Hello and welcome to the Renaissance English History Podcast, a part of the Agora Podcast Network.

I'm your host, Heather Tesco, and I'm a storyteller who makes history accessible

because I believe it's a pathway to understanding who we are, our place in the universe, and being more deeply in touch

with our own humanity. This is episode 97, and it's for Valentine's Day. It's a special

interview with Cassie Cash of that Shakespeare girl about Shakespeare and Lou. Because when we think

about Shakespeare, we often think about love, don't we? All these great love quotes. And he was also

such an enigma with his own love life. And so I thought it would be great to have her on the show to talk

about what we know about Shakespeare and love and what his plays tell us about how he saw love.

Also, those of you who are really aware and following and really with it will notice that I had actually said I would be back with the Battle of Lepanto before this.

I got the flu. I got that nasty

flu that's going around and it knocked me out for about a week and a half. And so I am behind

with my Lepanto research. So I will be back with that in about a week and a half. And I don't

like to skip things up like this and switch around and not do an

episode when I said I was going to do it. So I apologize to those of you who are really with it and

really keeping track of me and my episodes. So I didn't forget about it. It will be here.

Blame the flu. So before we get started, I need to thank my patrons who help keep this show independent. I have

amazing patrons. Thank you to Heather, who has an awesome name. Elizabeth, Kathy Juergen, Cynthia,

also Jessica, Lady Anne, Diane, Olivia Al, Ashley Kendra, Cynthia, Judith, Salain, Laura, Ian,

Barbara, Shar, Kiva, Amy Allison, Joanne, Kathy Christine, Annetta, Susan, Andrea, Catherine, John, Rebecca from Tudor's Dynasty, and Shandor.

Thank you, you guys.

I love you.

You're awesome.

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