Shakespeare Uncovered

I happened onto an installment of Shakespeare Uncovered on PBS this past Friday. What manner of show is this? I found it riveting. Looking around for an explanation, I discovered Nancy DeWolf Smith’s explanation in Friday’s Wall Street Journal:

If the marvelous “Shakespeare Uncovered” had been around when all of us were first introduced to the Bard, the world might be a better place, or at least a happier one. Here, in fresh and exciting ways, some of Shakespeare’s greatest works are examined and, yes, revealed, in ways that will make all but the expert fan rush to read or see them again.

The three-part, six-hour PBS series picks up this week with Derek Jacobi investigating “Richard II,” followed by Jeremy Irons exploring the worlds of “Henry IV” and “Henry V.”

The video below has Jeremy Irons presenting Henry IV and Henry V. As with each of the installments, there is more right than wrong and it cannot help but push you back toward the text. Smith calls it “a royal feast,” and I do believe she is on the mark. This is great stuff, beautifully produced.

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