

22/11/2005
In 1609, William Shakespeare published a collection of 154 sonnets, creating what is arguably the greatest lyric sequence in English literature - and at the center of this masterpiece lies a mystery that has endured for centuries. What are the identities of “the young man” and “the dark lady” to whom all but two of the sonnets allude? This moving performance brings to life the gritty reality of Shakespeare’s England, bits of the Bard’s plays and poems, and the consummate poet and dramatist himself as it exposes these personages unseen but so keenly felt in Shakespeare’s sonnets and in his life. Rupert Graves, Tom Sturridge, Indira Varma, Anna Chancellor, and Zoë Wanamaker star. Contains mature themes and explicit language. Some content may be objectionable. Produced by the Open University.

Rupert Graves
as William Shakespeare

Tom Sturridge
as William Herbert

Indira Varma
as Lucie "The dark lady"

Zoë Wanamaker
as Countess of Pembroke

Anna Chancellor
as Anne Hathaway

Andrew Tiernan
as Ben Jonson

Nicky Henson
as John Shakespeare

Alan Williams
as George Wilkin

Nicholas Rowe
as Richard Burbage

Tom Hiddleston
as John Hall

Tom Mison
as Young Blood

Christopher Fairbank
as Physician

Camilla Arfwedson
as Lucie's Maid

Joanne McCallin
as Street Hoare

Joseph Rhys Blake
as Street Urchin

Clem Tibber
as Hamnet Shakespeare

Ian Hughes
as Thomas Thorpe
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