History's most celebrated playwright isn't who you think he is.

Forget the stuffy portrait of Shakespeare you suffered through in high school - turns out the Bard was tracking audience reactions like a Netflix algorithm, surviving political dangers that got his colleagues executed, and running Renaissance London's most savvy multimedia enterprise. Welcome to "Shakespeare 360°" – where what you learned in English class was just 37° of the full picture (that's one degree for each of his plays).

In this academic deep dive (that's actually fun!), distinguished Shakespeare scholar Professor Gary Taylor takes us backstage to reveal:

• The most important day in Shakespeare’s career - one that changed it’s trajectory entirely
• Why Shakespeare meticulously tracked audience laughter like a proto-Silicon Valley product manager (and how it made him rich)
• The character name change that literally saved Shakespeare's head when his colleagues weren't so lucky
• How AI and algorithms are helping to study every word to make sense of them all
• The bizarre train scheduling conspiracy still trapping Shakespeare fans in Stratford-upon-Avon overnight (400 years later!)

Whether you're a literary buff, business strategist, or just someone who remembers dozing through Romeo and Juliet in 10th grade, this episode reveals why Shakespeare's works still captivate us centuries later. As Professor Taylor puts it, Shakespeare shows us that "the universe is bigger than we are... and so we'll never get bored with it."

This bonus episode features the full interview that was highlighted in the April 23rd DayStrider episode: A Midsummer Night Mistake, with additional insights and stories that didn't make the original cut. Perfect for sharing with students, colleagues, or anyone who appreciates a deeper look at creative genius.

Links:

• Professor Gary Taylor at Florida State University
• Various works written and/or edited by Gary Taylor

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