The Bicks Pod
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
Episode 17 - The Rape of Lucrece & Venus and Adonis
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
Of all Shakespeare's works, we were surprised to find that the most prescient and insightful thus far was not one of Shakepseare's plays, but one of his long form narrative poems. In the MeToo era, you'll find more willingness to discuss the terrible realities and long-lasting effects of sexual assault and gendered sexual power dynamics, but it was surprising to see them tackled so head-on in a poem from the 16th century.
In this episode we talk about the gender politics the two contrasting poems put forward, the insanely high quality of Shakespeare's writing, and the amazing psychological and artistic depths he was already reaching at this point - all while providing some of the historical and literary context that would help a new reader approach the texts.
This episode is also deserving of our first content warning, as we discuss sexual assault, unwanted sexual advances, and generally don't shy away from talking about the full range of what Shakespeare put forth in this unforgiving look at sex, desire, and power. Listen with care.
Tuesday Dec 03, 2019
Episode 16 - Comedy of Errors
Tuesday Dec 03, 2019
Tuesday Dec 03, 2019
Mistaken identity! Random beatings! Two sets of identical twins! After the far more dramatic moments of the first Henriad comes a bit of a more lighthearted play, namely the all-too-aptly-titled Comedy of Errors.
This episode we discuss the relatively scant deeper ideas wedged into this fun-hearted romp through the streets of Ephesus: lost sense of identity and the growing fascination in Shakespeare's time with all things monetary. Mostly though, this is a chance to enjoy Shakespeare at his comedic best - slapstick, silly, and utterly simple.
For a dramatist mostly known for being indecipherable, it's worth mentioning the numerous adaptations of this play that have been made, just since the 1980s. Wikipedia has an excellent listing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comedy_of_Errors#Film