The Best Episodes of Shakespeare: The Animated Tales

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
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   8.5/10(71 votes)

   #1 - 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
2. 

   8.0/10(70 votes)

   #2 - Twelfth Night

   S1:E612/14/1992

   No description available

   Director:Maria Muat

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Maria Muat

   Writer:Leon Garfield
3. 

   7.9/10(103 votes)

   #3 - The Tempest

   S1:E211/16/1992

   Prospero, a powerful magician, lives on an island with his daughter Miranda. They are served by Caliban, a hideous monster, and Ariel, a wild, discontented spirit.

   Director:Stanislav Sokolov

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Stanislav Sokolov

   Writer:Leon Garfield
4. 

   7.9/10(61 votes)

   #4 - 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
5. 

   7.8/10(147 votes)

   #5 - Hamlet

   S1:E512/7/1992

   No description available

   Director:Natalya Orlova

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Natalya Orlova

   Writer:Leon Garfield
6. 

   7.7/10(120 votes)

   #6 - Macbeth

   S1:E311/23/1992

   No description available

   Director:Nikolay Serebryakov

   Writer:Leon Garfield

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   Director:Nikolay Serebryakov

   Writer:Leon Garfield
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The 20 WORST Episodes of Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
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7. 

   7.7/10(65 votes)

   #7 - 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
8. 

   7.7/10(52 votes)

   #8 - 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
9. 

   7.6/10(61 votes)

   #9 - 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
10. 

    7.5/10(57 votes)

    #10 - 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
11. 

    7.4/10(64 votes)

    #11 - A Midsummer Night's Dream

    S1:E111/9/1992

    Four young lovers, trying to resolve their passions, and six worthy workmen, trying to rehearse a play, stumble about in a dark, haunted wood, while the powerful spirits play havoc with their hearts and minds.

    Director:Robert Sahakyants

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Robert Sahakyants

    Writer:Unknown
12. 

    7.0/10(103 votes)

    #12 - Romeo and Juliet

    S1:E411/30/1992

    No description available

    Director:Yefim Gamburg

    Writer:Leon Garfield

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    Director:Yefim Gamburg

    Writer:Leon Garfield