Episode 2

Synopsis: Second in a three-part docuseries on the life and work of William Shakespeare, combining interviews with drama vignettes.

2. A 30-year-old Shakespeare is at the top of his game: he’s got a job at England’s best theatre company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and the money is rolling in. Determined to restore his family’s reputation, Shakespeare works harder than ever, producing hit after hit: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry IV and Julius Caesar.

But as his star rises, a series of tragedies strike. Shakespeare’s life, purpose and family are thrown into chaos, and he begins to question if his new life is worth the sacrifice.

The series features interviews with Dame Judi Dench, Brian Cox, Adrian Lester, Lolita Chakrabarti, Helen Mirren, Martin Freeman and Jessie Buckley, alongside academics and writers James Shapiro, Ewan Fernie, Jeanette Winterson, Brenda Hale, The Baroness Hale of Richmond, Gordon Brown, Jeremy O’Harris and Professor Farah Karim-Cooper. The series is narrated by Juliet Stevenson.
Series: Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Television
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Subjects: Drama; History; Shakespeare
Keywords: biographies; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)