Episode #20: Intoxicants and Drunkenness in Shakespeare's England| Interview with Phil Withington

Whether it was beer, ale, tobacco, or other plant based stimulants, almost every man and woman in 16th century London from the brothel to the royal court had an opinion on, and often tried, intoxicants. Substances like tobacco, ale, beer, and even chocolate were being brought to England for the first time by explorers who were travelling to new worlds and returning with samples of new and exciting crops that grabbed hold of England’s collective attention, impact the economy and business innovation of a vibrant trade industry in London. In today’s episode, Phil Withington is here to talk about intoxicants of early modern England, the title subject of an article he wrote in 2011 and published in The Historical Journal. Phil Withington is an author, professor, and Head of History at University of Sheffield. He trained as a historian in Cambridge, and is the former editor of 'The Historical Journal' and Principal Investigator of the joint professional project 'Intoxicants and Early Modernity'. Phil joins us today to explain the everyday role of intoxicants in Shakespeare’s lifetime, as well as what we can tell about the use of alcohol and tobacco in Shakespeare’s plays when we understand what kind of reputation these new intoxicants held in the 16th century.