Veteran actor Christopher Plummer delves into one of the greatest tragedies - King Lear. Exploring the power and ethics of authority, King Lear is considered to be one of the most penetrating plays of the human psyche ever written. Plummer considers the original source material - the 8th Century King Leir - and asks why Shakespeare reworked it to give a much bleaker ending, going against dramatic conventions of the day.

One of the joys and challenges of being an actor is the unpredictable nature of what new character may enter your life for some period of time. But what about the actor who plays the same character on a television series year after year? What are his or her challenges? Is there a point where it’s hard for them or their audience, to know where the actor’s personality ends and the character’s begins? How does the actor deliver a believable and...

In this program, Michael Wood uncovers the story of Shakespeare's life in the "new age" of King James I. It is a riveting exploration of the circumstances that led to the penning of Macbeth and The Tempest - a play often seen as his farewell to the stage. However, we discover his true final play, King Henry VIII, is inspired by his own times, the story of the split that shook up his parents' lives and shaped his own. Even in his death, Shakespeare...

Shakespeare's tragic story of love, family feud, and double suicide is a masterwork woven with conflict, crisis, and counterstroke. In this program, prime scenes are dramatized and Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespearean experts Russell Jackson and Robert Smallwood dissect them and their major topics and themes. Discussed are the play's popular appeal; the importance of the balcony scene as core to the work; how the lovers' youth plays with modern audiences;...

This star-studded 1970 feature film production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar was the first full-color adaptation of the play. It tells the famous story of Caesar's assassination and the subsequent struggle between his friend and protege Marc Antony and the anti-Caesar conspirators, led by Brutus and Cassius. Charlton Heston stars as Marc Antony, as he did in a previous 1950 film. Jason Robards's understated performance as Brutus proved controversial....

The world over, teachers hear the lament "why do we have to study Shakespeare?" from their students. Here are the answers to that ubiquitous question. This densely packed and student-friendly program includes well-known examples from his plays and a look at his contribution to the English lexicon to demonstrate Shakespeare’s enduring impact on language and the study of literature.

This early sound adaptation of Shakespeare's classic comedy stars the legendary couple Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford as the feuding couple Katherine and Petruchio. Also starring Edwin Maxwell and Joseph Cawthorn.

An aromatic stew of biography and local color, this program will give viewers a sense of the London and Stratford of Shakespeare's time. The section on London visits 18 major sites associated with the Bard and his plays, including the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Middle Temple for law students, George Tavern, Southwark Cathedral, and the Globe Theatre site. The section on Stratford conjures up the presence of young Will through a journey...

For those about to study the play and for those who will never see or read it, here is a superbly acted paraphrase of Macbeth that concentrates on showing the excitement of Shakespeare's plot without the difficulties of his language or the complexities of psychological shadowing. Thus this version stresses the very elements that made Shakespeare so popular with the groundlings in his own day: a great story, touches of the supernatural, and lots of...