Shakespeare & the Plague

Shakespeare & The Plague is a playful, thoughtful mashup of Shakespeare’s treatment of the plague in his plays. The 25-minute film and companion Viewer’s Guide are free for all and welcome for teachers and students (high school and college) who are experiencing their own plague during the pandemic. The film was created by The Simpson Literary Project. A trio of actors, dubbed the Pandemic Popup Players, perform related, key speeches from the Bard’s work from an outdoor stage. Students will recognize some of the lines like “a plague on both your houses,” from Romeo and Juliet and “Out, damn spot!” from Macbeth and lines from five other plays. A mix of Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies are included. There’s also a short intro from noted scholar Stephen Greenblatt of Harvard, general editor of The Norton Shakespeare. simpsonliteraryproject.org