Shakespeare's Restless World
BBC Radio 4 Extra
Categories: Education
Listen to the last episode:
The publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623 began the process of turning an early modern playwright into a global phenomenon.
An annotated copy of the Collected Works of Shakespeare reveals the extent to which Shakespeare has inspired and influenced audiences across the globe and through the ages.
Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.
Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he explores how Elizabethan and Jacobean playgoers made sense of the unstable and rapidly changing world in which they lived.
With old certainties shifting around them, in a time of political and religious unrest and economic expansion, Neil asks what the plays would have meant to the public when they were first performed.
He uses carefully selected objects to explore the great issues of the day that preoccupied the public and helped shape the works, and he considers what they can reveal about the concerns and beliefs of Shakespearean England.
Producer: Paul Kobrak
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.
Previous episodes
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20 - 20. Shakespeare Goes Global Fri, 11 May 2012
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19 - 19. The Theatres of Cruelty Thu, 10 May 2012
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18 - 18. London Becomes Rome Wed, 09 May 2012
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17 - 17. Plague and the Playhouse Tue, 08 May 2012
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16 - 16. A Time of Change, a Change of Time Mon, 07 May 2012
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15 - 15. The Flag That Failed Fri, 04 May 2012
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14 - 14. Disguise and Deception Thu, 03 May 2012
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13 - 13. From London to Marrakech Wed, 02 May 2012
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12 - 12. Sex and the City Tue, 01 May 2012
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11 - 11. Treason and Plots Mon, 30 Apr 2012
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10 - 10. Toil and Trouble Fri, 27 Apr 2012
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9 - 9. New Science, Old Magic Thu, 26 Apr 2012
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8 - 8. City Life, Urban Strife Wed, 25 Apr 2012
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7 - 7. Ireland: Failures in the Present Tue, 24 Apr 2012
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6 - 6. Europe: Triumphs of the Past Mon, 23 Apr 2012
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5 - 5. Swordplay and Swagger Fri, 20 Apr 2012
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4 - 4. Life without Elizabeth Thu, 19 Apr 2012
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3 - 3. Snacking Through Shakespeare Wed, 18 Apr 2012
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2 - 2. Communion and Conscience Tue, 17 Apr 2012
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1 - 1. England Goes Global Mon, 16 Apr 2012