The Hollow Crown - Season 2 __full__ Guide

The production uses the original, un-cut Shakespearean text in its entirety, refusing to soften the rhetoric of civil war. The result is a demanding but profoundly rewarding experience: a tragedy about what happens when a country loses its center.

5/5 stars

The centerpiece. Cumberbatch (who is, in a stroke of gothic irony, a distant relative of the real Richard III) does not play a cackling villain. He plays a man who has internalized the violence of his era. His Richard is sardonic, physically unsettling (the scoliosis is present but not caricatured), and deeply lonely. His “Now is the winter of our discontent” soliloquy is delivered not to the audience, but to a mirror, as he practices various smiles. It’s a performance about performance—a man acting at being a monster because he knows he will never be loved. The Hollow Crown - Season 2

The cast of The Hollow Crown - Season 2 is impressive, with many talented actors bringing Shakespeare's complex characters to life. Notable performances include:

The Hollow Crown - Season 2 justifies its existence through visual storytelling that Shakespeare could only imply. The production uses the original, un-cut Shakespearean text

Tom Sturridge’s saint-king asks, "Can we simply not kill each other for one day?" Sophie Okonedo’s warrior-queen answers, "Not while the crown exists." That is the thesis of this magnificent, harrowing adaptation. The hollow crown passes from head to head, but it never stops weighing a ton. And in Season 2, it crushes everything it touches.

Okonedo's performance brings a fierce energy to the Henry VI plays. Cumberbatch (who is, in a stroke of gothic

Cumberbatch's portrayal of the king is a standout.