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”To Be Or Not To Be” – it’s the most famous speech in all of English drama, but what on earth is Hamlet actually talking about?This series, made by BAFTA winner, double Emmy Award winning documentary producer Andrew Smith, features contributions from Adrian Lester, Harriet Walter, Sir Mark Rylance, Samuel West and many more. The first 14 episodes were produced during lockdown to raise awareness for theatres and for actors in a time of pandemic and theatre closures. If you would like to suppo ...
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In this episode, American military veteran Stephan Wolfert relates the story of how Hamlet’s soliloquy saved his life when he was at his lowest point. Stephan now runs an organisation which uses Shakespearean monologues to help other veterans cope with their trauma. The episode also features Professor Alisha Ali. The reading is by Emma Fielding You…
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To Make Oppression Bitter: Shakespeare Scholars on the Frontline in Ukraine
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The Shakespeare scholars of Ukraine have found themselves on the frontline of a brutal war, and have launched an urgent appeal in conjunction with colleagues around the world. We hear from the scholars whose lives have been swept away by war, and who have bravely volunteered to do everything they can to help. They tell us how the play of Hamlet has…
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In this special episode of the podcast, we celebrate the return of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre after 14 months of lockdown and cancelled performances. What's it like to act on that famous stage, and what have actors learned after nearly 25 years of innovative theatrical experimentation? With Mark Rylance, Paul Chahidi, Naomi Frederick, Laura Rogers…
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In this episode of the podcast, we talk to people who have found meaning and a sense of shared experience in Hamlet’s famous soliloquy at the most difficult times of their lives; including dealing with bereavement, traumatic loss and mental health problems. We also talk to Maggie O Farrell, whose recent award-winning novel speculates that the uncan…
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In this episode, we talk to some of Britain's leading stage actresses - Dame Harriet Walter, Mariah Gale, Sian Brooke, Katie West, Kellie Shirley and Stephanie McGregor - about Ophelia, one of the most iconic roles of the classical stage. We see Ophelia defy corrupt authority and express her own truths, assert her existential freedoms, in the famou…
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What can psychoanalysis tell us about Hamlet’s great speech? And what does it mean for our own divided, self-sabotaging personalities? Why do we often ask ourselves unanswerable questions? And are there any consolations which the search can bring us? With Dr Jamieson Webster, Professor Peter Brooks and Professor Richard Jacobs. The speech readings …
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The Strange History of a Radical Speech (Part 2)
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In this episode, we look at the distinguished history of women playing Hamlet on the professional stage, a tradition which goes back almost 300 years. We hear how, as readers and theatre-goers, women helped make Shakespeare a lasting success - and find Hamlet's famous soliloquy becoming an inspiration and slogan in the fight for the vote for women.…
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In this episode, we visit the EGO Performance Company, actors with physical disabilities or learning difficulties, who perform and rehearse on Zoom during lockdown. The company has turned to Hamlet's famous soliloquy to explore issues in their own lives and in society; with insights ranging from the powerful and moving to the high-spirited and comi…
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Such is the uncanny power of "To Be Or Not To Be", it's been used by politicians and leaders for their own political purposes, from the current Chinese leader to Adolf Hitler; and as this episode reveals, it's also been a rallying cry for activists and protesters down the decades. We take a whistle-stop tour of the world, finding out how Hamlet's s…
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In this episode, psychoanalyst Jamieson Webster and philosopher Simon Critchley try to unlock the mysteries of Hamlet's tortured consciousness, highlighting the psychological strangeness and neurotic violence of the leading character, and locating Ophelia as the true hero of the play. Speaking candidly and personally, the couple reveal the heavy to…
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The Strange History of a Radical Speech (Part 1)
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In this episode, we uncover the radical roots of Hamlet’s soliloquy by tracing how it sounded in the mouths of the famous actors who played the role. For four centuries, Shakespeare has been fought over - is he for the elite or for everyone? It's a battle which has seen ordinary people sent to jail just for performing Shakespeare - and it's a cultu…
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In this episode, we speak to the “verse doctors”, experts on the hidden rhythms of Hamlet's famous soliloquy, who uncover how Shakespeare laid a trail of subtle clues to direct today’s actors, four centuries after his death. With Giles Taylor, Philip Bird, Sarah Case, Giles Block, Joseph Millson and Tess Dignan. The speech readings are by Emma Fiel…
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In this episode, we ask the BIG questions - what does "To Be Or Not To Be" mean? Is there an answer? And can we relate Hamlet's famous soliloquy to the way we live our own lives? With Ewan Fernie, Emma Smith, Paul Kottman, Joshua Landy and Christie Carson. The speech readings are by Emma Fielding and Simon Paisley Day. For more information on the p…
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In this episode, we follow a remarkable Black Lives Matter themed production which took Hamlet into New York's maximum security prisons, women's refuges and homeless shelters, and found new resonance and relevance in drama's most famous speech. With Chukwudi Iwuji, Patricia McGregor, Kristolyn Lloyd and Professor James Shapiro. The speech readings …
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What would it have been like to be an audience member at the very first performance of Hamlet, four centuries ago? And what might the extraordinary playing conditions of Shakespeare’s day have meant for Hamlet’s famous soliloquy? With Tiffany Stern, Sir Mark Rylance, Joseph Millson, Simon Palfrey, Ralph Alan Cohen, Dominic Dromgoole and John Harrel…
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In the first episode of To Be Or Not To Be, we ask some of our leading actors who've played Hamlet - how did they approach the most famous lines in all of English drama? And how did they handle the notorious psychological and emotional pressures of the role? With Adrian Lester, Samuel West, Jonathan Slinger, Nicole Cooper, Dominic Dromgoole, Joseph…
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