Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Get this deal Try for £0.00
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
John Gielgud's Hamlet (Dramatised) cover art

John Gielgud's Hamlet (Dramatised)

By: William Shakespeare
Narrated by: John Gielgud
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £11.99

Buy Now for £11.99

Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

 King Richard III cover art
King Lear cover art
All the Sonnets of Shakespeare cover art
Hamlet: The Arkangel Shakespeare cover art
Macbeth cover art
Troilus and Cressida cover art
BBC Radio Shakespeare cover art
BBC Radio Shakespeare: A Collection of Four History Plays cover art
Shakespeare: The Complete Works cover art
Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies cover art
Lear cover art
The Oresteia cover art
Shakespeare, Our Contemporary cover art
The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis cover art
Writing Creative Nonfiction cover art
Falstaff cover art

Editor reviews

Why we think it's Essential: In considering which Shakespeare recording was most essential, we found ourselves caught between Gielgud's Hamlet and Richard Burton's MacBeth (which, ironically, was directed by Gielgud). In the end, we chose Gielgud because, as a radio production (unlike Burton's stage performance) it was meant for the ear, not the eye. As a result, Gielgud delivers what may be the best Hamlet we've ever heard. — Steve Feldberg

Summary

This outstanding historical recording made in 1941 for radio is widely regarded as one of the finest Hamlet performances ever, and one of John Gielgud's greatest moments. Though he went on to record it for commercial release, nothing matched this recording in the BBC studios, made before the days of editing.

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)2006 Naxos AudioBooks
Classics Shakespeare Shakespeare Dramatised
Show More Show Less

Critic reviews

"There are many recordings of Shakespeare's most famous play, but now you can enjoy the most legendary of all - the live 1948 broadcast of John Gielgud's Hamlet. It remains utterly compelling, crystal clear, totally absorbing, with a classic quality that reflects the utter rightness of the interpretation. There is a delightful unscripted moment in Act V when Esme Percy (playing Osric) can be fainly heard calling admiringly "Oh! Oh! He's enchanting," during a brief Gieldgud pause." Christina Hardyment, The Times

What listeners say about John Gielgud's Hamlet (Dramatised)

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for William Benham

Unsurpassible!

I greatly enjoyed this performance of one of the greatest plays in the English language.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for HistoryLover

Music to the Ear

As a piece of theatrical history, this is a wonderful record of a seminal production.
It moves at a stately pace, but I revelled in the poetry of the language, so well spoken by all the cast. It is a record of a different age. I loved it.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!