebury-Jones is author of the monographs: Reading Robert Greene: Recovering Shakespeare’s Rival (Routledge), Shakespeare’s Tutor: The Influence of Thomas Kyd (Manchester University Press), and Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers (Manchester University Press). He is Associate Editor for the first critical edition of The Collected Works of Thomas Kyd since 1901 (Boydell and Brewer). He has also investigated the boundaries of John Marston’s dramatic corpus as part of the Oxford Marston project and is General Editor for The Collected Plays of Robert Greene (Edinburgh University Press). His findings on the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries have been discussed in national newspapers such as The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Observer, and The Independent as well as BBC Radio. His debut poetry collection, Rambling (Broken Sleep Books), was published in 2024. In 2023 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in recognition of his contributions to historical scholarship.

About Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers 

A fascinating book exploring the early modern authors who helped to shape Shakespeare's beloved plays.

Shakespeare's plays have influenced generations of writers, but who were the early modern playwrights who influenced him? Using the latest techniques in textual analysis Shakespeare's borrowed feathers offers a fresh look at William Shakespeare and reveals the influence of a community of playwrights that shaped his work. This compelling book argues that we need to see early modern drama as a communal enterprise, with playwrights borrowing from and adapting one another's work.

From John Lyly's wit to the collaborative genius of John Fletcher, to Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson, Shakespeare's borrowed feathers offers fresh insights into Shakespeare's artistic development and shows us new ways of looking at the masterpieces that have enchanted audiences for centuries.

Order Shakespeare's Borrowed Feathers through bookshop.org (Note: this is an affiliate link, which means by clicking and ordering, you'll get a great book and support the podcast and local bookshops)

Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.

Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.

Follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod for updates or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com

You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, sending us a virtual tip via our tipjar, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod.

Works referenced:

 Freebury-Jones, Darren. Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers. Manchester University Press, 2024.