Much ado about Shakespeare

Abstract

Although his works were almost ignored for many years, on William Shakespeare's 400th birthday he is considered to have been the greatest wordsmith using the English language. Although Shakespeare's plays are fun, and are eagerly attended by the general population when presented as “entertainment” and not as “culture,” television, if the frequency of presentation is any guide, has not considered them in the mainstream of popular entertainment. This is a mistake, as the ratings and the popular accpetance of such romps as the 1956 production of “Taming of the Shrew” should prove. The following article reviews some of the major productions of Shakespearean plays over American television. This list includes most of the network presentations although many more productions have been aired over local stations. In addition, many people may have had their interest in Shakespeare aroused by other programs (such as Dr. Frank Baxter's “Shakespeare on TV”) that discussed these works, or by filmic presentations seen on the “Late Show” or its equivalent. One particularly interesting non‐network series was the BBC presentation of “An Age of Kings,” a weaving into chronological order of Shakespearean historical plays that dealt with the story of the English throne during the 14th and 15th centuries. This series of 15 television programs was seen on a number of educational and commercial television stations in the United States, and afforded the extensive audience an opportunity to witness and appreciate both the history of England and the genius of its most famous author.