Castles in Shakespeare's Plays

Shakespeare uses the word “castle” over 40 times in his works. He talks about sieging a castle, the power of castle walls, and even mentions specific real life castles by name including Berkley Castle and “Pomfret” castle which is another name for Pontefract Castle, along with at least a dozen more. These castles were prominent features in the landscape of Shakespeare’s lifetime, playing roles both in their commanding presence on the visual horizon on the physical landscape, but also their place in society, monarchy, and the broader political landscape as well. In this week’s episode we’ll explore the castles of Shakespeare’s lifetime, looking at which castles were actively in use around England, as well as what they were used for, major events that occurred there, and which of these architectural giants survive to the present day, allowing us to visit them centuries later. Here this week to take us on a tour of the real castles mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays is our guest, Audrey Thorstad.  

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