Hollow Crowns

S1 E2: The monarchs of the British Isles were once seen as virtually godlike. But Shakespeare dared to strip away the mask of royalty to reveal the flawed individuals underneath. It was a risky strategy, especially as he drew on the lives of the rulers around him at the time, revealing profound truths not just about royalty but the rest of us, too. Historian Simon Schama explores how he got away with it.