The Bicks Pod
Episodes
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Episode 33 - The Hollow Crown Season 1
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
One of the best parts of approaching the Shakespearean plays as we have - that is, in a roughly chronological manner - is that we’ve seen the growth of Shakespeare as a writer. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the recent BBC adaptations of Shakespeare's historical tetralogies in their acclaimed series The Hollow Crown. We talked about the first tetralogy - 1 Henry VI, 2 Henry VI, 3 Henry VI, and Richard III - but today we're diving into the second tetralogy, the famed Henriad, comprising Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, and Henry V which were the subject of the first cycle of The Hollow Crown back in 2012.
Featuring an all-star cast and a massive budget, The Hollow Crown is a masterful retelling of Shakespeare's famous Henriad. That they aired it in the same year as the London Olympics and at the same time as Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations were underway says something about the way Shakespeare is still regarded by his cultural descendants. It also leaves us wondering about the role of public broadcasters in telling a nation's story.
Here to dive into the nitty gritty details of these four plays and their film adaptations is James Kelly, host of Shakespeare Onscreen and Ranking Thrones (a Game of Thrones podcast) and fellow Shakespeare aficionado!Notes:
- You can follow James on Twitter (@ssvegerot4evr)- Catch Shakespeare Onscreen/Ranking Thrones online wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts!
- Also check out James' foray into Shakespearean comic books with his adaptation of Richard III for Olympian Comics
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Episode 32 - Henry IV Part 2
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
So you've read Part 1 of Henry IV and it left you wanting more huh? You wanted more Falstaff? You got it! You wanted more Hal? You got a bit of that too! More of the same engaging, utterly entertaining set of tight character interactions and seamless plot integration? Not so much.
This episode we talk about the complete inversion of Part 1 that is Part 2, with the youthful enthusiasm of Hotspur and Hal replaced with the eminent demise of Hal's two father figures. Lying, rumor-mongering, and hardly any meaningful human interaction await as we dive into this play and near the end of Shakespeare's love of English history.
Notes:
The actor who played Falstaff in the BBC Production was none other than Oscar nominee Antony Quayle, of Laurence of Arabia fame.
Ancient Bickerings:
This time we discussed whether or not Hal believed his father had truly died when he found him asleep at the end of Act 4 - which has all sorts of implications for his relationship with his father, the crown, and even Falstaff.