Will Shakespeare - Season 1

First aired: 6/13/1978 6 episodes

A dramatisation of the life of famed playwright William Shakespeare from 1590 to 1607.

Episodes

1. Dead Shepherd

Aired: 6/13/1978

Queen Elizabeth I rules the country and Christopher Marlowe rules the theatre. From Stratford-upon-Avon, a young man called William Shakespeare arrives in London determined to match Marlowe as poet and playwright.

2. Alms for Oblivion

Aired: 6/20/1978

As England lies ravaged by plague, Shakespeare has usurped Marlowe as playwright of the day.

3. Of Comfort and Despair

Aired: 6/27/1978

Will Shakespeare produces the greatest play about young love - Romeo and Juliet. But what of his own love? Who is the 'dark lady' he adores and curses in his sonnets?

4. The Loved Boy

Aired: 7/4/1978

Shakespeare wishes for his son Hamnet to have everything, despite disapproval from the rest of his family.

5. Rebellion's Masterpiece

Aired: 7/11/1978

Shakespeare is drawn into the dangerous political intrigues of Robert Devereux the Second Earl of Essex.

6. The Living Record

Aired: 7/18/1978

Queen Elizabeth dies and King James succeeds her to the throne. What does the future hold for Will Shakespeare and for the actors who bring his plays to life?