The History of English Podcast

In the first couple of years of the 1600s, several new Shakespeare plays appeared. Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It were recorded in the Stationer’s Register, and a third play called The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark was likely performed on the stage for the first time. In this episode, we’ll look at those plays and examine how they influenced the English language. We also explore the creation of the East India Company in 1600 and the Essex Rebellion of 1601. Works discussed in this episode include:Much Ado About Nothing – William ShakespeareAs You Like It – William ShakespeareThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark – William Shakespeare TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 178

Theaters were an important part of cultural life in Elizabethan England, and they contributed many words to the English language. Those words joined thousands of other words that were pouring into English from around the world. In this episode, we look at how distant cultures were contributing to the growth of English and how Shakespeare’s acting company built a world-famous theater in the late 1500s. Works discussed in this episode include:Henry IV, Parts One and Two – William ShakespeareThe Merry Wives of Windor – William ShakespeareA Report of the Kindome of Congo – Abraham Hartwell, TranslatorThe Isle of Dogs – Ben Jonson and Thomas NasheDiscours of voyages into ye Easte & West IndiesA Worlde of Wordes – John FlorioPalladis Tamia, Wit’s Treasury – Francis Meres TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 176

English spelling largely reflects the state of the language in the late 1500s. In this episode, we look at one of the first English spelling books, and we explore several plays by William Shakespeare to examine the way he rhymed words. We also explore the way modern spellings reflect the pronunciation of words during the Elizabethan period. Works discussed in this episode include:King John – William ShakespeareRichard II – William ShakespeareThe English School-Maister – Edward CooteHaue With You to Saffron-Walden – Thomas NasheA Midsummer Night’s Dream – William Shakespeare TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 174

In this episode, we explore the concept of a successful succession. During the early 1590s, France was divided by a bitter conflict over the succession of Henry of Navarre to the French throne. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare wrote a couple of plays that appear to make reference to the events in France. He also composed other plays that dealt with the theme of succession. And his plays also indicate that the pronunciation of words like “succession” were changing during the 1500s as several consonants experienced sound changes during that period. Works discussed in this episode include:The Comedy of Errors – William ShakespeareRichard III – William ShakespeareLove’s Labour’s Lost – William ShakespeareTitus Andronicus – William Shakespeare TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 172

In this episode, we examine the connection between poetry and plague in the early 1590s. An outbreak of the recurring sickness contributed to Shakespeare’s early career as a poet, and that poetry likely included his many sonnets. We also examine how an old acquaintance from Shakespeare’s hometown emerged as one of the leading printers in London and how his print shop influenced the development of English during the Elizabethan period. Works discussed in this episode include:Defensative Against PlagueVenus and Adonis – William ShakespeareRape of Lucrece – William ShakespeareOrlando FuriosoThe Art of English Poesy – George PuttenhamWilliam Shakespeare’s Sonnets TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 170

In this episode, we explore the Elizabethan fascination with witchcraft and mysterious creatures like fairies and demons. Those subjects feature prominently in the literature of the period, and they reveal a lot about the world view of the people who lived in England in the late 1500s. Among the texts analyzed in this episode are Reginald Scot’s ‘Discoverie of Witchcraft,’ Christopher Marlowe’s ‘Doctor Faustus,’ Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene,’ and William Shakespeare’s three history plays about Henry VI. TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 168

In this episode from the Patreon archives, we examine the accent used by actors and actresses in very old movies. We look at the origin of that accent and examine why it was adopted by the film industry in the first few decades of sound in motion pictures.