WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.549 --> 00:00:04.837 Here's a thought… 2 00:00:05.153 --> 00:00:08.259 if there was a prize for most screenwriting credits 3 00:00:08.538 --> 00:00:09.490 we'd have one of those: 4 00:00:09.509 --> 00:00:12.014 « Unfortunately he can't be here with us tonight » moments; 5 00:00:12.291 --> 00:00:14.696 that's because the winner with over a thousand 6 00:00:14.788 --> 00:00:16.258 is William Shakespeare. 7 00:00:16.646 --> 00:00:19.601 But how can a man who died long before the invention of cinema 8 00:00:19.700 --> 00:00:21.536 have racked up so many credits? 9 00:00:21.787 --> 00:00:22.452 Simple! 10 00:00:22.693 --> 00:00:24.492 By creating the most moving, 11 00:00:24.514 --> 00:00:27.892 exciting and enduring stories ever written. 12 00:00:28.408 --> 00:00:30.689 Shakespeare showed us what it means to be human. 13 00:00:31.152 --> 00:00:33.239 We've all been lovesick or heartbroken 14 00:00:33.434 --> 00:00:34.870 like Romeo and Juliet 15 00:00:35.208 --> 00:00:38.164 or felt Macbeth's burn of greed and ambition. 16 00:00:38.498 --> 00:00:41.205 And who hasn't experienced jealousy like Othello. 17 00:00:41.797 --> 00:00:46.290 No wonder artists around the globe are still eager to adapt Will's works. 18 00:00:47.052 --> 00:00:48.655 So how will the British Council mark 19 00:00:48.687 --> 00:00:52.050 the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 2016? 20 00:00:52.717 --> 00:00:54.415 By bringing him back to life? 21 00:00:54.924 --> 00:00:55.840 Not exactly! 22 00:00:56.004 --> 00:00:58.641 But we are planning an international celebration 23 00:00:58.674 --> 00:01:01.411 of his life's work called Shakespeare Lives: 24 00:01:01.761 --> 00:01:04.176 a global program of events and activities 25 00:01:04.259 --> 00:01:07.832 bringing the UK's number one cultural icon to everyone. 26 00:01:08.286 --> 00:01:09.634 When they were first staged 27 00:01:09.722 --> 00:01:12.204 Shakespeare's plays transported his audiences 28 00:01:12.258 --> 00:01:14.383 to far-flung corners of the world: 29 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:17.816 from a castle in Scotland, to the plains of Syria, 30 00:01:17.980 --> 00:01:21.684 from the canals of Venice to a royal palace in Egypt. 31 00:01:22.086 --> 00:01:23.855 At a time when most people's travels 32 00:01:23.881 --> 00:01:26.073 were limited by how far they could walk, 33 00:01:26.266 --> 00:01:29.704 Shakespeare's plays brought the world to the London stage. 34 00:01:30.129 --> 00:01:32.796 Today his influence is truly global. 35 00:01:33.363 --> 00:01:35.193 You'll find him in Hollywood blockbusters 36 00:01:35.276 --> 00:01:36.635 and Bollywood musicals 37 00:01:36.743 --> 00:01:40.585 and his works have been translated into over a hundred languages. 38 00:01:40.927 --> 00:01:43.145 Shakespeare has inspired visionaries 39 00:01:43.236 --> 00:01:46.109 including Nelson Mandela and the Beatles. 40 00:01:46.299 --> 00:01:49.361 There's even been a production of Hamlet performed in Klingon! 41 00:01:49.541 --> 00:01:52.611 His 37 plays and 154 sonnets 42 00:01:52.742 --> 00:01:57.194 have added over 3,000 words and hundreds of idioms to the English language. 43 00:01:57.429 --> 00:02:01.557 They've even changed the way we think about humanity, ethics and ourselves. 44 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:04.821 With over half the world school children studying Shakespeare 45 00:02:05.003 --> 00:02:08.822 his influence continues to shape modern society and culture. 46 00:02:09.166 --> 00:02:11.737 Yes, he may have died 400 years ago 47 00:02:11.895 --> 00:02:13.629 but Shakespeare lives. 48 00:02:13.921 --> 00:02:15.829 So, citizens of the world, 49 00:02:15.866 --> 00:02:17.028 doff your cap 50 00:02:17.168 --> 00:02:19.809 to the glove maker’s son from Stratford-Upon-Avon 51 00:02:19.970 --> 00:02:22.413 and join us in celebrating the life and works 52 00:02:22.457 --> 00:02:24.457 of the world's favourite playwright.