In the years leading up to 1606, after the death of Queen Elizabeth and the arrival of her successor, King James of Scotland, Shakespeare’s prolific output appeared to decline. However, at age forty-two, he regained his momentum by completing the play he had started the previous autumn—King Lear—and followed it with two other significant tragedies, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra.

This audiobook, The Year of Lear, offers a rich exploration of these three tragedies within the context of their time, revealing how personal experiences, such as a dire plague outbreak and rising religious tensions, influenced Shakespeare’s work. For those interested in a deeper understanding of Shakespeare, this narration is an invaluable resource.