Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius on ABC – For the 400th anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare’s First Folio, this three-part docu-drama series tells the incredible story of how a glover’s son from rural Stratford became the greatest writer who ever lived.
Deep diving into his life story, the place and time he inhabited, and the work he produced, this series reveals a dangerous and exciting world filled with bitter rivalries, rebellion, murder and deadly plague, that sparked and inspired Shakespeare’s creative genius.
Cinematic drama vignettes depict Shakespeare’s life, as a host of surprising and engaging storytellers narrate the series. Interviews include Oscar-winning actors, experts and academics, featuring the likes of Brian Cox, Judi Dench, Lolita Chakrabarti, Jessie Buckley, Gordon Brown, Adrian Lester, Helen Mirren and Martin Freeman.
Tracing Shakespeare’s life story, each episode reveals the multifarious ways the things Shakespeare saw, the people he met and the world he absorbed found its way into his work.
To bring his plays to life, interspersed throughout the series is archive of some of the world’s best screen adaptations.
Told in the present tense, like a thriller, the series captures the story of how a young boy, against all-of-the-odds, became the world’s most famous and enduring dramatist ever.
Shakespeare’s life and legacy is threatened when the Gunpowder Plot unearths a secret he has worked all his life to bury: his family are Catholics, traitors to the Crown.
When his daughter is implicated in the fallout, Shakespeare unleashes his most epic work to date: Macbeth, which appeals to the new monarch, King James I.
As Shakespeare teeters towards death, he reflects on his successes and failures, questioning family, forgiveness and mortality as his work is at risk of being lost forever.
Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius on ABC and ABC iview – Tuesday 23 April, 2024 at 9.30pm
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