Has any single person shaped English more than William Shakespeare? This program uses unparalleled access to some of the greatest English texts, including the first English dictionary and a rare first folio of Shakespeare’s plays, to illustrate the great Bard’s influence. John Barton, honorary associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, discusses the sound and accessibility of Shakespeare’s words. His impact is also examined in the larger context of Elizabethan England and the Renaissance. (52 minutes)

Tell a Friend! Your Name: Your Email: Your Friend's Email: Your Message: We respect your privacy and will not use your friend's address without permission. Item#: BVL33212 Copyright date: ©2003 VHS ISBN 978-0-7365-9229-1 DVD (Chaptered) ISBN 978-0-7365-9243-7

Part of the Series : The Adventure of English: 500 A.D. to 2000 A.D.

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		Birth of a Language Melvyn Bragg begins the story of English in Holland, finding ancestral echoes in the Frisian dialect. What follows is a chapter on survival as the English language weathers Viking and Norman invasions, vying with and eventually absorbing rival tongue...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		Many Tongues Called English, One World Language This program explores how America's rise as an economic power made it the driving force behind the spread of English in the 20th century. A world tour illustrates how English has mixed with other languages-from "Franglais" in France to "Singlish" in ...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		English Goes Underground With the Norman invasion, English became a third language in its own country, behind French and Latin. In this program, Melvyn Bragg examines the impact of Old French on the development of English. Manuscripts, tapestries, and dozens of curious etymo...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		Speaking Proper This program follows English through the 18th and 19th centuries, from attempts at reforming and standardizing the tongue in the Age of Reason to the soaring verse of Romanticism and the verbal prudishness of the Victorian era. Linguistic milestones ...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95
		The Battle for the Language of the Bible In late-medieval England, English quietly ousted French in law and government- but the move to make it God's language meant bloodshed. This program looks at the battle for a Bible in English, a struggle with huge impact on the language itself. Dramat...(more details)		VHS $149.95 DVD (Chaptered) $149.95 DVD + 3-Year Streaming $224.93 3-Year Streaming $149.95

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