Episode #17: Dogs, Cats, Monkeys, and the pets of Shakespeare's England | An interview with Jennifer Jorm

In Shakespeare's play, Two Gentlemen of Verona, one character has a pet dog. The dog's name is Crab. The part in the play is very small, but remains included by Shakespeare, which leads to some interesting questions about animals and their role in Shakespeare's history. He must have included Crab strategically, but why? Animals in history are connected mostly to farming, agriculture, and perhaps display by royalty to demonstrate their vast exploits into trade and international travel. However, when it comes to the companion animal, the pet dog or cat, I invited Jennifer Jorm, to visit with us today and talk about whether Shakespeare, or his contemporaries, would have had pets, and what the audience's reaction would have been to seeing a character on stage with a pet dog like Crab.