In Shakespeare's life, tobacco, ale, beer, & even chocolate were being brought to England for the first time with an enormous impact on society, culture and as we will hear today: even a significant impact on the theater. Phil Withington joins us today to talk about intoxicants and to explain what we can tell about the use of alcohol and tobacco in Shakespeare’s plays when we understand what kind of reputation these new intoxicants held in the 16th century.