Blooms & Barnacles

Author: Kelly Bryan

A blog and podcast that discuss James Joyce's Ulysses from a non-academic point of view. Less snooty, more movie references.
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Language: en

Genres: Arts, Education

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Why Stephen Talks about Shylock
Episode 168
Tuesday, 13 January, 2026

Isn’t Carrotty Bess great?Topics in this episode include why Stephen compares Shakespeare to Shylock, Shakespeare’s father John Shakespeare and his many business ventures, his legal troubles caused by some of those business ventures, Shakespeare’s corn-hoarding during a famine, the irony of Irish Nationalists being devoted to Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s role in providing propaganda for Britain’s colonial project, Mr. Deasy’s thoughts on Shakespeare, Chettle Falstaff, the time Shakespeare sued a guy over some malt, how The Merchant of Venice stoked Elizabethan antisemitism, plays that Shakespeare wrote to please various monarchs, James I and Macbeth, political propaganda found in Shakespeare’s comedies, and why Stephen’s point-of-view as an Irish person alters his interpretation of Shakespeare.Support us on Patreon to get episodes early, and to access bonus content and a video version of our podcast. On the Blog:Decoding Dedalus: He drew Shylock out of his own long pocket.Blooms & Barnacles Social Media:Facebook | BlueSky | InstagramSubscribe to Blooms & Barnacles:Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube