Is Shakespeare History? The Plantagenets
In Our Time
BBC
4.6 • 9.9K Ratings
🗓️ 11 October 2018
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the first of two programmes marking In Our Time's 20th anniversary on 15th October, Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Shakespeare's versions of history, starting with the English Plantagenets. His eight plays from Richard II to Richard III were written out of order, in the Elizabethan era, and have had a significant impact on the way we see those histories today. In the second programme, Melvyn discusses the Roman plays.
The image above is of Richard Burton (1925 - 1984) as Henry V in the Shakespeare play of the same name, from 1951
With
Emma Smith Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford
Gordon McMullan Professor of English at King’s College London and Director of the London Shakespeare Centre
And
Katherine Lewis Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Huddersfield
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the BBC. |
| 0:02.0 | Thanks for downloading this episode of In Our Time. |
| 0:05.0 | There's a reading list to go with it on our website. |
| 0:07.0 | And you can get news about our programs if you follow us on Twitter at BBC In Our Time. |
| 0:12.0 | I hope you enjoyed the programs. |
| 0:14.0 | Hello, Henry V. Richard III, Margaret von Wuzhou, |
| 0:17.0 | that we remember them at all is substantially thanks to Shakespeare. |
| 0:21.0 | He reworked the story of my tangents from the fall and death of Richard II in 1400 |
| 0:27.0 | to the death in 1485 of Richard III. |
| 0:30.0 | His version came to dominate perceptions of that last sense of the Middle Ages, |
| 0:34.0 | what was important and why one action led to another. |
| 0:37.0 | But is Shakespeare history? |
| 0:39.0 | And what impact have his reimagining had? |
| 0:41.0 | That's what we're discussing over two programs as we marked the 20th anniversary of In Our Time. |
| 0:46.0 | Now we have the Plantagenets. |
| 0:48.0 | Next week is the Roman place. |
| 0:50.0 | We're going to discuss Shakespeare and his Plantagenet histories are Amasmith, |
| 0:53.0 | Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hartford College University of Oxford, |
| 0:57.0 | Gordon McMullen, Professor of English Kings College London, |
| 1:00.0 | and Director of the London Shakespeare Center, |
| 1:02.0 | and Catherine Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Huddersfield. |
| 1:06.0 | Catherine Lewis, which phrase are we going to talk about and when will they written? |
... |
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