© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Philosophy Talk

Shakespeare's Outsiders

Shakespeare, Caliban, Kate (Taming of the Shrew), Richard III

Do Shakespearian dramas reveal the prejudices of his time, or do they reinforce those prejudices?

Over 400 years after his death, Shakespeare is still widely regarded as the greatest dramatist of all time. His many plays tackle questions about power, influence, identity, and moral and social status. His characters—be they villains or heroes—are often disdained because of their race, religion, class, disability, or gender. So what do Shakespeare’s plays reveal about identity and status in his time? How might they shed light on who we include and who we exclude today? Ray and guest-host Adrian Daub go inside with David Sterling Brown from Trinity College, author of Shakespeare's White Others. Sunday, April 14 at 11 am.

This program was recorded live at the Stanford Humanities Center.

Devon Strolovitch studied medieval Judeo-Portuguese manuscripts and earned a PhD in Linguistics from Cornell University before coming to KALW. He is the Senior Producer of Philosophy Talk, and since 2007 has hosted Fog City Blues, the weekly digest of Blues in the Bay Area and beyond.