The BBC Television Shakespeare

1. S01E01Romeo & JulietDecember 3, 1978—Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny where civil blood make
2. S01E02King Richard the SecondDecember 10, 1978—Richard II, who ascended the throne as a child, is a regal and stately monarch. He believes he is the rightful ruler of England, ordained by
3. S01E03As You Like ItDecember 17, 1978—Orlando is forced to work like a servant for his brother Oliver, so he goes to win his fortune in a wrestling contest, where he meets a lady
4. S01E04Julius CaesarFebruary 11, 1979—Marcus Brutus is Caesar's close friend and a Roman praetor. Brutus allows himself to be cajoled into joining a group of conspiring senators
5. S01E05Measure for MeasureFebruary 18, 1979—When the Duke of Vienna takes a mysterious leave of absence and leaves the strict Angelo in charge, things couldn't be worse for Claudio, wh
6. S01E06The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the EightFebruary 25, 1979—Henry is a proud monarch who flies in the face of the church in seeking to divorce Queen Katherine and marry Anne Bullen. As Cardinal Wolsey
7. S01E07The First Part of King Henry the Fourth with the Life and Death of Henry Surnamed HotspurDecember 9, 1979—Henry Bolingbroke has now been crowned King of England, but faces a rebellion headed by the embittered Earl of Northumberland and his son (n
8. S01E08The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth containing his Death: and the Coronation of King Henry the FiftDecember 16, 1979—King Henry's health is failing as a second rebellion against his reign threatens to surface. Intent on securing his legacy, he is uncertain
9. S01E09The Life of Henry the FifthDecember 23, 1979—Insulted by the Dauphin, the newly-crowned Henry V gathers his troops for war. But Henry must convince his men that he has left his wild day
10. S01E10Twelfth NightJanuary 6, 1980—Viola and Sebastian are lookalike twins, separated by a shipwreck. Viola lands in Illyria, where she disguises herself like her brother and
11. S01E11The TempestFebruary 27, 1980—Prospero, the true Duke of Milan, is now living on an enchanted island with his daughter Miranda, the savage Caliban and Ariel, a spirit of
12. S01E12Hamlet, Prince of DenmarkMay 25, 1980—Hamlet returns home from university to find his uncle married to his mother, and his father's ghost haunting the battlements and scaring the
13. S01E13The Taming of the ShrewOctober 23, 1980—Baptista has two daughters: Katherine and Bianca. Everyone wants to wed the fair Bianca, but nobody's much interested in problem child, Kath
14. S01E14The Merchant of VeniceDecember 17, 1980—Antonio's best friend, Bassiano, is in love with Portia, a wise and wealthy heiress, and needs three thousand ducats to press his suit. Wit
15. S01E15All's Well That Ends WellJanuary 4, 1981—Helena loves Bertram, but he's of noble birth, while she's just a doctor's daughter. But Bertram is at the court of the King of France, who
16. S01E16The Winter's TaleFebruary 8, 1981—King Leontes of Bohemia suspects his wife, Queen Hermione, of deceiving him with his good friend Polixenes. Leontes drives Polixenes out of
17. S01E17Timon of AthensApril 16, 1981—Ancient Athenian Timon is well-known for his generosity - his many friends come to all his parties and like to get presents from him. But th
18. S01E18Antony and CleopatraMay 8, 1981—Octavius Caesar (later known as Augustus), Mark Antony, and Lepidus form a triumvirate to rule the Roman Empire. Antony will rule in the eas
19. S01E19OthelloOctober 4, 1981—Set in 16th-century Venice and Cyprus, Othello the Moor, a noble black warrior in the Venetian army, has secretly married a beautiful white
20. S01E20Troilus and CressidaNovember 7, 1981—The bitter Trojan War drags on - the Greeks blame Achilles' apathy for low morale, while Troy's hero Hector challenges one of the enemy to a
21. S01E21A Midsummer Night's DreamDecember 13, 1981—Hermia is in love with Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. To escape the arranged marriage, she and Lysander elope into t
22. S01E22King LearSeptember 19, 1982—When England's ageing King Lear renounces his throne to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, treachery, madness and murder soon fol
23. S01E23The Merry Wives of WindsorDecember 28, 1982—When Sir John Falstaff decides that he wants to have a little fun he writes two letters to a pair of Window wives: Mistress Ford and Mistres
24. S01E24The First Part of Henry the SixthJanuary 2, 1983—Following the death of his father, Henry V, the young Henry VI is proclaimed king under the protectorship of his uncles, the Dukes of Glouce
25. S01E25The Second Part of Henry the SixthJanuary 9, 1983—Dissension is rife in the English court. Suffolk's influence intensifies. The fractious English nobles unite in their common aim to get rid
26. S01E26The Third Part of Henry the SixthJanuary 16, 1983—With Richard Plantagenet on the throne of England, the Yorkists confront the Lancastrians. King Henry agrees to York's demand that he disinh
27. S01E27The Tragedy of Richard IIIJanuary 23, 1983—Richard Duke of Gloucester, youngest brother of King Edward IV, will stop at nothing to get the crown. He first convinces the ailing King th
28. S01E28CymbelineJuly 10, 1983—Cymbeline, the King of Britain, is angry that his daughter Imogen has chosen a poor (but worthy) man for her husband. So he banishes Posthum
29. S01E29MacbethNovember 5, 1983—Shakespeare's dark tragedy tells of ambition and guilt amidst a background of regicide, violence and the supernatural. When a trio of witche
30. S01E30The Comedy of ErrorsDecember 24, 1983—Aegeon of Syracuse has come to Ephesus to seek his son, who went in search of his missing twin and mother months ago. Too bad that Ephesus h
31. S01E31The Two Gentlemen of VeronaDecember 27, 1983—Two great friends leave Verona for Milan, Valentine with great enthusiasm and Proteus unwillingly, as he will have to leave his recently-bet
32. S01E32The Tragedy of CoriolanusApril 21, 1984—A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
33. S01E33The Life & Death of King JohnNovember 24, 1984—King Richard I, the revered 'Lionheart', is dead. His brother John has become King of England, but the French argue that the throne should b
34. S01E34Pericles, Prince of TyreDecember 8, 1984—When Prince Pericles, visiting Antioch, discovers the dreaded answer to King Antiochus's riddle, he flees for his life straight into famine,
35. S01E35Much Ado About NothingDecember 22, 1984—Benedick and Beatrice fight their merry war of words. But when Beatrice's friend, Hero, is humiliatingly jilted by Benedick's best friend, C
36. S01E36Love's Labour's LostJanuary 5, 1985—A scholarly king and his three companions swear off the society of women for three years, only to have a diplomatic visit from a French prin
37. S01E37Titus AndronicusApril 27, 1985—Having subdued the Goths, warrior Titus Andronicus returns to Rome to bury his sons, with Gothic Queen Tamora and her retinue as captives. T

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