William Shakespeare has 164 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 383 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 2,956 ratings. The most-rated is The Clan of the Cave Bear.
Henry VI, Part 2
Summary
Rife with intrigue and treachery, this history play depicts the onset of the fifteenth-century Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York. Young King Henry VI has married the beautiful Margaret of Anjou but the new queen is ruthless and ambitious. Supported by the powerful Duke of Suffolk, Margaret plots the overthrow of her enemies, chief among them the Duke of Gloucester. But the Duke of York also aspires to the crown, and the common people, led by Jack Cade, are in rebellion. To the despair of the mild young king, England descends into civil war. David Tennant plays Henry VI, and Kelly Hunter plays Queen Margaret. Norman Rodway is the Duke of Gloucester, Isla Blair the Duchess of Gloucester, and Clive Merrison plays the Duke of York.
Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio
BBC Radio Shakespeare
Summary
Three full-cast BBC Radio productions of Shakespeare's most famous Roman plays. Featuring all-star casts and introduced by Sir Richard Eyre, these three iconic productions of Shakespeare's dynamic Roman histories are full of political intrigue, passion and tragedy. Julius Caesar This updated version of Shakespeare's classic play is set in Italy in 1925. Julius Caesar, a new Roman dictator, has swept to power, and his way is clear to assume total control - unless a coup by Cassius and Brutus can alter the tide of history. Nicholas Farrell stars as Brutus and Gerard Murphy as Julius Caesar. Coriolanus When Rome's greatest hero, the warrior Coriolanus, divides the people and the patricians through his arrogance, he is driven into exile. Samuel West stars as Coriolanus, with Susannah York as Volumnia. Antony and Cleopatra Shakespeare's last great tragedy is an action epic set against the political backdrop of the Roman Empire and the centre of Egyptian culture, Alexandria. But at the heart of the play is the story of what happens when two people fall in love. Starring Frances Barber as Cleopatra and David Harewood as Mark Antony.
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
The Best Poems of All Time, Volume 1
Summary
This perfect poetry companion brings the words of the world's favorite poets to life. Hearing poetry spoken - as it was originally intended to be heard - adds dramatically to your understanding and appreciation of the form. Be moved, amused, and awed by these expert interpretations of even the most familiar poems. Revisit classics through the 1850s such as: "Sonnet 18 (Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day)" by William Shakespeare "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor ColeridgeOther poets included in this collection are: Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Omar Khayyam, Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Donne, Ben Jonson, Robert Herrick, John Milton, Anne Bradstreet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Alexander Pope, John Keats, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Blake, Robert Burns, John Greenleaf Whittier, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Wordsworth, Walter Scott, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alfred Tennyson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Emily Bronte, and Robert Browning.This is Volume 1 of The Best Poems of All Time. Don't miss Volume 2.
©2001 by Warner Books, Inc., All Rights Reserved (P)2001 Time Warner AudioBooks
All's Well That Ends Well
Summary
The young and virtuous physician's daughter Helena desperately loves Count Bertram, but he regards her as beneath his notice. When Helena cures the king of France of a mortal illness, he rewards her with Bertram's hand, but before their marriage can be consummated the count flees. To win her husband back again, Helena forms a daring and resourceful plan. A plot to unmask the strutting soldier Parolles makes up another strand in this sometimes disturbing comedy of deception and disguise.
Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio
King Lear
Summary
Shakespeare's King Lear ranks with Sophocles' Oedipus as a tragic hero destroyed by his own good intentions. From the moment when Lear unfolds his darker purpose, we are drawn into an ineluctable chain of events that leads through betrayal, deceit, destructive family conflict, reconciliation, despair, and death. Considered by many to be the most grueling of Shakespeare's tragedies - Samuel Johnson found the death of Cordelia too heartbreaking to contemplate - this play represents the work of a master dramatist at the height of his powers.
Public Domain (P)2016 Voices of Today
Julius Caesar
Summary
The skies over ancient Rome blaze with terrifying portents, and soothsayers warn Julius Caesar of approaching doom. As conspiracy swirls through the city, Shakespeare explores the deep repercussions of political murder on the human heart. A classic tale of duplicity, betrayal and murder, masterfully performed by an all-star, all-American cast in this BBC co-production.
Public Domain (P)1995 L.A. Theatre Works
Henry V
Summary
Experience Henry V as a powerful full-cast drama with entertaining and enlightening commentary that explains what's what and who's who as the plot unfolds. To help you get the most out of Shakespeare, the narrator offers historical insights and background information, so you can enjoy the jokes, appreciate the references, and get a real sense of Shakespeare's world. The unabridged drama is also presented without commentary. If school turned you off Shakespeare, find out what you've been missing all these years with this beautifully crafted audio presentation. From the creators of SmartPass audio education study guides, voted third in a national poll to find the UK's favourite audibook (2008). Winners of 3 Spoken Word Awards for Best Drama (2004), Best Original Audio and Best Publishing Initiative (2005).
©2007 SmartPass Ltd (P)2007 SmartPass Ltd
Shakespeare's Original Pronunciation
Summary
How did Shakespeare sound to the audiences of his day? For the first time, this audio offers listeners the chance to hear England's greatest playwright performed by a company of actors using the pronunciation of his time. Under the guidance of Ben Crystal, actor, author of Shakespeare on Toast, and an expert in original Shakespearian pronunciation, the company performs some of Shakespeare's best-known poems, solo speeches, and scenes from the plays. Hear new meanings uncovered, new jokes revealed, poetic effects enhanced. An essential purchase for every student and lover of Shakespeare. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
Public Domain (P)2012 The British Library Board
King Richard III
Summary
Written in 1593, King Richard III is one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. This play differs from its predecessors, being amore structured piece, examining the development and motivations of a single character, Richard Duke of Gloucester, who will stop at nothing to gain control of the throne occupied by his brother Edward IV. Richard III is a self-motivating character who defies determinism (a life preordained by God) and sets his life on a course chosen by his own will and desire, as he puns in the opening soliloquy: "I am determined to be a villain. Determined by birth and God, and determined in the other sense, by his own will."
©2001 NAXOS AudioBooks (P)2001 NAXOS AudioBooks
Macbeth
Summary
Experience Macbeth as a powerful full-cast drama with entertaining and enlightening commentary that explains what's what and who's who as the plot unfolds. To help you get the most out of Shakespeare, the narrator offers historical insights and background information, so you can enjoy the jokes, appreciate the references, and get a real sense of Shakespeare's world. This unabridged drama is also presented without commentary. If school turned you off Shakespeare, find out what you've been missing all these years with this beautifully crafted audio presentation. From the creators of SmartPass audio education study guides, voted third in a national poll to find the UK's favourite audiobook (2008). Winners of 3 Spoken Word Awards for Best Drama (2004), Best Original Audio and Best Publishing Initiative (2005).
©2007 SmartPass Ltd (P)2007 SmartPass Ltd
Julius Caesar
Summary
Experience Julius Caesar as a powerful full-cast drama with entertaining and enlightening commentary that explains what's what and who's who as the plot unfolds. To help you get the most out of Shakespeare, the narrator offers historical insights and background information, so you can enjoy the jokes, appreciate the references, and get a real sense of Shakespeare's world. The unabridged drama is also presented without commentary.If school turned you off Shakespeare, find out what you've been missing all these years with this beautifully crafted audio presentation. From the creators of SmartPass audio education study guides, voted third in a national poll to find the UK's favourite audibook (2008). Winners of three Spoken Word Awards for Best Drama (2004), Best Original Audio, and Best Publishing Initiative (2005).
©2009 SmartPass Ltd (P)2009 SmartPass Ltd
BBC Radio Shakespeare: A Collection of Six Tragedies
Summary
Six full-cast BBC Radio productions of Shakespeare's classic tragedies. Treachery, betrayal and fatal power struggles are among the themes of these six iconic productions of Shakespeare's timeless tragedies. Featuring all-star casts, they are introduced by Sir Richard Eyre. Hamlet Shakespeare's powerfully poetic tragedy of murder, madness and revenge stars Michael Sheen as the prince of Denmark, with Kenneth Cranham as Claudius and Juliet Stevenson as Gertrude. Macbeth In this notorious 'Scottish play', a lust for power and the prophecy of three witches transform a brave nobleman into a traitor and murderous tyrant. Ken Stott stars as Macbeth and Phyllis Logan as Lady Macbeth. King Lear The tragic consequences of evil triumphing over truth and of the vanity of old age, are set in motion when Lear banishes his favourite daughter, Cordelia, from court. Starring Corin Redgrave as King Lear, with David Troughton, Geraldine James and Robert Glenister. Othello Evil cunning perverts a once noble mind, as heroic General Othello is destroyed by both his own jealousy and the machinations of the devious Iago. Ray Fearon stars as Othello, with James Frain as Iago. Romeo and Juliet An updated version of Shakespeare's tragedy of feuding families and doomed love, set in modern Verona and starring Douglas Henshall as Romeo and Sophie Dahl as Juliet. Cymbeline When Cymbeline discovers his daughter Imogen's secret marriage to Posthumus, he banishes her husband. But Posthumus' boasts of his wife's chastity provoke lachimo to attempt her seduction. Bill Wallis stars as Cymbeline.
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
King Lear
Summary
The tragedy of King Lear receives an outstanding performance in an all-star cast led by Britain’s senior classical actor, Paul Scofield. He is joined by Alec McCowen as Gloucester, Kenneth Branagh as The Fool, Harriet Walter as Gonerill, Sara Kestelman as Regan and Emilia Fox as Cordelia. This is the 9th recording of Shakespeare plays undertaken by Naxos AudioBooks in conjunction with Cambridge University Press, and is directed by John Tydeman. It was released to mark the 80th birthday of Paul Scofield in January 2002. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2002 CUP (P)2002 Naxos AudioBooks
Love's Labour's Lost
Summary
Complete and unabridged version of Shakespeare's comedy performed by a full cast including Derek Godfrey, Prunella Scales, and Diana Rigg.
©2013 Saland Publishing (P)2013 Saland Publishing
La tempestad
Summary
Próspero, duque de Milán y un gran mago, fue traicionado por su hermano Antonio, y tras un complot, destituido de su cargo y desterrado, junto con su hija Miranda, a una extraña isla habitada por Ariel, un espíritu del aire, y un monstruo llamado Calibán.Con el objetivo de vengarse de esta traición y así, poder volver a Milán, Próspero trae, por medio de encantamientos, a sus hermanos a la isla y crea una tormenta sobrenatural, desatando la furia de una tempestad para exigir justicia y retomar su poder.La tempestad representa el caos interno y externo, que viene a purificar la historia. Traición, ambición de poder, venganza, perdón y amor son los temas que se tocan en esta obra, combinados con la magia y lo sobrenatural del entorno.Conocida como la última gran obra de Shakespeare, aquí el autor muestra su interés por las relaciones familiares y el perdón, situados en un ambiente poético y mítico. Es así que la originalidad de su escritura, la fuerza de la historia y el mensaje hacen de esta obra un clásico de placentera lectura. El reconocido William Shakespeare fue un dramaturgo, poeta y actor inglés nacido a de mediados del Siglo XVI. Autor de innumerables clásicos, como Romeo y Julieta, Hamlet, Sueño de una noche de Verano, Otelo y Macbeth, entre muchos otros; sus obras son símbolo de la literatura inglesa que valen la pena leer en cualquier época.
©2019 SAGA Egmont (P)2019 SAGA Egmont
Love's Labor's Lost: The Arkangel Shakespeare
Summary
A play replete with puns and double-entendres, this is one of Shakespeare's earliest and most lighthearted. The young king of Navarre and three of his courtiers have vowed to lock themselves away for three years of study and fasting, and to forswear the company of women for this period. No sooner is their vow made than it is tested, however, as the princess of France and three of her ladies arrive in Navarre on a diplomatic mission. The young men fall instantly and hopelessly in love, and the tension between their vow and their passion forms the subject of this charming and sparkling early comedy. Berowne is played by Alex Jennings and Rosaline by Emma Fielding. Samantha Bond is the princess, and Greg Wise the king of Navarre. Alan Howard plays Don Armado.
Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Shakespeare at the RSC
Summary
Hear the finest actors who have performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company perform some of the Bard's most treasured speeches. This recording includes world-class actors John Gielgud, Vanessa Redgrave, Peggy Ashcroft, and Edith Evans in a collection of favourite Shakespearean scenes.
Public Domain (P)2012 Saland Publishing
Coriolanus
Summary
A classic performance of one of the Bard's classics. William Shakespeare lived between 1552 and 1616, but his work endures and is enjoyed the world over.
Public Domain (P)1962, 1996 HarperCollins Publishers
Coriolanus
Summary
Rome is a city divided, nobility and common-people locked in mutual suspicion. The patrician Caius Marcius, later called Coriolanus, is Rome's greatest soldier, but his proud refusal to accommodate himself to the demands of the plebeians leads to banishment and death. A Roman history as well as tragedy, Coriolanus is a complex and subtle exploration of the themes of absolution and compromise, both in the political world and in the life of the individual. Paul Jesson plays Coriolanus, and Marjorie Yates is Volumnia. Ewan Hooper plays Menenius.
Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio
Cymbeline: The Arkangel Shakespeare
Summary
This strange, dark romance includes two songs composed by Shakespeare that are amongst the most beautiful in the English language. Imogen, the daughter of King Cymbeline, is persecuted by her wicked stepmother, the Queen, and by Cloten, the Queen's doltish son. Disguised as a boy, she sets out to find her husband, the banished Posthumus. On her journey, she unwittingly meets her two brothers, stolen from the court as infants. Posthumus, meanwhile, has been convinced by the villainous Iachimo that Imogen is unchaste and agrees to a test of her faithfulness. Sophie Thompson is Imogen, and Ben Porter is Posthumus. Cymbeline is played by Jack Shepherd; Suzanne Bertish is the Queen. Stephen Mangan plays Cloten, and Ron Cook plays Iachimo.
Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.