This year marks the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare, and worldwide celebrations earlier this year indicated that his life and work continue to transcend racial, ethnic and geographic boundaries.
Shakespeare has become a cultural phenomenon studied by scholars, writers and thinkers around the world. But Georgetown English Professor LenaOrlinargues that to more fully understand Shakespeare, we must focus on learning more about the historical context in which he lived and worked. Orlin is the executive director of the Shakespeare Association of America and currently a fellow at the National Humanities Center where she is working on a book about The Private Life of William Shakespeare. She will be lecturing about Shakespeare’s marriage at the center this Thursday, December 11 at 5 p.m.
Host Frank Stasio talks to Orlin about her extensive archival work and historical research that illuminates new ways of thinking about Shakespeare’s life and marriage.