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Discover more about Shakespeare and comedy
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Fakespeare: Rewriting the bard
Rewrite Shakespeare’s best bits for the 21st Century and reveal your inner wordsmith.
Take part nowFakespeare: Rewriting the bardLevel: 1 Introductory
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Language of Comedy
Leading comedians and writers share their insights into how people manipulate language to generate humour and what this reveals about society.
Watch nowLanguage of ComedyLevel: 1 Introductory
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The History of English in Ten Minutes: Track 3: Shakespeare
Did you know that Shakespeare invented over 2000 new words and phrases like eyeball, anchovy and puppy?
Read moreThe History of English in Ten Minutes: Track 3: Shakespeare -
The Birth of Comedy
Take the topical satire of Have I Got News For You and mix thoroughly with the adolescent humour of The Inbetweeners, add in a healthy dose of Monty Python-esque absurdity and finish off with lashings of songs and dances. Then serve it all up to a baying crowd in an atmosphere more like a football match than a theatre stage. Welcome to the world of Aristophanes, ‘the father of comedy’. The rise of democracy in ancient Greece produced one of the greatest ever flowerings of culture and gave birth to history, philosophy, science … and fart gags. Theatre first appeared in Athens 2,500 years ago to educate and entertain the growing audience of citizens. However Greek theatre wasn’t a quiet entertainment but a rowdy, competitive sport involving teams of performers battling each other for prizes.
Listen nowThe Birth of ComedyLevel: 1 Introductory
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Shakespeare: A critical analysis
Is Shakespeare still relevant today? How does his work influence pop culture today? Do the themes of his plays continue to resonate with modern audiences or as a result of his legacy has he become a caricature of himself? Stephen Regan, accompanied by experts from the world Shakespeare congress examine Shakespeare ‘s work from a critical perspective, putting his plays in historical and social context as well as making a critical analysis of the broader questions of performance and audience interaction throughout history.
Listen nowShakespeare: A critical analysisLevel: 1 Introductory
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