Classical Stuff You Should Know

One of our last episodes elicited more listener emails than we've ever received, and a fair bit of consternation. We address a little of that here.

In the fourth installment of the Plantagenet series, we learn about Edward Longshanks and his son, Edward Shortshanks.

Take just a short pause from smooching, listener to aurally imbibe these ancient tales of ardent amory. .

The first book of Cicero's "On Duty" concerns what is morally right for men to do. The second is what is expedient, or how to get what you want. Cicero isn't exactly a face-melter, so it's easier to get the synopsis here than it is to read on your own (don't let me stop you, just don't say I didn't warn ya).

In Milton's Paradise Lost, the demons hold council after the fall to decide their next course of action. Three demons stand and make suggestions. We discuss their infernal ideas.

Turns out that the heretics weren't usually burned at the stake. Sure, sometimes they got punched in the mouth by Santa, but most of the time they lived happy lives. Let's chat about em.

Cicero was a legendary statesman and orator. He wrote a treatise on moral philosophy to his son in the hopes that his son would follow in his footsteps. In this episode, we review part one (with parts two and three to come), and make a few poop jokes. Heh. Doody.

Hamlet is a complicated play, and probably, besides the star-crossed-lovers, his most famous. Graeme helps us understand Hamlet's web of lies.

All those tests you take on the internet might be helpful, but we take some serious beef with the Meyers-Briggs test and its implications.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Classical Stuff! In this episode, we fight through the background noise of a vigorous floor buffing to bring you tales of Ol' Saint Nicholas, who was real. . . and leaks.

We discuss whether the classical movement, or even a preference for old things (books especially), is really just veiled chronological snobbery.

Thucydides wrote down, best he could, the funeral oration of Pericles, one of the greatest rulers(ish) of Athens. You'll hear the whole thing, then we discuss.

Satire: can it ever be virtuous? We submit that it can.

William Blake was a printer and a precursor to the Romantics. In this episode, we discuss his "Marriage of Heaven and Hell."

As the history of the Brits continues, so does our podcast about it. In this episode, Graeme tells us about how Edward's shanks were indeed long.