The Classic English Literature Podcast

"I am a woman; when I think I must speak": Shakespeare's Rosalind and Beatrice

November 25, 2023 M. G. McDonough Season 1 Episode 53
The Classic English Literature Podcast
"I am a woman; when I think I must speak": Shakespeare's Rosalind and Beatrice
Show Notes Chapter Markers

In this episode, we'll look at two women who are generally regarded as among the greatest female characters ever written: Rosalind from Shakespeare's As You Like It and Beatrice from his Much Ado About Nothing.  Their wisdom, intelligence, and emotional depth challenge Renaissance gender assumptions and inaugurate a line of deep-feeling, wise-cracking female characters down to our own day.

Excerpts from "As You Like It" c. 1964 The Shakespeare Recording Company and "Much Ado About Nothing" c. 1960 The Dublin Gate Theatre; both downloaded from the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/audio) 

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Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber Orchestra
Subcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish Guards
Sound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.org
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(Cont.) "I am a woman; when I think I must speak": Shakespeare's Rosalind and Beatrice

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