In a year of plagues, power struggles and star-crossed lovers divided by lockdown, Anne McElvoy asks James Shapiro, author of “Shakespeare in a Divided America”, what the bard would make of it all. Shakespeare is claimed by Americans of all political stripes. But how can a lad from 16th-century Stratford-upon-Avon illuminate the past and future of the republic now? Plus, what the president might teach the professor about Shakespeare’s work. And, Shapiro prescribes a verse for the trials and tribulations of 2020.

For more on the pandemic, see The Economist's coronavirus hub.

Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/radiooffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.