In the first half, Korey will help us grapple with the seemingly inherent misogyny of the text (is the play misogynist just because the title character is? Or is there another possible reading?).
Then, Elyse will lead us through what an Early Modern audience member would have understood about Ophelia's death and Gertrude's part in it. Specifically we will focus on a cultural knowledge that has largely been lost for the modern audience, and the agency granted to these characters through that understanding.
Content warning: we will be discussing abortion, reproductive health, misogyny, and include brief mentions of assault and violence. Please listen with care.
We do not recommend any early modern medical advice. We are not doctors now or in the early modern era.
Also, we may use women, feminine, and female interchangeably to discuss issues pertaining to non-cismale bodies. While we know that people of all genders can be affected by patriarchy as well as become pregnant and need to be able to make their own decisions about reproductive health, we are aligning our language for this episode with that of the early modern writers we are analyzing.
Sources for this episode can be found on the Shakespeare Anyone? feed.
Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp.
Note: When this episode was recorded, Kourtney Smith was using the stage name "Korey Leigh Smith".
Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander.
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