Shakespeare on Sleeping with a Stranger

“Would you have sex with a stranger to save your brother’s life?” NapaShakes Dramaturg Dr. Philippa Kelly’s cheeky take on “Measure for Measure” Would you have sex with a stranger to save your brother’s life? This is the question Shakespeare throws at Isabella, a Catholic novitiate, in the most famous…

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Shared Passions: Measure for Measure & Dido and Aeneas

Both Measure for Measure and Dido and Aeneas dramatize the conflict between public duty and private passion. Angelo’s commitment to Vienna is tested by his lust for the virtuous Isabella, while Dido’s passion for Aeneas threatens her rule of Carthage and delays his destiny as the founder of Rome. Indecent…

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“Boldness Be My Friend”: An Essay on Cymbeline by members of New York’s Fiasco Theater

An essay from the book “Living With Shakespeare,” entitled “Boldness Be My Friend,” written by Jessie Austrian, Noah Brody, and Ben Steinfeld of New York’s Fiasco Theater “Cymbeline is often thought of as a problematic play. Or a bad play. Or a just plain silly piece of theatrical meringue. It shifts…

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