Shakespeare's Restless World

Episodes

EpisodeTitleFirst
Broadcast
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01England Goes Global2012041620121008 (BBC7)
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How Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe changed the way Shakespeare's audiences viewed the world and their country's place on it.

For the first time, England was engaging with the whole world.

First in an object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

Assessing the impact of Sir Francis Drake's Circumnavigation Medal.

Drake's Circumnavigation Medal. Neil MacGregor uses objects of the time to explore Shakespeare's turbulent world. From 2012.

02Communion And Conscience2012041720121009 (BBC7)
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The Stratford Chalice. The communion cup that Shakespeare may well have used, sheds light on the dramatic religious changes that came in the aftermath of the Reformation

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

Neil MacGregor uses the Stratford Chalice to explore the world in Shakespeare's time.

A communion cup possibly used by the Bard sheds light on dramatic religious changes in the Reformation's aftermath. From 2012.

03Snacking Through Shakespeare2012041820121010 (BBC7)
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Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

A fork found on the site of the Rose Theatre reveals what people ate in the Bard's time.

A fork discovered on the site of the Rose Theatre shows what people ate in the William Shakespeare's turbulent time. From 2012.

04Life Without Elizabeth2012041920121011 (BBC7)
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A portrait was painted in 1571 to justify and celebrate Elizabeth I's position in the Tudor succession.

Yet by the 1590s, with no direct Tudor heir, this image had very different implications in Shakespeare's Restless World.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

The story behind a portrait justifying Elizabeth I's position in the Tudor succession.

Neil MacGregor uses a 1571 painting of Elizabeth I to explore what life was like in Shakespeare's turbulent world. From 2012.

05Swordplay And Swagger2012042020121012 (BBC7)
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The essential accoutrements of any self-respecting gentleman - the rapier and the dagger- show us the extent of violence in Elizabethan London - both onstage and off.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

Neil MacGregor explores the essential accoutrements of any self-respecting gentleman.

What the rapier and the dagger, worn by all gentlemen, tell us about the levels of violence in Elizabethan London. From 2012.

06Europe: Triumphs Of The Past2012042320121015 (BBC7)
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As a tourist attraction in Westminster Abbey, Henry V's instruments of battle reflect the view of English history as depicted on the Elizabeth stage.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

What Henry V's armoury tells us about the depiction of history on the Elizabeth stage.

Neil MacGregor shows what Henry V's armoury tells us about the depiction of history on the Elizabeth stage. From 2012.

07Ireland: Failures In The Present2012042420121016 (BBC7)
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A rare woodcut offers a equally rare visual impression of the troubles and tragedies of Elizabethan Ireland.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

A rare woodcut offers an insight into the troubles and tragedies of Elizabethan Ireland.

Neil MacGregor explains how a rare woodcut reveals the troubles and tragedies of Elizabethan Ireland. From 2012.

08City Life, Urban Strife2012042520121017 (BBC7)
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The life of London's apprentices and Shakespeare's groundlings told through a rare woollen cap.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

Neil MacGregor explores life in Shakespeare's London through an apprentice's woollen cap.

Neil MacGregor explores the life of London's apprentices and Shakespeare's groundlings through a rare woollen cap. From 2012.

09New Science, Old Magic2012042620121018 (BBC7)
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Dr Dee's Mirror was actually a highly polished disk of black obsidian from Mexico but it reflects the Elizabethan fascination with the new sciences of cosmology and astrology.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

A disc of black obsidian from Mexico reflects the Elizabethan fascination with astrology.

Neil MacGregor reveals how a black obsidian disc from Mexico reflects the Elizabethan fascination with astrology. From 2012.

10Toil And Trouble2012042720121019 (BBC7)
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The differences between Scottish and English witches are revealed by a model ship, made to be hung in a church.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

A model ship hung in a church reveals the differences between Scottish and English witches

Neil MacGregor explains how a model ship hung in a church, reveals differences between Scottish and English witches. From 2012.

11Treason And Plots2012043020121022 (BBC7)
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A tabloid history of Shakespeare's England, told through a collection of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth I and James I.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

Tabloid history of Shakespeare's England via contemporary accounts of royal murder plots.

Neil MacGregor's Shakespearean tabloid history of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth I and James I. From 2012.

12Sex And The City2012050120121023 (BBC7)
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A delicate glass goblet reveals the twin seductions of Venice: its sought after luxuries and its equally sought after lecherous women.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

Neil MacGregor on how a delicate glass goblet reveals the twin seductions of Venice.

Neil MacGregor on how a goblet reveals Venice's twin seductions - its luxuries and sought-after lecherous women. From 2012.

13From London To Marrakech2012050220121024 (BBC7)
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Sunken gold from West Africa sheds light on the complex relationship Elizabethan England had with the Moors of the Mediterranean.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

Sunken gold from West Africa sheds light on England's complex relationship with the Moors.

Neil MacGregor on African gold's complex connection between Elizabethan England and the Moors of the Mediterranean. From 2012.

14Disguise And Deception2012050320121025 (BBC7)
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Deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen are all unpacked via a pedlar's trunk.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

A pedlar's trunk reveals deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen.

Neil MacGregor reveals deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen, all unpacked via a pedlar's trunk. From 2012.

15The Flag That Failed2012050420121026 (BBC7)
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The problems in uniting Scotland and England and in creating a Great Britain are encapsulated in a set of designs for a common flag.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

The problems in creating a Great Britain are encapsulated in designs for a common flag.

Neil MacGregor on the problems in uniting Scotland and England encapsulated in a set of designs for a common flag. From 2012.

16A Time Of Change, A Change Of Time2012050720121029 (BBC7)
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A rare domestic clock with an equally rare minute hand and quarter-hour chimes reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

A striking clock reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time.

Neil MacGregor reveals how a musical striking clock changed the relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time. From May 2012.

17Plague And The Playhouse2012050820121030 (BBC7)
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May 1603 saw not only a new king but the worst plague outbreak since the Black Death. Its impact and reach is told through a series of early seventeenth century proclamations.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

Early 17th-century proclamations reveal the impact of the 1603 plague outbreak.

Neil MacGregor reveals the impact of the plague of 1603 through a series of early 17th-century proclamations. From May 2012.

18London Becomes Rome2012050920121031 (BBC7)
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A set of designs for the Coronation Procession of James I reveals the extent of classical knowledge amongst Shakespeare's audience.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

Neil MacGregor surveys the triumphal arches created for James I's entry into London.

Neil MacGregor surveys the triumphal arches created for James I's entry into London in 1604. From May 2012

19The Theatres Of Cruelty2012051020121101 (BBC7)
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A human eyeball in a silver setting provides a striking insight to the theatre of cruelty in Elizabethan and Jacobean Britain.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

A human eyeball in a silver setting gives a striking insight into the theatre of cruelty.

A human eyeball in a silver setting gives a striking insight into the theatre of cruelty in Shakespearean time. From May 2012.

20Shakespeare Goes Global2012051120121102 (BBC7)
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The publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623 began the process of turning an early modern playwright into a global phenomenon.

An annotated copy of the Collected Works of Shakespeare reveals the extent to which Shakespeare has inspired and influenced audiences across the globe and through the ages.

Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

How a folio of collected plays in 1623 began the creation of a global phenomenon.

From first folio to the 'Robben Island Bible', Neil MacGregor shows how Shakespeare became a global phenomenon. From May 2012.