Shakespeare’s Restless World: Treason and Plots

Synopsis: Eleventh of a twenty-part radio series in which the director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, presents an object-based history of the time of Shakespeare to explore how Elizabethan and Jacobean audiences made sense of their rapidly changing environment.
In this episode MacGregor presents a tabloid history of Shakespearean England, making use of George Carlton’s Thankfull Remembrance of God’s Mercy (1624), a collection of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth and James I, who ruled the country during Shakespeare’s lifetime.
George Carleton, compiled a book published in 1624 that thrilled and frightened readers with fifty years of conspiracies and murderous plots - each tale ending happily with the king and queen of England safe and well. He called it A Thankfull Remembrance of God’s Mercy and it was a public success, reprinted three times within four year
Series: Shakespeare’s Restless World
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Radio
Transmission details: 30 Apr 2012 at 13:45 (Channel: BBC Radio 4)
Duration: 15 mins

Production type: Documentary/Educational/News
Plays: Richard II
Subjects: Drama; History
Keywords: monarchy; political violence; politics; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Cultural history

Notes: The entire series is available on CD from http://www.bbcshop.com and as a podcast http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/r4shakespeare.
History: Part of the Shakespeare Unlocked season on BBC.
Reviews: Source: Radio Times, BBC programme information
For more detail about the programme and its objects (including transcript) see the BBC Restless world website http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/shakespeares-restless-world/ (accessed May 2012)

SHAKESPEARE