Expert interviews, dramatic reconstructions and location shooting bring to life the iconic legend of Egyptian Queen Cleopatra in this historical documentary.
Ophelia comes of age as lady-in-waiting for Queen Gertrude, and her singular spirit captures Hamlet's affections. As lust and betrayal threaten the kingdom, Ophelia finds herself trapped between true love and controlling her own destiny.
The aging Caesar finds himself intrigued by the young Egyptian queen. Adapted by George Bernard Shaw from his own play.
Mel Gibson teaches Hamlet to a group of high school drama students.
While enjoying his relationship with Cleopatra, Antony neglects his Roman responsibilities, angering Octavian Caesar. Cleopatra rejoices when Antony's wife dies, but Antony's desire for political advancement leads him to marry Caesar's sister. The fragile peace that emerges is short-lived, as Antony returns to Egypt, leading to full-scale war.
Young Richard of Gloucester uses the chaos of the Wars of the Roses to begin his unscrupulous climb to power in this classic Shakespearean history of a king in the throes of jealousy and murder. Despite being manifestly unfit to govern, he overcomes each obstacle in his way to seize the crown, as King Richard III. But as those around him turn against him, and as his plans begin to unravel, where else can he turn as the Lancastrian opposition returns to drag the country into battle once more and put an end to Richard’s tyrannical rule. Richard III is a savagely comic analysis of the exercise of power, reminding us of the dangers of tyranny and our duty not to let it go unchecked.
One fateful night in a small English regional theatre during World War II a troupe of touring actors stage a production of Shakespeares King Lear. Bombs are falling, sirens are wailing, the curtain is up in an hour but the actor/manager Sir who is playing Lear is nowhere to be seen. His dresser Norman must scramble to keep the production alive but will Sir turn up in time and if he does will he be able to perform that night? The Dresser is a wickedly funny and deeply moving story of friendship and loyalty as Sir reflects on his lifelong accomplishments and seeks to reconcile his turbulent friendships with those in his employ before the final curtain.
The assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and his fellow Senators has tragic consequences for the idealist and the republic.
Television adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
Don Pedro and his men (Teddy Roosevelt Roughriders) have returned from the wars. After Beatrice turns down his proposal, Don Pedro decides to matchmake her with Benedick (her former boyfriend), but she being an independent-minded, bicycle-riding Suffragette type, it's going to take a bit of trickery.
In 54 B.C. Julius Caesar seeks to solidify his position in Rome by putting down a rebellion in Gaul led by a tribal chieftain named Vercingetorix. Vercingetorix has rallied many tribes to his cause, including one led by the beautiful Queen Asterid and others who'd once pledged allegiance to Rome.
Henry IV is dead and Hal is King. With England in a state of unrest, he must leave his rebellious youth behind, striving to gain the respect of his nobility and people. Laying claim to parts of France and following an insult from the French Dauphin, Henry gathers his troops and prepares for a war that he hopes will unite his country. Gregory Doran continues his exploration of Shakespeare's History Plays with Henry V performed in the 600th anniversary year of the Battle of Agincourt. Following his performance as Hal in Henry IV Parts I & II Alex Hassell returns as Henry V.
In this abridged television production, Lear vows revenge against his conniving daughters after they try to take swift control of his power.
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.
Scotland, 11th century. Driven by the twisted prophecy of three witches and the ruthless ambition of his wife, warlord Macbeth, bold and brave, but also weak and hesitant, betrays his good king and his brothers in arms and sinks into the bloody mud of a path with no return, sown with crime and suspicion.
An irascible Shakespeare scholar with early onset dementia communicates with her caretaker daughter using the only language available to her, the text of King Lear, as the two struggle with aging, love, and their own balance of power.
A Scottish warlord and his wife murder their way to a pair of crowns.
Four young people escape Athens to a forest where the king and queen of the fairies are quarreling, while meanwhile, a troupe of amateur actors rehearses a play. When the fairy Puck uses a magic flower to make people fall in love, the whole thing becomes a little bit confused...
David McVicar's production of Verdi's 1847 opera Macbeth.
Take That, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings and many more perform live from Windsor Castle in celebration of Their Majesties' coronation.