Episodes
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Several dozen plays later, Will and James host a wrap-up episode where they revisit, revise, and criticize one another’s rankings, recognize the greatest and most outlandish characters with awards, and reflect on the experience of reading Shakespeare cover to cover over the past several years as they finish Season One of Bard Flies.
Credits
Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)
Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)
Illustrative Excerpts: “Pomp and Circumstance” (Edward Elgar); “First Blood,” dir. Ted Kotcheff (1982); “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,” dir. Jay Roach (1997); “Friends: The One Where Phoebe Runs,” dir. Gary Halvorson (1999); “Top Gun,” dir. Tony Scott (1986); “Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back,” dir. Irvin Kershner (1980); “Goodfellas,” dir. Martin Scorsese (1990); John Gielgud, “Ages of Man,” Caedmon Records (1959); “Robin Hood,” dir. Wolfgang Reitherman and David Hand (1973); “Henry IV, Part One,” dir. Clive Brill (1998)
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In Shakespeare's final -- yes, final -- play, he returns to where he started with the plight of noblemen in love with the same woman. Working again with John Fletcher, Shakespeare borrows from Chaucer for a tale set in ancient Greece featuring duels, delusions, exposure therapy, and prayers to the gods that get answered like the wishes on a monkey's paw -- but all in the service of a story that ends happily. (Except for the guy who gets thrown from his horse and dies in his hour of triumph.)
Credits
Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)
Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)
Illustrative Excerpts: Arkangel / BBC, “The Two Noble Kinsmen” (2006)
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Missing episodes?
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In the final of the history plays, Shakespeare and his collaborator John Fletcher take on Henry VIII, the story of his first two wives, the birth of the future queen Elizabeth, and the establishment of the Church of England. In this episode, Will and James discuss why people have found the politics of Henry’s court so compelling across the ages from Showtime’s The Tudors to Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall to Broadway’s Six, unpack the downfall speeches of Cardinal Wolsey and Katherine of Aragon, and consider whether you could pull it off today.
Credits
Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)
Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)
Illustrative Excerpts: Herman’s Hermits, “Henry the Eighth, I Am,” The Ed Sullivan Show (1965); Arkangel / BBC, “History of Henry VIII” (1998); Bea Segura, “Henry VIII,” dir. Hannah Khalil, Shakespeare’s Globe (2022)
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Magic, monsters, sprites, witches, shipwrecks, betrayal, love stories on an enchanted isle, and emotional catharsis driven by a puppet master pulling all the stings: no, dear listeners, it’s not a Dungeons & Dragons campaign but Shakespeare’s The Tempest! Will and James discuss the play know as Shakespeare’s affectionate late-career farewell to the theatre, portrayals of Caliban throughout the years, its possible setting in the New World, and whether a play with an almost all-powerful protagonist can be truly dramatic.
Credits
Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)
Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)
Illustrative Excerpts: “The Tempest,” dir. Julie Taymor (2010); John Gielgud, “Ages of Man,” Caedmon Records (1959)
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In this week’s minisode, the pod features a conversation on Cymbeline with Dr. Dan Normandin, postdoctoral fellow in Early Modern English Literature at George Mason University and, even more importantly, a former classmate of James and Will. Dr. Normandin offers his insight on some of the topics James and Will debated about Cymbeline and shares war stories on his time teaching Shakespeare before a controversial lightning round.
Credits
Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)
Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)
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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.
Credits
Intro 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)
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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.
Credits
Intro 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)
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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.
Credits
Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous)
Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous)
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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.
Credits
Intro 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)
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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.
Credits
Intro 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)
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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.
Credits
Intro 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)
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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).
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In the darkest episode of “Undercover Bosses” of all time, the Duke of Vienna announces he’s taking a vacation and disguises himself as a monk, to see how his seemingly pious deputy Angelo runs the city -- only to find out that he’s a hypocritical autocrat with a penchant for sexually blackmailing nuns. In order to depose Angelo and right his wrongs, our heroes develop a crazy scheme that strains credulity. Will and James discuss what Shakespeare was doing with this “problem play” and what it has to say about #MeToo, sex and the public square, and the point at which a plot requires just a little too much suspension of disbelief. // CREDITS // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous); Illustrative Excerpts: John Gielgud, Ages of Man, Caedmon Records (1959); “Measure for Measure,” Brown Box Theater Project, dir. Kyler Taustin (2019); “Before Sunrise,” dir. Richard Linklater (1995)
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Picking up where Homer left off, Shakespeare’s little known Troilus and Cressida tells the story of the Trojan War with contemptuous aplomb. All the heroes are here, in their worst possible lights: the vainglorious Achilles refuses to fight, his noble opponent Hector laments the stupidity of war, the title characters fall in lust only to torn asunder, and Ulysses devises a sly scheme to win that doesn’t involve a gigantic wooden horse. Will and James dissect this messy “problem play” that mocks the very ideas of love and martial glory amid plenty of ribaldry, debasement, and gore. Featuring a very special guest performance from Dileep Rao! // CREDITS // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous) // Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous) // Illustrative Excerpts: “Troy,” dir. Wolfgang Petersen (2004); Dileep Rao, “On Degree,” 2021
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This film club minisode tackles the most sampled movie on Bard Flies: “Shakespeare in Love,” starring (deep breath) Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Geoffrey Rush, Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson, and a coterie of other great actors. John Madden’s portrait of the starving artist as a young man tackles the big questions, including how to avoid your creditors, workshop a script, placate prima donna actors, fend off obnoxious producers, and conduct an illicit affair with a noblewoman with a penchant for the stage. Listen in to Will and James debate whether this is a faithful portrait of what makes Shakespeare great and whether it should have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. // Credits // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, “Saltarello” (composed by anonymous); Illustrative Excerpts: “Shakespeare in Love,” dir. John Madden (1998)
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