Shakespeare: Books/videos and links ABOUT Shakespeare

HCC Main Collection (3rd floor)

HCC main collection (3rd floor)

HCC Main Collection (3rd floor)

HCC Main Collection (3rd floor)

HCC Main Collection (3rd floor)

In this program, Michael Wood uncovers Shakespeare's rise to fame and fortune in Elizabethan London, and the disasters in life and love that marked his path to greatness. We meet Queen Elizabeth's public enemy number one: the missionary and poet, Robert Southwell, who had challenged poets to return to God. But rejecting the plea to write religious poetry, Shakespeare pens Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, cementing his place as England's greatest popular playwright. Part of the series In Search of Shakespeare, with Michael Wood.

In this program, Michael Wood uncovers the story of Shakespeare's life in the "new age" of King James I. It is a riveting exploration of the circumstances that led to the penning of Macbeth and The Tempest - a play often seen as his farewell to the stage. However, we discover his true final play, King Henry VIII, is inspired by his own times, the story of the split that shook up his parents' lives and shaped his own. Even in his death, Shakespeare remains mysterious as his will is riddled with a strange bequest to his wife. Part of the series In Search of Shakespeare, with Michael Wood.

Akala demonstrates and explores the connections between Shakespeare and Hip-Hop, and the wider cultural debate around language and its power.

“You’re a fishmonger!” By taking a closer look at Shakespeare’s words--specifically his insults--we see why he is known as a master playwright whose works transcend time and appeal to audiences all over the world.