Review: PBS' Life of Shakespeare Series

The fledgling steps in the journey that became the life of William Shakespeare, this piece serves to set the context of the world which shaped the Bard. Throughout, we looked at one basic element over and over again and so it is no great stretch to believe that this are the cornerstones of Shakespeare’s worldview. This paramount element was the societal backdrop that set the scene and dictated the tone for Shakespeare’s formative years.

Let us begin by trying to paint a picture. Throughout this piece, the narrator used grand, broad strokes to help the world of Shakespeare’s youth come to life and no stroke seemed as singularly important as the one which depicted the Reformation and the political and social upheaval that accompanied it. Begun by King Henry VIII, the Church of England, or Anglican Church, and its Protestant following had been granted a position of power within Britain. 

In 1564, when Shakespeare, whose family still followed the Catholic faith, was born, King Edward believed in and followed these Protestant ways. But that was not to last and stability was still little more than a fanciful dream. King Edward’s successor, Queen Mary, brought the country back under the sway of the Catholic church and again the populous was forced to shift their views to suit the fancy of the aristocracy. Yet still, that change was fleeting at best and upon the death of Queen Mary, her successor, Queen Elizabeth was a ardent believer in the Protestant faith.