About this episode

The episode explores Shakespeare's fascination with ocean cruises and maritime disasters through his works and a historical account.

In this episode, we kick off summer by taking to the sea with Shakespeare. Long before all-you-can-eat buffets, pickleball on the lido deck, and Norovirus outbreaks, Shakespeare was already imagining the pleasures and perils of ocean cruises. From the maritime disaster of his early play The Comedy of Errors to the storm-tossed misadventures of his late romances Pericles and The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare loved to imagine what might happen when friends and family were stuck on board together. We'll also look at a real-life 1610 account of a shipwreck-turned-"White Lotus"-getaway, and a seventeenth-century science fiction novel about a Young Lady whose nightmare cruise turns into the ultimate female fantasy. Join us as we set a course for adventure and our minds on some very weird romance.

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