During the course of July/August 2018, Dr Anna Kamaralli was Sylvia’s guest, presenting a 6-part series: Shakespeare’s Heroes and Villains.

Part 1: In this episode Anna talks about heroes: what makes a hero and who are Shakespeare’s great heroes? Our main example is Henry V.

Part 2: Here, Anna introduces us to villains. As with Part 1, Anna explores what makes a villain and the most famous is Iago.

Part 3: The topic here is Anti-Heroes, the villain who becomes the protagonist of the play and the classic is Macbeth.

Part 4: Romantic Heroes, who differ from the heroes in Episode 1 in that their rhetoric, rather than rousing us to the common good, persuades us off the perfection of his love object.

Part 5: Those Who Serve are Also Heroes. Here Anna looks at minor characters, who display the same characteristics as heroes. In particular, they speak truth to power and a good example is the Fool in King Lear.

Part 6: The Famous vs The Forgotten. Anna concludes the series by explaining why some of Shakespeare’s plays are very rarely – if ever performed.