This is talk with James Shapiro of Columbia University on his recent book, ‘Shakespeare in a Divided America’. This conversation covers highlights of Shapiro’s book on the influence of Shakespeare in American thought and on the minds of such American leaders as John Quincy Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, and Henry Cabot Lodge. The book also examines how Shakespeare appears in American history and how Shakespearean material weighs in on such matters as race, immigration, and gender. From the Astor Place riots in the 19th century to the hullabaloo over the portrayal of a Trump look alike at the Delacorte theatre, this book also shows how Shakespearean performance exposes a range of divisive conflicts in the American consciousness. This talk also cover Shapiro’s prior work on Shakespeare’s life, antisemitism in Shakespeare, and the question of Shakespearean authorship. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:47 - Overview of ‘Shakespeare in a Divided America’ 00:06:57 - John Quincy Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, and ‘Othello’ 00:11:08 - Why Shakespeare in America? 00:13:56 - Astor Place Riots, Shakespeare competition, unruly behavior 00:21:30 - Shakespeare in prison 00:26:39 - Henry Cabot Lodge, ‘The Tempest’, and immigration 00:32:47 - Kiss Me Kate, post war American and marriage 00:34:59 - LGBTQ and ‘Shakespeare in Love’ 00:38:39 - Joel Coen’s ‘Macbeth’, using film in pedagogy 00:40:23 - Trump as Caesar at the Delacorte 00:43:33 - James Shapiro’s history as a Shakespearean, theatre goer 00:46:22 - The transformation experience of theatre going 00:48:30 - The Shakespearean authorship question and the Supreme Court 00:54:58 - Following one’s own path in Shakespeare studies 00:56:58 - Future research, African-American Shylock, multicultural Shakespeare 01:01:25 - Theatre in Ireland 01:04:49 - Closing remarks