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The History Of European Theatre

Playing with Shakespeare: A Conversation with Charles Moseley

Season 6, Ep. 40

Episode 153


Today’s guest episode serves as a great precursor to what is to come.  The discussion that you are about to hear with Charles Mosely focusses on Shakespeare as a man of the theatre and discusses how the plays were created for and affected by the Theatre, the Audience and the conventions of the time.  And that brief description does not do this wide ranging and detailed discussion any sort of justice.  I think all of the thoughts that Charles discusses are well worth holding I mind as we work through the plays of Shakespeare and Jonson over the coming months.


Charles Moseley is a difficult man to summarise in a few words.  He is a historian, literary critic and travel writer, but that only touches on part of his extensive output and experience.  Most relevant for our purposes today are his years as College Lecturer in English 

at Magdalene College, Cambridge, then Director of Studies in English (and later Fellow) of Wolfson College, and finally Senior Tutor and Director of Studies in English at Hughes Hall, Cambridge.  The depth of knowledge and enthusiasm that Charles holds for his subject is, I think, quite self-evident and I am sure you will enjoy every moment of this, just as I did.


To see more about Charles, his publications, and other writings, including a fuller biography you can go to www.charlesmoseley.com


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