A BBC 4 TV series about how Shakespeare developed after 1603 and the death of Queen Elizabeth I.
His plays reflect the turbulence of the reign of James I, with the Gunpowder Plot, Enclosures of land, and James's need to legitimise his position as rightful king of England, united with Scotland.
Plays such as Measure for Measure (corruption and lawlessness) , Timon of Athens (money and greed), and King Lear (inheritance and divided kingdoms. Then the theme of 'equivocation' with Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus, the commander who couldn't equivocate, and didn't win the love of his people.
Food for thought.
Finally the third episode - Legacy, includes The Winters Tale, The Tempest and Henry VIII, in collaboration with John Fletcher. In parallel with James's concerns about the survival of his dynasty, the death of his very popular son, Prince Henry, after bathing in the Thames, and the marriage of his daughter Elisabeth to the King of Bohemia. She became known as the Winter Queen, after the couple were overthrown and exiled.
I has certainly helped me to see the plays in a wider context.
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