William Shakespeare: A Life of Drama

• Documentary

Episode overview

He is the world's most influential and admired writer, a man whose imaginative genius still moves us, nearly four centuries after his death. William Shakespeare's tumultuous life produced an unmatched legacy of drama and poetry. But the Bard's own story remains, for the most part, a mystery. Piece together the clues of Shakespeare's identity, from his comfortable youth in Stratford-on-Avon and his marriage to an older woman at 18 to the night of carousing that led to his death at age 52. Film excerpts, dramatic readings and location footage provide a glimpse into his little-known- life and his astonishing 20-year career as a playwright and actor. Turn back the pages of time for a remarkable portrait of William Shakespeare the greatest writer the English language has ever known.

60 minutes