Episode 22: Clare Asquith on Shakespeare and the Essex Rebellion

Many British historians will recognize the Essex Rebellion as a famous event, but less well known is the almost pivotal role in that uprising that was played by William Shakespeare. Robert Devereux was the 2nd Earl of Essex and was, in addition to being the Queen’s favorite, also one of Shakespeare’s most notable patrons. After a ghastly display of disrespect to the Queen in public, along with many grievances Essex felt towards Elizabeth I, he found himself appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland which marked the beginning of what would become the famous Essex Rebellion of 1601. As a patron of Shakespeare and a friend of Shakespeare’s other famous patron, Henry Wriothesly, The Earl of Southampton, Essex used the theater and Shakespeare in particular as a weapon in his quest against the government. To help us explore what life was like for William Shakespeare during this time, as well as how the bard managed to escape his own execution for his involvement in the rebellion, our guest today is Clare Asquith, author of Shakespeare and the Resistance.  Clare joins us this week to explore the involvement of William Shakespeare and his theater performances in the Essex Rebellion.