Bard Flies

by James A. Smith, William C. Quinn

A podcast full of sound and fury, told by idiots. Dedicated to covering the plays of William Shakespeare in chronological order. 

Podcast episodes

  • Season 1

  • S01 E39 - The Two Noble Kinsmen: The Two Ignoble Podcasters

    S01 E39 - The Two Noble Kinsmen: The Two Ignoble Podcasters

    In Shakespeare's final -- yes, final -- play, he returns to where he started with the plight of noblemen in love with the same woman. Working again with John Fletcher, Shakespeare borrows from Chaucer for a tale set in ancient Gre...

    42:07
  • S01 E38 - Henry VIII: Rope-a-Pope

    S01 E38 - Henry VIII: Rope-a-Pope

    In the final of the history plays, Shakespeare and his collaborator John Fletcher take on Henry VIII, the story of his first two wives, the birth of the future queen Elizabeth, and the establishment of the Church of England. In th...

    52:30
  • S01 E37 - The Tempest: Stuff as Schemes are Made Of

    S01 E37 - The Tempest: Stuff as Schemes are Made Of

    Magic, monsters, sprites, witches, shipwrecks, betrayal, love stories on an enchanted isle, and emotional catharsis driven by a puppet master pulling all the stings: no, dear listeners, it’s not a Dungeons & Dragons campaign but S...

    55:10
  • S01 E36 - Cymbeline: Imogen There's No Cloten

    S01 E36 - Cymbeline: Imogen There's No Cloten

    With plot twists that depend on poor facial recognition, one-sided bets over cuckoldry, one of the most idiotic kings in Shakespeare, and a truly villainous stepson whose beheading we are unfairly denied on stage, Shakespeare’s “C...

    58:36
  • S01 E35 - The Winter's Tale: Pursued by a Nightmare

    S01 E35 - The Winter's Tale: Pursued by a Nightmare

    In a land ruled by a paranoid and jealous king hell-bent on destroying his own family and buffeted by violent storms, miracles, and a very large and hungry bear, Shakespeare’s characters go from intense melodrama to comedy to rede...

    53:36