1. Romeo and Juliet  

First aired: 12/3/1978

Romeo is the son and heir of Lord Montague of the Italian city of Verona. One night, he goes (masked) to a dance held by the Capulets, the Montagues' bitter rivals. There, Romeo falls head over heels for Juliet Capulet, and a few days later they are secretly married by the obliging Friar Lawrence. However, they decide not to tell their families. Unluckily, Romeo then gets into a fight and is banished from Verona, and Juliet's father promises her in marriage to another young fellow, Paris. Juliet unwisely agrees to a crazy plan suggested by Friar Lawrence, and she takes a drug which will make her seem dead for two days. So Juliet gets a premature funeral and is put into the Capulet family vault, expecting Romeo to collect her when she wakes up. However, Friar Lawrence bungles again, and Romeo fails to get his message, so of course he believes Juliet is really dead. Romeo kills Paris, then drinks poison and dies by Juliet's side. Juliet then wakes up, and when she finds Romeo's body she stabs herself to death. As a result of this (it's pretty unlikely, though) the Montague and Capulet lords make up their ancient quarrel and a new friendship blossoms between the warring factions. Make love, not war.

2. King Richard the Second  

First aired: 12/10/1978

Bolingbroke wrongly accuses Mowbray of killing the Duke of Gloucester, the uncle of King Richard II. The dastardly Richard (who in fact arranged the murder himself) then orders a trial by combat between Bolingbroke and Mowbray and turns this into exile for both of them. Bolingbroke's father, John of Gaunt, dies and Richard seizes his estates to pay for a campaign in Ireland. While Richard is off fighting the Irish, leaving the Duke of York as Regent, Bolingbroke invades England and the country rises in support of him. York vacillates, Richard lands in Wales, is arrested, and surrenders the crown to Bolingbroke, who becomes King Henry IV. A plot against Henry is discovered, Henry pardons his cousin Aumerle, but Richard is murdered while imprisoned at Pontefract.

3. As You Like It  

First aired: 12/17/1978

Duke Frederick has driven out the lawful Duke and stolen his Duchy. Rosalind (daughter of the banished Duke) falls in love with Orlando de Boys, as he is beating Frederick's champion in a wrestling match. Frederick banishes her, too, and she leaves, disguised as a youth called Ganymede, taking Frederick's daughter Celia and his jester Touchstone with her. Rosalind's troupe heads for the Forest of Arden, where Rosalind's father is living quietly, with Orlando and his brother Jaques now members of the old Duke's rustic court.

Rosalind decides to live for a time as Ganymede, and she/he finds Orlando hanging poems to Rosalind on trees (no doubt he knows what he's doing?)... Ganymede promises to cure Orlando of his love, while Touchstone woos a country girl, Audrey. Meanwhile, a shepherdess called Phebe falls in love with Ganymede, scorning the love of the bumpkin Silvius. Oliver de Boys, another brother of Orlando, arrives and falls heavily for Celia.

At the end, Ganymede turns himself/herself back into Rosalind, and all of the lovers get their hearts' desire - except for Phebe, who has to make do with Silvius. Duke Frederick chooses this moment to retire into a life of prayer, leaving the coast clear for the restoration of the true Duke to his rightful power and glory.

4. Julius Caesar  

First aired: 2/11/1979

The supporters of the ancient Roman Republic are alarmed by Julius Caesar's ambition to be the king or dictator of Rome, abolishing the age-old republican pattern of power-sharing by three consuls under the authority of the city's Senate. A soothsayer warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March. Caesar gets the monarchy he wants, but soon after he is killed by a group of leading Romans, including Cassius and his friend Brutus, on the Ides of March. Mark Antony makes the famous speech praising Caesar, and the action shifts to the battlefield on which Brutus and Cassius are defeated, with Caesar's crown as Emperor passing to his heir. Thus ended the Roman Republic.

5. Measure for Measure  

First aired: 2/18/1979

6. King Henry the Eighth  

First aired: 2/25/1979

This is the story of King Henry VIII, who broke his country's links with Rome and set himself up as head of the Church of England, abolishing England's monasteries and nunneries and seizing their wealth. Meanwhile, he ran through six wives in his ambition for sons to carry on the Tudor line. Shakespeare was rather kind to Henry - no doubt because he was the father of England's reigning Queen, Elizabeth I.

7. King Henry the Fourth, Part I  

First aired: 12/9/1979

8. King Henry the Fourth, Part II  

First aired: 12/16/1979

9. King Henry the Fifth  

First aired: 12/23/1979

10. Twelfth Night, or, What You Will  

First aired: 1/6/1980

11. The Tempest  

First aired: 2/27/1980

Prospero, a former Duke of Milan whose brother stole his dukedom, is now a sorcerer living on a remote island with his daughter Miranda, a slave called Caliban, and some fairies. He uses his magical powers to arrange for his enemies (including King Alonso of Naples and Prospero's brother Antonio, the false Duke of Milan) to land on his island, believing they are shipwrecked. Young Miranda falls in love with Alonso's son, Prince Ferdinand. Eventually Prospero reveals himself to the visitors, and Alonso sensibly restores Prospero's dukedom. For more, see Recap.

12. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark  

First aired: 2/27/1980

13. The Taming of the Shrew  

First aired: 10/23/1980

14. The Merchant of Venice  

First aired: 2/17/1980

15. All's Well That Ends Well  

First aired: 1/4/1981

16. The Winter's Tale  

First aired: 2/8/1981

King Leontes of Bohemia suspects his wife, Queen Hermione, of cheating on him with his good friend Polixenes. So Leontes drives Polixenes out of the kingdom, but this leads to unforeseen results - the arrival of a dangerous bear, a baby abandoned in the snow, love, death, and a statue which comes to life.

17. Timon of Athens  

First aired: 4/16/1981

Ancient Athenian Timon is well-known for his generosity - his many friends come to all his parties and like to get presents from him. But then Timon suffers losses and finds himself in debt, and his friends melt away. He loses faith in humanity and becomes a hermit.

18. Antony and Cleopatra  

First aired: 5/8/1981

Octavius Caesar (later known as Augustus), Mark Antony, and Lepidus form a triumvirate to rule the Roman Empire. Antony will rule in the east and goes to Egypt, where he becomes the lover of Queen Cleopatra. When Pompey raises an army to fight the triumvirate, Antony returns to Rome and marries Caesar's sister, Octavia. Cleopatra becomes jealous and plans to win Antony back. Caesar breaks a deal with Pompey and defeats him. Antony sends Octavia home to Rome and goes back to Cleopatra, and in Egypt he raises an army and a navy to fight Caesar. Antony's forces lose a critical sea battle when Cleopatra's ship flees. Antony hears Cleopatra has committed suicide and falls on his own sword. Cleopatra is taken prisoner and kills herself.