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Macbeth
- Shakespeare Appreciated: (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)
- Narrated by: Joan Walker, Nick Murchie, Coralyn Sheldon
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Performance
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Drama & Plays
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Summary
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).
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What listeners say about Macbeth
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Robert
- 05-12-20
Tiresome students’ notes production
The performance, which itself is not great, is constantly interrupted with heavy handed commentary designed for 4th year students, such is its boring obviousness. Don’t buy
1 person found this helpful
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- Noel
- 04-12-17
Brilliant way to listen and learn.
I love this series. It gives excellent background, strong performance and insights in the commentary.
1 person found this helpful
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- "mcgorry8"
- 17-03-22
An absolute lifesaver for anyone teaching Macbeth
THis audioplay is absolutely perfect for anyone who is teaching Macbeth. The acting is a touch hacky at points, but the commentary is invaluable.
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- LC
- 24-01-21
Great format and Nice performances
I like the format because it has two versions, one with full historical explanation, and one without. The performances were great too. Another illustration of a person/s creating their own nightmare.
I wasn't so keen on some of the music, because it didn't seem to fit and sounded more like The Doors.
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- Michelle I
- 03-08-14
Brilliantly explained
Would you consider the audio edition of Macbeth to be better than the print version?
I have never read the play.
Any additional comments?
The additional notes and comments really helped me to understand the difficult language. The fact that you can then listen without these, after gaining a better understanding adds to the experience
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 23-01-13
Now I get it...
The narration and explanations are helpful. I have always struggled through Shakespearean plays.
Don't fret.
This production also comes with a performance that is uninterrupted. Start on Chapter 6 of the audio book for it.
13 people found this helpful
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- Amelia
- 11-07-09
I Love the Commentary
I'm a high school teacher and bought this to sue with my class. I don't find the commentary distracting but helpful. My students quickly figured out that when a particular voice was talking that was explanation. Also, there is a version of the play without any commentary in the file as well.
13 people found this helpful
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- N8
- 23-11-08
Very well done
This is a really great audio program. Very high quality sound, narration is very useful and I came away with more knowledge of Shakespeare's history, the circumstances behind writing the play, and an understanding of what the classical language is trying to say. Highly recommended if you are at all interested in Shakespeare.
10 people found this helpful
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- V Harper
- 08-01-10
Excellent for Yr 11 Study
I bought this novel for my daughters Year 11 study, l cannot say how helpful this was, it made Macbeth interesting and exciting. She was one of the top students in Macbeth studies because of this audio novel where normally she struggles with English. Just Excellent also with the background on why this story was written, it made all the difference.
8 people found this helpful
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- Venn
- 16-12-09
MacBeth
Eureka, after 25 years i decided to re-read Macbeth, my confused understanding of the play was transformed into an understanding i will never forget. The narration was exquisit i have finally conquored MacBeth.
4 people found this helpful
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- Dr. Filthy McNasty
- 01-10-17
Best accidental purchase I've ever made
I just wanted a good dramatization of Macbeth and this one had high ratings so I bought it. I didn't realize until it started that it was filled with commentary every 5 or 10 lines. I've studied Shakespeare at a high level under Paul Cubeta and I expected this commentary to be distracting and written at the lowest possible level. Neither is remotely the case. It is excellent work.
More importantly, the woman who does the narrating is quite an actor herself and sets the emotional pitch of her commentary to match the scene. She almost sounds like another character in the play.
This is a remarkable achievement.
2 people found this helpful
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- AKowalczyk
- 03-04-19
Wonderful!
The narration and explanations in the first half are wonderful! Not having the patience to sit with a textbook, and wanting to read all the Shakespeare I didn’t have time for when I was younger, I’m finding Shakespeare Appreciated truly wonderful!!
1 person found this helpful
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- OneForAll
- 23-06-18
Glad I discovered this
Studying Shakespeare in school, we always had the teacher to lead us through it. This is like that, but more entertaining. The narration and commentary weren't the distraction I feared they might be, but very helpful. Without them, frankly, I'd have been lost, but I understood all that was going on in every scene. And I loved the historical info about England at the time, the Globe Theater, and how MacBeth ties in with King James, for whom Shakespeare wrote it.
1 person found this helpful
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- william b stanton
- 12-04-22
For anyone who gets lost in Shakespeare Plays
If you can can't quote every line, if you don't understand 500 year olde English, if you don't know all the cultural references and significance, you might benefit from this version. Even if you know A LOT about Shakespeare, this could give you a few insights you have forgotten. The voice acting is as good as any play I was forced to watch growing up, and the tour guide /teacher is playful enough to where it's less like school and more actual fun to listen to. In fact, I found myself zoning out during the dialog and only really listening when she came in to talk.
Very well done, highly recommended to those who get lost in Shakespeare plays!
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- KURT
- 27-09-21
Good voice actors and great commentary
This is an excellent narration to read the play with and listen to the commentary. There were some insights, I wasn’t aware of even after having had read the Arden Shakespeare Commentary on Macbeth.