Teeming with experts in manipulation – from Machiavellian villains like Iago and Richard III, to more playful tricksters like Puck and Viola – William Shakespeare’s plays offer a surprising and fresh perspective on the art of social engineering. Via a deep analysis of the language and actions of these characters, we will explore Shakespeare’s skill in pretexting, spearphishing and baiting. With his mastery of the English language and appreciation of human psychology, there’s still a lot to learn from Shakespeare.
John Ridpath is Head of Product at Decoded. Most recently, he has worked on creating Hacker in a Day: a one day course designed to initiate non-technical audiences into the world of cybersecurity. Having studied an MA in Shakespeare at UCL, his early career spanned software development, journalism and lecturing.