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Shakespeare's Restless World Episodes

  1.

    Shakespeare Goes Global

    20/20 How a folio of collected plays in 1623 began the creation of a global phenomenon.

  2. The Theatres of Cruelty

    19/20 A human eyeball in a silver setting gives a striking insight into the theatre of cruelty.

  3. London Becomes Rome

    18/20 Neil MacGregor surveys the triumphal arches created for James I's entry into London.

  4. Plague and the Playhouse

    17/20 Early 17th-century proclamations reveal the impact of the 1603 plague outbreak.

  5. A Time of Change, a Change of Time

    16/20 A striking clock reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time.

  6. The Flag That Failed

    15/20 The problems in creating a Great Britain are encapsulated in designs for a common flag.

  7. Disguise and Deception

    14/20 A pedlar's trunk reveals deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen.

  8. From London to Marrakech

    13/20 Sunken gold from West Africa sheds light on England's complex relationship with the Moors.

  9. Sex and the City

    12/20 Neil MacGregor on how a delicate glass goblet reveals the twin seductions of Venice.

  10. Treason and Plots

    11/20 A tabloid history of Shakespeare's England told via contemporary accounts of murder plots.

  11. Toil and Trouble

    10/20 A model ship hung in a church reveals the differences between Scottish and English witches

  12. New Science, Old Magic

    9/20 A disc of black obsidian from Mexico reflects the Elizabethan fascination with astrology.

  13. City Life, Urban Strife

    8/20 Neil MacGregor explores life in Shakespeare's London through an apprentice's woollen cap.

  14. Ireland: Failures in the Present

    7/20 A rare woodcut offers an insight into the troubles and tragedies of Elizabethan Ireland.

  15. Europe: Triumphs of the Past

    6/20 What Henry V's armoury tells us about the depiction of history on the Elizabeth stage.

  16. Swordplay and Swagger

    5/20 Neil MacGregor explores the essential accoutrements of any self-respecting gentleman.

  17. Life without Elizabeth

    4/20 The story behind a portrait justifying Elizabeth I's position in the Tudor succession.

  18. Snacking through Shakespeare

    3/20 A fork found on the site of the Rose Theatre explains what people ate in the Bard's time.

  19. Communion and Conscience

    2/20 Neil MacGregor uses the Stratford Chalice to explore the world in Shakespeare's time.

  20. England Goes Global

    1/20 How Drake's circumnavigation of the globe changed the way people viewed the world.