When I think of Shakespeare, he is inextricably linked to the great ruler, Queen Elizabeth I. Most of Shakespeare's plays that I am familiar with were written during the time of Queen Elizabeth. But what happened to Shakespeare after the Queen died? This movie tells all about Shakespeare after Queen Elizabeth's death when he now found himself a subject of the King (King James of bible fame, in fact). It is fascinating to see how things changed for Shakespeare. This documentary goes into much detail about this and I found all of it very intriguing.
The plays that Shakespeare wrote during King James' rule were in a lot of ways very different. They were darker. Shakespeare also continued to use his plays to comment on the politics and current events of King James' time. It was absolutely fascinating to see how he used old stories in order to bring his comments before his audiences.
This documentary is very well done. It is narrated by James Shapiro, a noted scholar who is very much familiar with Shakespeare and his life and his work. Using clips from productions of Shakespeare's play, Shapiro brings Shakespeare under King James to life!
This dvd also includes a BBC production of Macbeth, which is very good!
Overall, I really enjoyed this documentary. History lovers and Shakespeare lovers will both really enjoy this one!
***All of the above opinions are my own. I received this video in exchange for an honest review***
Having read all of Shakespeare's work, I would enjoy this. I am a history channel addict! Awesome review!
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