Shakespeare's Language and Race, with Patricia Akhimie and Carol Mejia LaPerle

Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare Unlimited

Folger Shakespeare Library

Arts

4.7 • 837 Ratings

🗓️ 26 October 2021

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

Close reading of Shakespeare is not a new concept. But this kind of close reading is more challenging—and it can help us interpret Shakespeare’s words in new and profound ways. Our guests are two contributors to the new Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race: Dr. Patricia Akhimie, who wrote a chapter on race in the comedies, and Dr. Carol Mejia LaPerle, who wrote a chapter on race in the tragedies. Together, they explore the ways that Shakespeare’s language—think descriptors like “fair,” “sooty,” or “alabaster”—constructs and enshrines systems of race and racism. Akhmie and LaPerle are interviewed by Barbara Bogaev. Dr. Patricia Akhimie is an Associate Professor of English at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. She is a 2021 - 22 Research Fellow at the Folger. Dr. Carol Mejia LaPerle is Professor and Honors Advisor for the Department of English at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She has participated in numerous Folger Institute scholarly programs and was a speaker at the 2019 Race and Periodization Conference. The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Race was published by Cambridge University Press and became available in the US in February 2021. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published October 26, 2021. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, “A Whole Theater of Others,” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Ben Lauer is the web producer. Leonor Fernandez edits a transcript of every episode, available at folger.edu. We had technical help from Andrew Feliciano and Paul Luke at Voice Trax West in Studio City, California.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Close reading of Shakespeare is not a new concept. But this kind of close reading? This is much more
0:09.0	challenging. From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited. I'm Michael Whitmore, the Folgers Director.
0:22.6	As awareness grows about just how fraught certain words can be,
0:27.6	many are struggling, in classrooms or on Zoom calls,
0:31.6	with how their word choices reflect or ignore the realities of a multicultural society.
0:45.3	Because language is a huge part of that struggle, it's a thorny maze for some and a minefield for others.
0:52.3	This is a maze that Shakespeare helped create and that teachers are learning to navigate. Many professors today are careful to make sure students stop and
0:56.6	think more deeply about the words in his plays and poems. Words like alabaster or fair. Craises like
1:04.9	sooty bosom or a feasting presence full of light. What these words reveal about our understanding of humanity,
1:13.7	how it is shared or limited to certain groups or associated with certain traits,
1:19.3	that's a thread that scholars are following through the maze. This podcast is a conversation
1:25.7	about the words in Shakespeare and about their impacts.
1:29.3	We're led through this thicket of words by two professors who've contributed to the new Cambridge companion to Shakespeare and race.
1:37.3	Dr. Carol Mahia LaPerel of Wright State University wrote the chapter on race in Shakespeare's tragedies. Dr. Patricia
1:46.1	Akime of Rutgers University wrote the chapter about race in Shakespeare's comedies.
1:52.1	We call this podcast a whole theater of others. Dr. Patricia Akime and Carol Mahia LaPerel are
1:59.8	interviewed by Barbara Bogave.
2:01.9	Carol, let's start with you. It is pretty clear that Shakespeare often explores contemporary
2:06.9	biases and understandings, either to interrogate them or to sometimes pander to his audience.
2:14.5	So let's start with a concrete example that you mentioned, and it happens when
2:19.5	Brabantio talks about Othello's sooty bosom as something to fear, not to delight. So what
2:27.8	is Shakespeare up to there? Why the pointed adjective, sooty? I think it's pointing to a couple of things.
	...

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