Simon Schama's Shakespeare

Simon Schama explores the life and times of William Shakespeare to shed a new and fascinating light on some of the greatest plays ever written. He asks the question: "What came first, Englishness, or Shakespeare's idea of it?" and produces a persuasive argument in favour of the latter.

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Created By	Simon Schama
Status	Ended
Original Name	Simon Schama's Shakespeare
First Air Date	June 22, 2012
Last Air Date	June 29, 2012
Seasons	1
Episodes	2
Episode Runtime	59min
Language	English
Original Language	English
Production Countries	United Kingdom
Production Companies	Oxford Film and Television BBC
Networks	BBC Two

S01E02

Hollow Crowns

Simon Schama explores Shakespeare’s attitude to the other great subject of his day - Kingship. He asks how far Shakespeare’s most profound tragedies, including Richard II, Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear, were inspired by his own experience of writing for the courts of Elizabeth and James I.

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