{"podcast":{"title":"Shakespeare Anyone?","slug":"shakespeare-anyone-2709617","podcast_index_feed_id":2709617,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/314081/rss","website_url":"http://www.shakespeareanyone.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/3/0/0/3/300359073e5f977288c4a68c3ddbc4f2/2024_Podcast_Cover.png","author":"Kourtney Smith & Elyse Sharp","episode_count":154,"summary":"Shakespeare Anyone? is co-hosted by Elyse Sharp and Kourtney Smith, two professional actors and hobbyist Shakespeare scholars. Join us as we explore Shakepeare's plays through as many lenses as we can by looking at the text and how the text is viewed through modern lenses of feminism, racism, classism, colonialism, nationalism… all the-isms. We will discuss how his plays shaped both the past and present, and look at how his work was performed throughout various periods of time–all while trying our best to approach his works without giving in to bardolatry. We examine one play at a time for an extended window of time, interspersed with mini-episodes about Shakespeare's time for context. Episodes are released every other week.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T16:17:05.854676+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/shakespeare-anyone-2709617"},"episode":{"title":"The Tempest: Grimoires, Alchemy, and the Making of Prospero's Art","slug":"the-tempest-grimoires-alchemy-and-the-making-of-prospero-s-art","published_at":"2025-10-08T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/shakespeare-anyone-2709617/the-tempest-grimoires-alchemy-and-the-making-of-prospero-s-art","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/shakespeare-anyone-2709617","url":"https://shakespeareanyone.libsyn.com/the-tempest-grimoires-alchemy-and-the-making-of-prosperos-art","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shakespeareanyone/SA_Tempest_Magic_Final_Cut_with_Bells_and_Whistles.mp3?dest-id=2528357","summary":"Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this episode, we begin by exploring how Prospero's magic in The Tempest reflects early modern grimoire traditions —a form of ritual magic rooted in books, incantations, and precise ceremonial practice, especailly as compared to the types of magic we discussed in our Macbeth episodes. We examine how Shakespeare's depiction of Prospero's art, Prospero's relationship with Ariel, and the creation and disappearance of the masque parallel descriptions of grimoire magical practices found in a grimoire manuscript from the late 1500s. From there, we examine how The Tempest itself mirrors the alchemical process , moving through symbolic stages of separation, purification, and reconciliation. By tracing how the structure of the play parallels the alchemist's pursuit of transformation, we uncover how Shakespeare weaves together the worlds of science, faith, and magic to create a story of power, renewal, and artful creation. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is \"Neverending Minute\" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list , follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone , buying us coffee , or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree . Works referenced: Folger Shakesepeare Library. \"Book of Magic, with Instructions for Invoking Spirits, Etc, ca. 1577-1583. [Manuscript].\" Digital…","meta_description":"Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3215,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/shakespeare-anyone-2709617/episodes/the-tempest-grimoires-alchemy-and-the-making-of-prospero-s-art/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/shakespeare-anyone-2709617/the-tempest-grimoires-alchemy-and-the-making-of-prospero-s-art.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}