Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 17h

The word "ostler" shows up as someone being beckoned, as well as a descriptor, in Shakespeare's plays Coriolanus and Henry IV Part 1. What does it mean? Let's find out right now on Weird Word Wednesday. youtu.be/sJUCH8QTwX0

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 1d

What did Linlithgow sound like in 1512? 🎶 Dr. James Cook’s team recreated sacred music from chant and polyphony — using VR to restore the chapel’s lost acoustics. www.cassidycash.com/ep390

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 2d

In 1607, part of Linlithgow Palace collapsed — & the Earl rushed a letter to James VI warning that “the rufe and all” had fallen. This week Dr. James Cook joins us to explore Linlithgow’s royal history and how he recreated its lost soundscape of 1512 with choral music and VR. cassidycash.com/ep390

2

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 4d

When John Shakespeare’s dung heap landed him in trouble, it uncovered Tudor sanitation laws, class expectations, and what daily life was really like in Shakespeare’s hometown. youtu.be/402_ZpMpIMA

1

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 5d

This 1555 woodcut, “The Lambe Speaketh”, shows devils carrying off the Pope’s soul, while corrupt clerics are punished—tongues nailed to gallows for falsehood. www.cassidycash.com/ep389

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 6d

After her 1570 excommunication, Elizabeth I was isolated & vulnerable. Seeking allies, she wrote letters to Sultan Murad III of the Ottoman Empire—turning to “the enemy of her enemies” for trade, friendship, and survival. www.cassidycash.com/ep389

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 7d

Throwing it out there live this week because we’re a bit punched for time ⏰—but I didn’t want you to miss out! Here’s your Weird Word Wednesday 🎭✨. Today’s word: caitiff—a Shakespearean insult from several plays. Watch here: youtube.com/live/Fkrxi0V...

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 8d

Elizabeth I granted the Levant Company permission to use a special flag when trading with the Ottoman Empire. After her death, this flag was retired & replaced by James I’s new Union Flag in 1606. Some historians suggest this flag may even influenced the Union Flag itself. www.cassidycash.com/ep389

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 9d

Elizabeth I wrote to Ottoman sultans, welcomed Moroccan ambassadors, and lived in a world where Shakespeare’s plays echoed with “Turks,” “Saracens,” & the Prince of Morocco. Discover how the Islamic world shaped Shakespeare’s stage with @CRMHouston and Mark Hutchings www.cassidycash.com/ep389

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 12d

Professor Rebecca Earle reminds us that in Shakespeare’s time, potatoes were still exotic, novel, and even a little suspicious. 🌱 www.cassidycash.com/ep388

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 13d

In Shakespeare’s day, potatoes were curiosities—grown in gardens, debated by botanists, and even thought to be aphrodisiacs. By the early 17thC, potato pies & puddings appeared on elite tables, flavored with sugar, nutmeg, and rosewater. www.cassidycash.com/ep388

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 14d

Right now, members of our Patreon community are exploring:
🥔 Rare 16th-C woodcuts of potatoes 📜 Primary sources about potatoes 🍰 Real 17th-C recipes for potato pies and puddings 👉 Join the fun and explore the extras here: www.patreon.com/posts/136631...

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 14d

Do you want to hear some early modern tavern slang? Of course, you do! Join me on YouTube for some colloquial capers popular in a brawl for Shakespeare's lifetime. youtu.be/7Mi-rNIgzuo

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 15d

Did Sir Walter Raleigh really bring potatoes to England? 🤔
Not quite! 🌍 The potato’s journey began in the Andes, reached Europe via Spain, and only later found its way to Elizabethan gardens. www.cassidycash.com/ep388

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 16d

NEW EPISODE: Historian Rebecca Earle joins us to explore the curious history of potatoes in Shakespeare’s England. From bawdy jokes to botanical debates, discover how this New World tuber captured the Elizabethan imagination. www.cassidycash.com/ep388

1

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 19d

Historian Sean Munger reminds us that in Shakespeare’s world, the Holy Grail wasn’t something to find—it was something to imagine. Hear the full episode at cassidycash.com/ep387

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 20d

You can still visit a claimed “Holy Grail” today. The Chalice of Valencia, housed in Spain, was believed by some in Shakespeare’s lifetime to be the original cup from the Last Supper. www.cassidycash.com/ep387

2

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 21d

Shakespeare loved a good knock on the pate—a favorite target for slapstick jests and quick laughs. From Comedy of Errors to other plays, this odd little word had audiences roaring. Discover its comic punch in this week’s Weird Word Wednesday 🎭 youtu.be/oTdi9auFHkY

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 22d

Le Morte d’Arthur, printed in 1485 by William Caxton, remained the most influential Grail-related text in Shakespeare’s England—but the Grail appears in only one chapter. www.cassidycash.com/ep387

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 23d

Did people in Shakespeare’s England believe in the Holy Grail?
This week historian Sean Munger joins us to explore the Grail legend in the 16th and 17th centuries—from Tudor propaganda to Protestant skepticism, and why the Grail was never really a relic at all. cassidycash.com/ep398

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 25d

🎴✨ Discover the intriguing connection between Mary Queen of Scots and the 9 of Diamonds! Join me as I explore the legend of the Curse of Scotland and how history intertwines with card games. Watch the full video now!

👉 Watch here youtu.be/HQZnpinLe_8

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 26d

🐑 Anne Hathaway’s family raised sheep—and wool was big business in Shakespeare’s England. Experience Shakespeare members can download a guide to 16th-century sheep breeds in the member library now. 🎭 Get it here → www.patreon.com/thatshakespe...

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 27d

"Not marble, nor the gilded monuments of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme.” —Sonnet 55 | Shakespeare wrote about poetry outlasting even brass and tombs, making it symbolic that Anne's epitaph was both poetic and in brass. www.cassidycash.com/ep386

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 28d

Have you heard of a "quatch" in Shakespeare's plays? It's actually an insulting adjective, and here's what it means on this week's episode of Weird Word Wednesday. youtu.be/SB5LBUtjF4I

That Shakespeare Life @thatshakespeare.bsky.social · 29d

Did you know Anne Hathaway’s epitaph is the only one in the Shakespeare family plot written on a brass plaque? Everyone else—Shakespeare, his daughter, and son-in-law—has stone slabs. We explore what that might mean on this week’s episode. www.cassidycash.com/ep386

2