William Shakespeare

This video tells the story of Shakespeare and his works. Featuring delightful dramatized extracts from some of Shakespeare’s best-known plays, the program also includes memorable depictions of life in Elizabethan times. The program also features expert commentary and critical analysis by Stanley Wells, Director of the Shakespeare Institute, and Robert Smallwood, Deputy Director of the Shakespeare Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The well-regarded Shakespearean actor Brian Blessed also makes a special appearance in this program

This video is an introduction to William Shakespeare's life and works from the Famous Authors series begins at the author's childhood home in Stratford and tours the institutions of the town and country that would have been part of Shakespeare's life. The film follows the 23-year-old writer to London, providing a picture of the city in Elizabethan and Jacobean England when Shakespeare went to make his success in the theater. Tension between the Catholics and Protestants marked the time, and the film explores these conditions and the world of the theater, with all its major players, patrons, and buildings of the era. (45 minutes)

This video gives 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 around Warwickshire, featuring Shakespeare’s birthplace, the baptismal font and tomb at Trinity Church, the King Edward VI Grammar School, Anne Hathaway’s cottage, Shottery, Wilmcote, Kenilworth Castle, the Mary Arden Farm, and many other significant locations. (42 minutes)