Simon Schama's Shakespeare BBC2, BBC HD, Friday 29th June 9pm - 10pm “Shakespeare lived in an age when writing was a dangerous game: Christopher Marlowe was murdered, Thomas Kidd tortured and Ben Johnson thrown into jail,“ says Simon Schama. Yet Shakespeare was so inspired by observing Elizabeth I and James I that he wrote plays exploring themes of power and ambition while depicting kings who were murderers or mad — and, amazingly, he got away with it.
To appreciate his audacity, Schama suggests we imagine a Royal Command performance for the Queen “featuring a naked, demented bag lady version of herself, shuffling among the homeless, raving and crying.” There’s a thought.
The historian presents the concluding documentary tracing Shakespeare's enduring popularity back to his own times, asking how far his tragedies were inspired by his experiences of writing for the courts of Elizabeth I and James I. Schama considers whether the monarchs' frailty, vanity and self-obsession would have allowed the Bard to probe deep into the royal mind, allowing him to explore the great themes of power and ambition - and resulting in the creation of such powerful characters as Richard II, Macbeth and King Lear. Actors including Judi Dench, Simon Russell Beale and Harriet Walter deliver Shakespeare's words.
Presenter Simon Schama
Contributor Judi Dench
Contributor Simon Russell Beale
Contributor Tobias Menzies
Contributor Roger Allam
Contributor Harriet Walter
Director Ashley Gething
Radiotimes
