Curated Video
"The Strangers' Case" Speech from Sir Thomas More
On May 1, 1517 — now referred to as Evil may Day — riots broke out in London as a response to an influx of immigrant workers. Eighty years later, a play was written that includes some of these events. The play, called Sir Thomas More,...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Fairies
Modern fairy tales draw from a rich tradition of fairy folklore known even in Shakespeare's time. Fairies were believed to possess supernatural abilities, like flying swiftly around the world and shape-shifting, often engaging in...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 5.1.202 Word Nerd: Ninny
The word "innocent" originates from the Latin prefix "in-" (not) and the verb "nocere" (to do harm), initially meaning someone who does no harm. By the time of Shakespeare, "innocent" had evolved to describe someone naive due to youth....
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 5.1.109 Prologue
Quince's prologue may seem clumsily written at first but is a masterfully crafted speech by Shakespeare. Ambiguity and word choice, allows for dual meanings, at times earnest or humorous. The speech, asking for the audience's forgiveness...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 4.1.55 Word Nerd: Orient Pearls
Titania places a flowery wreath on Bottom's head, and Oberon remarks that the dewdrops on the flowers, resembling tears, suggest the flowers are lamenting their dishonor in adorning Bottom's donkey head. He compares these to pearls,...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 3.2.214 Heraldry
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helena uses wordplay and heraldry to symbolize the deep connection between herself and Hermia, likening them to "two seeming bodies but one heart," indicating their close friendship. She references heraldry,...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 2.1.195 Word Nerd: Adamant
The word "adamant" originates from the Latin word "aramas," meaning a hard stone, and has evolved to denote anything unbreakable. In Shakespeare's era, "adamant" specifically referred to a lodestone or naturally occurring magnet,...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 1.1.19 Word Nerd: Triumph
The term "triumph" originally comes from the Latin "triumpus," signifying the highest honor bestowed by the Roman Empire for a significant military victory. By Shakespeare's era, "triumph" had evolved to denote any public celebration, as...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 1.1.033 Word Nerd: Gaud
This video explores the etymology and historical context of the use of the word "gaud," relating it to a Latin word "gaudere," meaning to rejoice, and its association with a special kind of bead on a Catholic Rosary. It also touches on...
Wonderscape
Understanding Diction: Character Voices in Literature
This video examines the literary device of diction, highlighting how the choice of words and speech style of characters in a story can reveal their personalities and backgrounds. It uses examples from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by...
Wonderscape
Exploring Figures of Speech: Symbolism and More
This video delves into various figures of speech, focusing on symbolism, allegory, onomatopoeia, paradox, and puns. It uses engaging examples, like Shakespeare's works, to explain how symbols convey complex, abstract ideas in literature,...
Wonderscape
Allusion in Literature: Conveying Meaning with Brevity
This video explores allusion, a literary technique that briefly mentions well-known references to convey deeper meanings. It emphasizes the importance of audience knowledge for effective allusions, using examples from Charles Dickens,...
Wonderscape
Mastering Foreshadowing: Crafting Suspense in Storytelling
This video focuses on the literary technique of foreshadowing, a method by which writers subtly hint at events to come, building suspense and engagement in their narratives. It highlights examples from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet"...
Curated Video
Obsession and Identity: Understanding Ishmael and Ahab in Moby Dick
Herman Melville's novel, "Moby Dick" opens with the line, "Call me Ishmael". We do not know whether this is actually the narrator's name or simply a nod to the biblical figure. Ishmael's elusiveness is contrasted with Captain Ahab's...
Curated Video
Biblical Themes and Shakespearean References in Moby Dick
At its core, "Moby Dick" is a story about the vengeful Captain Ahab's pursuit of the white whale that maimed him and is narrated by Ishmael, a man seeking knowledge through seafaring. Despite its simple premise, Herman Melville expands...
Weird History
US Presidents Who Lead Wild Lived Before Presidencey
Few professions in the world are as scrutinized and well-documented as the Presidency of the United States of America, so it might seem like every single aspect of all the former presidents' lives has already been covered. But sometimes...
Curated Video
Othello and Race | Shakespeare Play by Play
This an analysis of Shakespeare's play Othello and address the ways Shakespeare participates in and subverts the expectations of his early modern audience. This video analyzing early modern understandings of race.
Curated Video
ChatGPT Mastery - Crafting Effective Prompts for Optimal Results - Contextual Clarity
In this video, we will explore techniques for providing sufficient context in our prompts to help the model better understand the desired context and generate more accurate and contextually relevant responses. We will look at examples...
Curated Video
Othello Act 5: Silence | Shakespeare Play by Play
This an analysis of Act 5 of Shakespeare's play Othello focusing on the theme of silence. Who gets to speak? who gets to tell others to speak? who is prevented from speaking? all this matters in Othello.
Curated Video
Othello Act 4: Masculinity | Shakespeare Play by Play
This an analysis of Act 4 of Shakespeare's play Othello focusing on the theme of masculinity and gender.
Curated Video
Othello Act 3: Vision and Sight | Shakespeare Play by Play
This an analysis of Act 3 of Shakespeare's play Othello focusing on the theme of vision, sight, and the way knowledge impacts the way we see the world. Sight is often the primary sight of knowledge construction, and this play shows us...
Curated Video
Othello Act 2: Reputation | Shakespeare Play by Play
This an analysis of Act 2 of Shakespeare's play Othello focusing on the theme of reputation. Reputation matters to everyone, and they are very hard to change ones established.
Curated Video
Shakespeare's Othello: Introduction to context, characters and themes | Shakespeare Play by Play
This is an introduction to Shakespeare's Othello's context, themes, and characters. This is the information you should know before you start the text.
Oxford Comma
The Modern Misreading of Death in Romeo and Juliet
The characters in Romeo and Juliet constantly talk about death. And modern readers usually pick up on how this talk of death is wielded as a threat, foreshadows the end of the play, and allows younger teenagers to be overdramatic. What...