How Did Patrick Stewart’s Career Connect Shakespeare and Science Fiction?
Patrick Stewart’s career spanned Shakespearean theatre and science-fiction film and television. Alongside his screen work in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men series, he built a long record of performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, which he joined in 1966. His stage work included very different characters. He played Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1977 and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in both 1978 and 2011. He also took the title roles in King John and Titus Andronicus. That theatre career continued beyond his early years with the company. In 2006, he played Antony in Antony and Cleopatra and Prospero in The Tempest; in 2008, he played Claudius in Hamlet. These credits show how his stage and screen careers overlapped across decades. Source: Royal Shakespeare Company’s account of Stewart’s stage roles .
