The Best Episodes of Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Season 2

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   8.0/10(61 votes)

   #1 - King Richard III

   S2:E111/2/1994

   A portrayal of Shakespeare's darkest villain Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and his unquenchable thirst for the throne.

   Director:Natalya Orlova

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Natalya Orlova

   Writer:Leon Garfield
2. 

   7.7/10(65 votes)

   #2 - The Taming of the Shrew

   S2:E211/9/1994

   Shakespeare's witty battle of the sexes is given a fresh airing in puppet animation. The unlikely bonding of a headstrong Kate and domineering Petruchio is only one aspect of a play about change and the magical transformations that theatre can produce.

   Director:Aida Zyablikova

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Aida Zyablikova

   Writer:Leon Garfield
3. 

   7.5/10(57 votes)

   #3 - As You Like It

   S2:E311/16/1994

   This bright and comic tale is famed as the only play written by Shakespeare in which he is known to have appeared himself - playing Adam, the old retainer to the hero Orlando. The sunniest of his comedies, the play tells of a group of courtiers escaping to the Forest of Arden where they meet, philosophise and fall in love.

   Director:Alexey Karaev

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Alexey Karaev

   Writer:Leon Garfield
4. 

   8.5/10(72 votes)

   #4 - Julius Caesar

   S2:E411/30/1994

   A compelling study of personal ambition versus the good of the state.

   Director:Yuri Kulakov

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Yuri Kulakov

   Writer:Leon Garfield
5. 

   7.6/10(62 votes)

   #5 - The Winter's Tale

   S2:E512/7/1994

   Exquisitely sculptured Russian puppets perform this powerful and enchanting story full of regal and rustic characters. A fit of temper has tragic results for King Leontes. Sixteen years later, the gods and humbler mortals intervene to craft a happy, magical ending.

   Director:Stanislav Sokolov

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Stanislav Sokolov

   Writer:Leon Garfield
6. 

   7.7/10(52 votes)

   #6 - Othello

   S2:E612/14/1994

   In the last in the series, the playwright's most famous dramatic study of jealousy and its tragic effects are conveyed vividly in a striking drawn animation style. The warmth of the Mediterranean contrasts with the coldness in lago's heart as he turns his noble master, Othello, against the beautiful and innocent Desdemona.

   Director:Nikolay Serebryakov

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Nikolay Serebryakov

   Writer:Leon Garfield
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The 20 BEST Episodes of Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
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