{"podcast":{"title":"The Play's the Thing","slug":"the-play-s-the-thing-404897","podcast_index_feed_id":404897,"rss_url":"https://feed.pippa.io/public/shows/5b7320b16f81f0781975bfd7","website_url":"https://www.closereadspods.com","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/5b7320b16f81f0781975bfd7/1610457976076-3cec5087603a16f5f26ec2e2a795434f.jpeg","author":"CiRCE Institute","episode_count":208,"summary":"The Play's the Thing is the ultimate podcast resource for lovers of Shakespeare. Dedicating six episodes to each play (one per act, plus a Q&A episode), this podcast explores the themes, scenes, characters, and lines that make Shakespeare so memorable. In the end, we will cover every play The Bard wrote, thus permitting an ongoing contemplation and celebration of the most important writer of all time. Join us. The Play’s the Thing is presented by The CiRCE Podcast Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-19T14:19:02.164997+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-play-s-the-thing-404897"},"episode":{"title":"James Shapiro and Shakespeare in a Divided America (rerun)","slug":"james-shapiro-and-shakespeare-in-a-divided-america-rerun","published_at":"2026-03-13T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-play-s-the-thing-404897/james-shapiro-and-shakespeare-in-a-divided-america-rerun","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-play-s-the-thing-404897","url":"https://shows.acast.com/the-plays-the-thing/episodes/james-shapiro-and-shakespeare-in-a-divided-america-rerun","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5b7320b16f81f0781975bfd7/e/69826caccbdc915a1c2a9179/media.mp3","summary":"In this episode, noted author James Shapiro joins the show to discuss his new book,  Shakespeare in a Divide America . Dr. Shapiro and Tim discuss Donald Trump, Abraham Lincoln, and John Wilkes Booth in a conversation about how Shakespeare's plays have showcased America's common grounds and battle grounds alike. Shapiro's book has been nominated for the National Book Award and was a NYT top ten book of 2020. The Play's the Thing is produced by Goldberry Studios for the CiRCE Podcast Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"In this episode, noted author James Shapiro joins the show to discuss his new book, Shakespeare in a Divide America . Dr. Shapiro and Tim discuss Do…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2358,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-play-s-the-thing-404897/episodes/james-shapiro-and-shakespeare-in-a-divided-america-rerun/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-play-s-the-thing-404897/james-shapiro-and-shakespeare-in-a-divided-america-rerun.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}