Shakespeare wasn't eating leftover Thanksgiving turkey and doing online shopping on Black Friday, but he definitely would have been gearing up for the Christmas season, which included twelve full days of festivities. In this episode, we explore the wild side of Christmas celebrations in Shakespeare's England, including the appointment of a Lord of Misrule as a designated agent of chaos. We also take a look at the Puritan Scrooges who wanted to cancel the holiday altogether, and read some dramatic defenses of Christmas inspired by all the controversy.    Want more Shakespeare for the holidays?  Check out Caroline and Michelle's <a href= "https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/letters-to-santa-written-by-shakespeare-characters"> "Letters To Santa Written By Shakespeare Characters" on McSweeney's.net.</a>

Lady Macbeth's Fitbit, and Other New Year's Resolutions

Hosts Caroline Bicks and Michelle Ephraim are Shakespeare professors and close friends who love to bond over the ways Shakespeare’s plays help them through their everyday dramas.  

In each episode, they go back to Shakespeare’s day to bring you some funny, fresh insights into a pressing modern problem. They’ll explore popular Renaissance writings – from parenting books to cosmetics manuals – and, of course, plays – and talk about their uncanny connections to our everyday struggles. Whether you’re dealing with an aging libido, a pandemic, or a dysfunctional family gathering, you’ll feel a little bit better when Bard meets life.

Caroline is the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of Maine, and Michelle is Professor of English at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. They've shared their unique brand of Bard-meets-life humor everywhere from the New York Times and the Moth Radio Hour to McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and are the co-authors of Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas. 

Who says an English major is useless?



"The Everyday Shakespeare Podcast" is produced by Jill Ruby.