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Shakespeare's Restless World

Making a selection of objects from the British Museum and collections across the UK, Neil MacGregor uncovers the stories they tell about Shakespeare's world.

Radio 4 Extra,20 episodes

Episodes

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1. England Goes Global
Assessing the impact of Sir Francis Drake's Circumnavigation Medal.
16 Apr 2012,15 mins
2. Communion and Conscience
Neil MacGregor uses the Stratford Chalice to explore the world in Shakespeare's time.
17 Apr 2012,15 mins
3. Snacking Through Shakespeare
A fork found on the site of the Rose Theatre reveals what people ate in the Bard's time.
18 Apr 2012,15 mins
4. Life without Elizabeth
The story behind a portrait justifying Elizabeth I's position in the Tudor succession.
19 Apr 2012,15 mins
5. Swordplay and Swagger
Neil MacGregor explores the essential accoutrements of any self-respecting gentleman.
20 Apr 2012,15 mins
6. Europe: Triumphs of the Past
What Henry V's armoury tells us about the depiction of history on the Elizabeth stage.
23 Apr 2012,15 mins
7. Ireland: Failures in the Present
A rare woodcut offers an insight into the troubles and tragedies of Elizabethan Ireland.
24 Apr 2012,15 mins
8. City Life, Urban Strife
Neil MacGregor explores life in Shakespeare's London through an apprentice's woollen cap.
25 Apr 2012,15 mins
9. New Science, Old Magic
A disc of black obsidian from Mexico reflects the Elizabethan fascination with astrology.
26 Apr 2012,15 mins
10. Toil and Trouble
A model ship hung in a church reveals the differences between Scottish and English witches
27 Apr 2012,15 mins
11. Treason and Plots
Tabloid history of Shakespeare's England via contemporary accounts of royal murder plots.
30 Apr 2012,15 mins
12. Sex and the City
Neil MacGregor on how a delicate glass goblet reveals the twin seductions of Venice.
01 May 2012,15 mins
13. From London to Marrakech
Sunken gold from West Africa sheds light on England's complex relationship with the Moors.
02 May 2012,15 mins
14. Disguise and Deception
A pedlar's trunk reveals deception and religion, cross-dressing and travelling salesmen.
03 May 2012,15 mins
15. The Flag That Failed
The problems in creating a Great Britain are encapsulated in designs for a common flag.
04 May 2012,15 mins
16. A Time of Change, a Change of Time
A striking clock reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time.
07 May 2012,15 mins
17. Plague and the Playhouse
Early 17th-century proclamations reveal the impact of the 1603 plague outbreak.
08 May 2012,15 mins
18. London Becomes Rome
Neil MacGregor surveys the triumphal arches created for James I's entry into London.
09 May 2012,15 mins
19. The Theatres of Cruelty
A human eyeball in a silver setting gives a striking insight into the theatre of cruelty.
10 May 2012,15 mins
20. Shakespeare Goes Global
How a folio of collected plays in 1623 began the creation of a global phenomenon.
11 May 2012,15 mins