Shakespeare Week

A portrait of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare: a guide to the life of England’s greatest playwright

Katherine Willoughby in an 18th-century engraving after a Hans Holbein the Younger portrait. In 1546 the prospect of her marrying England's ageing King Henry VIII was causing tongues to wag in diplomatic circles. (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)

A seventh wife for Henry VIII? The story of Katherine Willoughby

Portrait of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532–88) an English nobleman. Dated 16th century. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Robert Dudley: Queen Elizabeth I’s great love

A painting by Vincenzo Camuccini depicting the death of Julius Caesar in the Roman Senate. (Photo by Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

The death of Caesar: do we know the whole story?

Agincourt was one of the major battles of the Hundred Years' War.

Agincourt: what really happened

A portrait of Henry V of England. The Treaty if Troyes, signed in 1420, saw Henry named Charles's regent; by marrying the latter's daughter, Katherine, Henry secured his position as heir to the throne. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

A wayward prince? King Henry V’s misspent youth

Droeshout Portrait. This engraving appeared as the First Folio frontispiece. (© Getty Images)

8 places that shaped the life of William Shakespeare

Portrait of Richard III, dated 15th century. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Treachery at Bosworth: what really brought down Richard III

An illustration of a group of supposed witches being beaten in front of King James VI and I, c1610. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Shakespeare’s Macbeth and King James’s witch hunts

English actor Laurence Olivier as Richard III in a production of Shakespeare's play of the same name. (Photo by Felix Man/Picture Post/Getty Images)

Shakespeare’s best (or worst) villains

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Ira Aldridge: Shakespeare’s black Othello

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Shakespeare’s world and cricket in South Africa

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Shakespeare’s London: playing a dangerous game

Swan Theatre, Bankside, London, interior from drawing by Johannes de Witt. The Shakespearian theatre, erected c1593 on Bankside – could hold 3,000 spectators – typical of the time. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

At the playhouse: watching Shakespeare’s plays in Elizabethan England

Elizabeth I of England

Personal politics in Elizabeth I’s court