Dark Lady of the Sonnets, The

Synopsis: Radio play about an imaginary adventure between William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth. It was originally written in 1910 by George Bernard Shaw in aid of the scheme for a National Theatre. In the play the Man Shakespear [sic] goes to the palace to meet the Dark Lady to whom he addressed his sonnets of love, only to find instead the Queen herself taking a walk before retiring. He is so fascinated by her-- keeps writing down her bon mots-- that he does not notice the approach of the Dark Lady, who is furiously jealous and gives them both a drubbing in the dark. Both poet and Queen meet in agreement that man does not live by bread alone.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Radio
Transmission details: 22 Apr 1938 at 21:35 (Channel: BBC National Programme)
Duration: 40 mins

Producer

Peter Creswell

Writer

George Bernard Shaw

Contributor

George Bernard Shaw

Cast

Notes: The copy of the original broadcast held at the British Library Sound Archive is incomplete.
The broadcast was repeated on 15 July 1938 with a different cast that included Marius Goring as Shakespeare, Lena Ashwell as Elizabeth and Mary Hinton as the Dark Lady.
General: The prologue to the play was specifically written for the broadcast. It was spoken by Shaw himself, who, as the Radio Times programme notes suggest, "happens to be the possessor of one of the most attractive of all microphone voices". (April 8, 1938, p. 5)
Textual information: The full text of Shaw’s The Dark Lady of the Sonnets is available online at the EServer Drama and Theatre website:
http://drama.eserver.org/plays/modern/dark-lady-of-the-sonnets/preface.html

British Universities Film & Video Council