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Emma Smith

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Dr Emma Smith's research combines a range of approaches to Shakespeare and early modern drama. She is currently working on the First Folio (1623), a project combining aspects of the history of the book, histories of reading, and the interpretation of Shakespeare on the page. Her next project will be on the construction of character in printed drama. With Tamara Atkin at QMUL, she is working on the way cast lists in printed drama through the sixteenth and seventeenth century can inform our understanding of the experience of seeing, as well as reading, plays. She is part of a team of scholars revising the Riverside Shakespeare under the general editorship of Douglas Bruster. She is also interested in drama in performance, in the methodology of writing about theatre, in reviewing and its rhetoric, and in developing analogies between cinema, film theory, and early modern performance. She is working with Charlotte Brewer on a pilot project on the Oxford English Dictionary and Shakespeare, which they hope will develop into a website and associated publications on the issue of Shakespeare’s linguistic creativity and how it has been recorded. Pedagogy is important to her and she continues to work on readerly editions of early modern texts and on books, articles and lectures which disseminate research to the widest possible audience. A good example is her involvement in the 'Sprint for Shakespeare' project.

Series featuring Emma Smith

  • Not Shakespeare: Elizabethan and Jacobean Popular Theatre
  • Approaching Shakespeare
  • Cultural Connections: exchanging knowledge and widening participation in the Humanities
  • Challenging the Canon
  • Valentine's Day at Oxford
  • Alumni Weekend
  • UNIQ Summer Schools
  • TORCH | The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities
  • The Bodleian Libraries (BODcasts)
  • Futuremakers
  • The Hertford Bookshelf
  • TORCH Post-Show Conversations
# Episode Title Description People Date
62 Creative Commons Love's Labour's Lost Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on the play Love's Labour's Lost. Emma Smith 12 Feb 2024
61 S1 Ep1: Welcome to BOOKNESS Welcome to BOOKNESS, a podcast from the Centre for the Study of the Book at the Bodleian Libraries exploring artists' books made of unusual materials… Alice Evans, Jo Maddocks, Chris Fletcher, Emma Smith 08 Nov 2022
60 Creative Commons TORCH Post-Show Conversations: Much Ado About Nothing Listen in as Judith Buchanan and Emma Smith discuss a March 2022 RSC production of Much Ado About Nothing Judith Buchanan, Emma Smith 10 Jul 2022
59 Creative Commons Emma Smith interviews Shahnaz Ahsan Shahnaz Ahsan is Emma's guest to discuss her debut novel, Hashim & Family. They talk about Bangladesh, about the personal and the political, and about the classroom experience that has seared itself into her fiction. Emma Smith, Shahnaz Ahsan 17 Dec 2021
58 Creative Commons Emma Smith interviews Alex Preston Emma Smith chats with Alex Preston about Hertford, his career in finance, bees, and his new historical novel Winchelsea - Emma also teases Alex about the label of Mr Nice Review in Private Eye. Emma Smith, Alex Preston 17 Dec 2021
57 Creative Commons Emma Smith interviews Louisa Reid Louisa Reid's Young Adult novels in verse have been widely praised: join Emma Smith for a discussion of the challenges and responsibilities of writing for teens, as well as Louisa's experience as a teacher. Emma Smith, Louisa Reid 30 Nov 2021
56 Creative Commons Emma Smith interviews Claire McGowan Memories, genre fiction and writing under a different pen name are all on the agenda for this podcast with Northern Irish crime author Claire McGowan (and her alter ego Eva Woods). Emma Smith, Claire McGowan 17 Nov 2021
55 Creative Commons Emma Smith interviews Anya Glazer This week’s guest is children’s picture book author and illustrator Anya Glazer. We talk dinosaurs, sisters, merchandizing and how she riffed on her Modern Languages degree for her first book, Thesaurus has a Secret. Emma Smith, Anya Glazer 04 Nov 2021
54 Creative Commons Emma Smith interviews James Hawes James Hawes, novelist and micro-historian of The Shortest History of England and The Shortest History of Germany, talks about agents and editors, his role in the worst film ever made, and playing the French horn on the roof of Hertford’s library. Emma Smith, James Hawes 21 Oct 2021
53 The Great Plague in the final plague episode of the series, Professor Peter Millican talks to his guests about the last major outbreak of this horrific disease in seventeenth-century England. Peter Millican, Paul Slack, Emma Smith, Kees Windland 01 Dec 2020
52 Live Event: This is Shakespeare - Prof Emma Smith in conversation with Erica Whyman OBE Part of the Humanities Cultural Programme, one of the founding stones for the future Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. Emma Smith, Erica Whyman 15 Sep 2020
51 Creative Commons The Two Gentlemen of Verona Professor Emma Smith gives the last of her 2017 Shakespeare lectures on his early comedy, Two Gentlemen of Verona. Emma Smith 15 Dec 2017
50 Creative Commons Henry VI, Part 2 Professor Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a 2017 lecture on the early history play, Henry VI, Part 2. Emma Smith 09 Nov 2017
49 Creative Commons The Merry Wives of Windsor Professor Emma Smith lectures on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Emma Smith 25 Oct 2017
48 Creative Commons All's Well That Ends Well Professor Emma Smith lectures on Shakespeare’s comedy All's Well That Ends Well. Emma Smith 25 Oct 2017
47 Creative Commons Cymbeline Professor Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on one of Shakespeare’s later plays, Cymbeline. Emma Smith 25 Oct 2017
46 Memorialising Shakespeare: The First Folio and other elegies Emma Smith (Professor of English Literature, Oxford), gives a talk on Shakespeare memorials. Emma Smith 02 Jun 2016
45 Emma Smith on Forgetting in the Digital Age Emma Smith talks as part of the "What does it mean to be human in the digital age?" event Emma Smith 26 Jan 2016
44 What Does it Mean to be Human in the Digital Age? A librarian, literary scholar, museum director and digital commentator explore how the digital age has shaped, and will continue to shape, the human experience and the humanities Lynne Brindley, Tom Chatfield, Chris Fletcher, Diane Lees 22 Jan 2016
43 Creative Commons The Tamer Tam'd: John Fletcher A riposte to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew Emma Smith 16 Nov 2015
42 Creative Commons Tis Pity She's a Whore: John Ford Reboot of Romeo and Juliet and other Elizabethan plays Emma Smith 11 Nov 2015
41 Creative Commons The Witch Of Edmonton Witchcraft and bigamy. Emma Smith 03 Nov 2015
40 Creative Commons A Chaste Maid in Cheapside: Thomas Middleton This lecture discusses comedy, fertility, and all those illegitimate children in this play about sex, economics and meat. Emma Smith 27 Oct 2015
39 Creative Commons The Alchemist: Ben Jonson Written in the context of plague in London, The Alchemist’s plot and language are deeply concerned with speed and speculation. Emma Smith 27 Oct 2015
38 Creative Commons Dr Faustus: Christopher Marlowe My lecture on this infernal play discusses Elizabethan religion, the revisions to the play, and whether we should think about James Bond in its final minutes. Emma Smith 26 Oct 2015
37 Creative Commons Timon of Athens Emma Smith finishes her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on the play Timon of Athens. Emma Smith 23 Jun 2015
36 Creative Commons Love's Labour's Lost Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on the play Love's Labour's Lost. Emma Smith 27 May 2015
35 Creative Commons Julius Caesar This lecture on Julius Caesar discusses structure, tone, and politics by focusing on the cameo scene with Cinna the Poet. Emma Smith 18 May 2015
34 Creative Commons Romeo and Juliet This lecture on Romeo and Juliet tackles the issue of the spoiler-chorus, in an already-too-familiar play. This podcast is suitable for school and college students. Emma Smith 05 May 2015
33 Creative Commons Coriolanus This lecture takes up a detail from Shakespeare’s late Roman tragedy Coriolanus to ask about the representation of character, the use of sources and the genre of tragedy. Emma Smith 05 May 2015
32 Creative Commons 16.To Shakespeare and Beyond: a panel discussion. Cultural Connections discussion panel Casandra Ash, Peter Kirwan, Jose Perez Diaz and Emma Smith. Part of the Digital Humanities @ Oxford Summer School 2013. Cassandra Ash, Peter Kirwan, José Pérez Díez, Emma Smith 07 Aug 2013
31 Creative Commons Why should we study Shakespeare? Dr Emma Smith of Hertford College, Oxford, discusses her current research and proposes why we should still study Shakespeare. Emma Smith, Ilana Lassman 31 Jul 2013
30 Creative Commons The Merchant of Venice This lecture on The Merchant of Venice discusses the ways the play's personal relationships are shaped by models of financial transaction, using the casket scenes as a central example. Emma Smith 20 Nov 2012
29 Creative Commons Taming of the Shrew Emma Smith uses evidence of early reception and from more recent productions to discuss the question of whether Katherine is tamed at the end of the play. Emma Smith 09 Nov 2012
28 Creative Commons A Midsummer Night's Dream This lecture on A Midsummer Night's Dream uses modern and early modern understandings of dreams to uncover a play less concerned with marriage and more with sexual desire. Emma Smith 05 Nov 2012
27 Creative Commons Much Ado About Nothing Emma Smith asks why the characters are so quick to believe the self-proclaimed villain Don John, drawing on gender and performance criticism to think about male bonding, the genre of comedy, and the impulses of modern performance. Emma Smith 30 Oct 2012
26 Creative Commons Hamlet The fact that father and son share the same name in Hamlet is used to investigate the play's nostalgia, drawing on biographical criticism and the religious and political history of early modern England. Emma Smith 23 Oct 2012
25 Creative Commons As You Like It Asking 'what happens in As You Like It', this lecture considers the play's dramatic structure and its ambiguous use of pastoral, drawing on performance history, genre theory, and eco-critical approaches. Emma Smith 23 Oct 2012
24 Creative Commons King Lear Showing how generations of critics - and Shakespeare himself - have rewritten the ending of King Lear, this sixteenth Approaching Shakespeare lecture engages with the question of tragedy and why it gives pleasure. Emma Smith 22 Feb 2012
23 Creative Commons King John At the heart of King John is the death of his rival Arthur: this fifteenth lecture in the Approaching Shakespeare series looks at the ways history and legitimacy are complicated in this plotline. Emma Smith 10 Feb 2012
22 Creative Commons Pericles, Prince of Tyre Pericles has been on the margins of the Shakespearean canon: this fourteenth lecture in the Approaching Shakespeare series shows some of its self-conscious artistry and contemporary popularity. Emma Smith 01 Feb 2012
21 Creative Commons Richard III In this thirteenth lecture in the Approaching Shakespeare series the focus is on the inevitability of the ending of Richard III: does the play endorse Richmond's final victory? Emma Smith 25 Jan 2012
20 Creative Commons The Comedy of Errors Lecture 12 in the Approaching Shakespeare series asks how seriously we can take the farcical exploits of Comedy of Errors, drawing out the play's serious concerns with identity and selfhood. Emma Smith 23 Jan 2012
19 Creative Commons Henry IV part 1 Like generations of theatre-goers, this lecture concentrates on the (large) figure of Sir John Falstaff and investigates his role in Henry IV part 1. Lecture 11 in the Approaching Shakespeare series. Emma Smith 16 Nov 2011
18 Creative Commons The Tempest That the character of Prospero is a Shakespearean self-portrait is a common reading of The Tempest: this tenth Approaching Shakespeare lecture asks whether that is a useful reading of the play. Emma Smith 14 Nov 2011
17 Creative Commons Antony and Cleopatra What kind of tragedy is this play, with its two central figures rather than a singular hero? The ninth lecture in the Approaching Shakespeare series tries to find out. Emma Smith 10 Nov 2011
16 Creative Commons Richard II Lecture eight in the Approaching Shakespeare series asks the question that structures Richard II: does the play suggest Henry Bolingbroke's overthrow of the king was justified? Emma Smith 01 Nov 2011
15 Creative Commons Twelfth Night The seventh Approaching Shakespeare lecture takes a minor character in Twelfth Night - Antonio - and uses his presence to open up questions of sexuality, desire and the nature of romantic comedy. Emma Smith 20 Oct 2011
14 Creative Commons Titus Andronicus Focusing in detail on one particular scene, and on critical responses to it, this sixth Approaching Shakespeare lecture on Titus Andronicus deals with violence, rhetoric, and the nature of dramatic sensationalism. Emma Smith 19 Oct 2011
13 Creative Commons The Winter's Tale How we can make sense of a play that veers from tragedy to comedy and stretches credulity in its conclusion? That's the topic for this fifth Approaching Shakespeare lecture on The Winter's Tale. Emma Smith 09 Nov 2010
12 Creative Commons Macbeth In this fourth Approaching Shakespeare lecture the question is one of agency: who or what makes happen the things that happen in Macbeth? Emma Smith 02 Nov 2010
11 Creative Commons Measure for Measure The third Approaching Shakespeare lecture, on Measure for Measure, focuses on the vexed question of this uncomic comedy's genre. Emma Smith 27 Oct 2010
10 Creative Commons Henry V The second lecture in the Approaching Shakespeare series looks at King Henry V, and asks whether his presentation in the play is entirely positive. Emma Smith 20 Oct 2010
9 Creative Commons The Bodleian Shakespeare: A treasure lost... and regained From the 2010 Alumni Weekend. Emma Smith reveals how Oxford University mobilised Alumni support to bring Shakespeare's First Folio back to the Bodleian library over 200 years after it was lost. Emma Smith 19 Oct 2010
8 Creative Commons Othello First in Emma Smith's Approaching Shakespeare lecture series; looking at the central question of race and its significance in the play. Emma Smith 18 Oct 2010
7 Dr. Emma Smith, Fellow in English, Hertford College Dr. Emma Smith on the UNIQ Summer School programme at the University of Oxford. Emma Smith 21 Jan 2010
6 Creative Commons The Duchess of Malfi: John Webster In dramatizing a woman's sexual choices in a notably sympathetic manner, this tragedy articulates perennial questions about female autonomy and class distinction. Emma Smith 24 Nov 2009
5 Creative Commons The Roaring Girl: Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker Based on a contemporary scandal of a woman who dressed in male clothing, this play of topsy-turvy genders has fun with some very modern ideas about sexuality, identity and whether we are what we wear. Emma Smith 13 Nov 2009
4 Creative Commons The Revenger's Tragedy: Thomas Middleton A blackly camp tragedy - Hamlet without the narcissism - set in a court corrupted by lust and self-interest, this play is both fascinated and repelled by its own depravity. Emma Smith 06 Nov 2009
3 Creative Commons The Shoemaker's Holiday: Thomas Dekker Like a Busby Berkeley depression-era musical, Dekker's comedy is a feel-good antidote to a context of shortages, political malaise and general pessimism, but real life in the shape of war, class antagonism and civic tensions, always threatens to intrude. Emma Smith 06 Nov 2009
2 Creative Commons Arden of Faversham: Anon A true crime story of the murder of Thomas Arden by his wife and her lover, this play is concerned with the politics of the household, with gender roles within marriage, and presents a black comedy of botched murder attempts rather like The Ladykillers. Emma Smith 05 Nov 2009
1 Creative Commons The Spanish Tragedy: Thomas Kyd Popular tragedy in which Hieronimo pursues aristocratic murderers of his son Horatio and takes revenge. It speaks, like Hollywood Westerns, to questions about private revenge versus public justice, and to the vexed religious questions of its age. Emma Smith 05 Nov 2009