58 - Shakespeare's Wars of the Roses - with Ronan Paterson

Every April, we like to devote an episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast to William Shakespeare, so as part of our 2024 series of podcasts about the Wars of the Roses, we thought this year's edition could focus on how Shakespeare treated this part of English history in his plays.

We were joined once again by expert and scholar Ronan Paterson to discuss the sources Shakespeare used for his histories - from Richard II to Richard III via several Henrys - and many other things, including the character of Richard III (and how he differs from the historical figure), the women in the plays like Joan of Arc and Margaret of Anjou, and why the Henry VI plays deserve a better reputation within the Shakespeare canon. Naturally, the Percy family turn up too, as the Earls of Northumberland play a role in Shakespeare's retelling of the Wars of the Roses, just as they did in reality.

If you enjoyed this episode, there are two more Shakespearean podcasts to enjoy - look for episode 8 and episode 33 in our podcast feed!

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