Alexander Schmid Podcast

In this lecture, we discuss: (a) The murder of King Duncan and its immediate after-effects; (b) the clumsy cover-up attempt of Macbeth and additional murder of Banquo; and (c) the increasingly obvious mental effects of Macbeth's increasingly evil choices.

In this lecture, we continue to observe (a) Dido's descent into madness; (b) Aeneas' lame attempts at excusing his "escape at night" from Dido, and (c) the ability for deceit and emotion run rampant to create a "living hell" wherever one is!

In this lecture we discuss (a) the geo-politcal situation Macbeth begins with: the treason of Macdonwald; the alliance with Sueno and the Norweyans (Vikings), and the perfidious acts of the Thane of Cawdor; (b) we consider whether Macbeth himself is determined (fated) to become king or whether his actions, and their consequences, lead to this eventuality, and (c) the inhumanity necessary for both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth himself must themselves embody to stick to their equivocating reasoning!

In this episode, Mr. Wes Schantz and I consider the Mountain and Goron Villages. Therein we learn lessons about (a) birth and death and the cycle of life, (b) how death and dying and possibly even malfeasance contribute to the production of masks; and (c) how the gameplay and exploratory aspects of this game contribute to its implicit commentary on narrative and what a life really is.

In this episode, Ms. Sarah Miller, Mr. Wes Schantz and I consider (a) Tom Riddle's ability to manipulate and frame people, (b) the nature of horcruxes and Slughorn's role in their utilization by Voldemort; and (c) what are the "uniquely deadly weapons" which Harry has been handed by Voldemort?

In this lecture, I discuss (a) Dido's heated passion and its relation to fire-imagery, (b) the connection between fire-imagery and rage and lust, and how the burning of Troy is in some way relating to the burning lust of Paris and Helen, and (c) discuss the plot of Juno and Venus to "marry" Dido and Aeneas and its immediate aftermath.

In this lecture, we consider (1) further theatrical conventions of Shakespeare's time, and the relationship between the current king (James I) and the construction and themes of Macbeth; (2) the sorrowful history of James' parents (Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots) and his fascination with witches, demons, and the supernatural, and (3) we explain the relationship between the the Viking King Sueno, Macdonwald, and the Thane of Cawdor and their battle with the lion/eagle Macbeth.

In this lecture, we consider (a) Aeneas' journey from fallen Troy through Thrace, Delos, Crete, the Strophades, Buthrotum, and finally to Sicily/"Drepanum's Unhappy Coast"; (b) Aeneas' several attempts at founding a city against fate, reception of helpful and confusing prophecies and ultimately (c) the unexpected death of his father, Anchises.

In this introductory lecture to Shakespeare's "Mabeth", we consider (a) Shakespeare's birth, family, and death, (b) his time and place on the Elizabethan stage, and (c) his corpus of work and how it has been transmitted and maintained over time.

In recent days, following strikes in both Oakland and Los Angeles, teachers unions have demanded increasingly onerous restrictions be placed on California charter schools while also increasingly demonizing charter schools based on misinformation. Some of the common claims made and addressed in this podcast are the following: (a) charter schools are not public and do not choose a representative sample of the population; (b) charter schools siphon necessary resources from traditional public schools and only serve caucasian populations, and (c) charter schools function to serve corporate interests at the expense of students, particularly underserved students. None of these positions is tenable in light of the data below and the reasoning shared. 

Sources:

1) https://edsource.org/2019/proposed-legislation-would-substantially-curb-growth-of-california-charter-schools/609087

2) http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1507

3) http://www.publiccharters.org/sites/default/files/migrated/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/NAPCS-2010-2011-Race_Ethnicity-Details-from-the-Dashboard_20120516T152831.pdf

4) http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1505

5) https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/fd/ec/

6) https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgb.asp

7) https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2018/09/18/california-gov-brown-signs-bill-banning-for-profit-charter-schools-will-it-really-do-that/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.92358de2fa50