Titus Andronicus: Breaking it Down

by NapaShakes Dramaturg Dr. Philippa Kelly A WAR: Titus Andronicus begins with the death of the emperor of Rome, right at the same time that Titus, Rome’s warrior, arrives home from a successful battle against the Goths. Titus brings with him as prisoners Tamora, the Queen of the Goths, and her three…

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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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The “Merry War” of  Much Ado About Nothing

NapaShakes Dramaturg Dr. Philippa Kelly on the “Merry War” of  Much Ado About Nothing “You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her: they never meet but there’s a skirmish of wit between them.” (Leonato, Much Ado About Nothing.) Much…

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