Stephen Unwin unpicks Shakespeare’s complex portrayals of working people, asking how much these characters reflect the reality of living and working in Elizabethan England
Shakespeare’s plays are peppered with characters from across the social spectrum, from kings and nobility down to servants, soldiers and shepherds. Speaking to Rhiannon Davies, theatre director and author Stephen Unwin explores the bard’s portrayal of working people, and investigates how far his characters reflected the reality of living and working in Elizabethan England.
Stephen Unwin is the author of Poor Naked Wretches: Shakespeare’s Working People (Reaktion Books, 2022)