

The Play's the Thing
CiRCE Podcast Network
The Play's the Thing is the ultimate podcast resource for lovers of Shakespeare. Dedicating six episodes to each play (one per act, plus a Q&A episode), this podcast explores the themes, scenes, characters, and lines that make Shakespeare so memorable. In the end, we will cover every play The Bard wrote, thus permitting an ongoing contemplation and celebration of the most important writer of all time. Join us.The Play’s the Thing is presented by The CiRCE Podcast Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 27, 2018 • 1h 12min
Much Ado About Nothing: Act III
Welcome back to The Play's the Thing where Andrew Kern and Angelina Stanford are discussing Act 3 of Much Ado About Nothing. Conversation touches on how the play would have come off in Shakespeare's day, the way Shakespeare plays with verse/prose depending on the status of the character, the theme is self-deception and self-knowledge, the famous scene of deception, and much more. This episode is brought to you by our friends at St. John's College - the perfect place for lovers of Shakespeare to take their next academic steps.If you like this podcast, subscribe, rate, review, and click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 18, 2018 • 1h 12min
Much Ado About Nothing: Act II
Welcome to The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, Angelina, and Andrew discuss Act II of Much Ado About Nothing.This episode is brought to you our friends at St. John's College - the perfect place for lovers of Shakespeare to take their next academic steps.If you like this podcast, subscribe, rate, review, and click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 12, 2018 • 1h 6min
Much Ado About Nothing: Act I
Welcome to The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, David, Angelina, and Andrew Kern discuss Act I of Much Ado About Nothing. Topics of conversation include the multiple meanings of the titles, Renaissance cosmology, order and chaos, music, harmony, triangles, and Love and War. And a lot more. This episode is brought to you our friends at St. John's College - the perfect place for lovers of Shakespeare to take their next academic steps. If you like this podcast, subscribe, rate, review, and click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 29, 2018 • 1h 8min
King Lear: Q&A
In this episode of The Play's the Thing, David, Tim, and Matt answer listener questions about King Lear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 21, 2018 • 1h 17min
King Lear: Act V
Welcome to The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, David, Tim, and Matt chat about act V of King Lear. Topics of conversation include whether the resolution to the play is cathartic, Lear's reunion with Cordelia, the problem of abrupt changes in the plots in Shakespeare's work, Edmund's final speech, Kent's final decision, and much more. If you have a question for next week's Q&A episode, you can post them on the Close Reads Facebook group or you can email them to David Kern at david@circeinstitute.com. If you like this podcast, subscribe, rate, review, and click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 13, 2018 • 1h 16min
King Lear: Act IV
Welcome to The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, David, Tim, and Matt chat about act IV of King Lear. Topics of conversation include Shakespeare's unique ability to create drama in a setting without describing the setting directly, the way the settings mirror the internal lives of the characters, the way the various poetic forms mirror the character-based drama, and much more. If you like this podcast, subscribe, rate, review, and click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 7, 2018 • 1h 33min
King Lear: Act III
Welcome to The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, Matt Bianco and Tim McIntosh (yes, sans David) discussed Act 3. Topics of conversation include Lear's sanity (or lack thereof), Edgar's sanity (or lack thereof), the classic scene with the storm, and much more (including some miscellaneous asides). If you like this podcast, subscribe, rate, review, and click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 29, 2018 • 1h 20min
King Lear: Act II
Welcome to The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, David Kern, Matt Bianco, and Tim McIntosh explore act two King Lear. Topics of conversation include whether Lear is deserving of sympathy, the different ways characters are judging the nature of other characters, whether General and Regan are trustworthy, and much more. If you like this podcast, Click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 23, 2018 • 1h 24min
King Lear: Act I, Scenes 2-5
Welcome to The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, David Kern, Matt Bianco, and Tim McIntosh explore scenes 2-5 of act one of King Lear. Topics of conversation include Edmund as villain, whether General is trustworthy, the role of the fool, Lear's anger (and how it manifests itself line by line), and much more. If you like this podcast, Click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 18, 2018 • 1h 33min
King Lear: Act I, Scene 1
Welcome to the premier episode of The Play's the Thing, a podcast dedicated to an ongoing examination and celebration of Shakespeare's entire canon. In this episode, David Kern, Matt Bianco, and Tim McIntosh dive into act I of King Lear, focusing primarily on scene I. Topics of conversation include: the Mount Rushmore of Shakespeare's plays, what makes a good Shakespearean tragedy so good, whether Lear should have divided his kingdom the way he did, how to read Cordelia's response, and much, much more. If you like this podcast, Click here to sign up for the Close Reads email newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.