Simon Schama’s Shakespeare

In this two part series, Simon Schama argues that it is impossible to understand how Shakespeare came to belong ‘to all time,’ without understanding just how much he was of his time. In his histories and tragedies, Shakespeare explored questions we are all still asking ourselves today. What is this England? What makes this Nation? Behind the mask of royalty who are our Kings and Queens?

"...a riveting tour-de-force... As always, Schama's scripts have been razor sharp, with not a wasted word... What he does best though is convey both expertise and a real and personal human passion for his subject. Enthusiasm is a rare and valuable commodity - and he has it in spades. Schama doesn't do TV about things he doesn't love, but while he communicated that love brilliantly he always seems to put the subject first..."

The Guardian