How Shakespeare Depicted Race episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 2, 2023 · 28 MIN

How Shakespeare Depicted Race

from Not Just the Tudors

In the same way that Shakespeare’s women characters were performed by boys in female costume, African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Jewish roles in his plays were taken by white men, deploying a series of racial symbols, stereotypes and, to modern ears, troubling racial language. But how did Shakespeare's original audiences view race and racial difference? And how has this understanding changed? In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Farah Karim-Cooper, whose new book The Great White Bard raises important questions about Shakespeare's depiction of both race and racism. This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians including Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code TUDORS. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here >You can take part in our listener survey here > Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the same way that Shakespeare’s women characters were performed by boys in female costume, African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Jewish roles in his plays were taken by white men, deploying a series of racial symbols, stereotypes and, to modern ears, troubling racial language. But how did Shakespeare's original audiences view race and racial difference? And how has this understanding changed? In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Farah Karim-Cooper, whose new book The Great White Bard raises important questions about Shakespeare's depiction of both race and racism. This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians including Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code TUDORS. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here >You can take part in our listener survey here > Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NOW PLAYING

How Shakespeare Depicted Race

0:00 28:23

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Not Just the Tudors?

This episode is 28 minutes long.

When was this Not Just the Tudors episode published?

This episode was published on October 2, 2023.

What is this episode about?

In the same way that Shakespeare’s women characters were performed by boys in female costume, African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Jewish roles in his plays were taken by white men, deploying a series of racial symbols, stereotypes and, to modern...

Can I download this Not Just the Tudors episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!