Shakespeare - The Biography: Vol II cover art

Shakespeare - The Biography: Vol II

The Upstart Crow

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
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.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Shakespeare - The Biography: Vol II

By: Peter Ackroyd
Narrated by: Simon Callow
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

VOL. 2: THE UPSTART CROW.
Ambitious Actor and Poet.
(c. 1590 - Midsummer Night's Dream)
Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life. Discover the theatrical world in which Shakespeare had his being - not just Shakespeare the actor but the other actors, playwrights, and managers that surrounded him. And journey to Stratford to meet Shakespeare the family man, whose private life had such an impact on his work that the strongest bond in his plays is always between father and daughter.

©2005 Peter Ackroyd; (P)2005 Random House Audiobooks
Drama & Plays Education Entertainment & Celebrities Higher & Continuing Education Literary History & Criticism Shakespeare

Listeners also enjoyed...

My Shakespeare cover art
All the Sonnets of Shakespeare cover art
The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England cover art
Shakespeare: The Complete Works cover art
The Christopher Marlowe BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
The Making of Oliver Cromwell cover art
All stars
Most relevant
I think it's very cheeky the way they have divided what is one book into four parts that you need to buy separately, although I was getting through my credits slowly so it's not that much of an issue. But that aside, Ackroyd's writing and research together with Callie's performance make this very entertaining and informative.

Expensive but worth it

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

Luckily audible has a speed control. Simon Callow needs to learn how to take the time to taste his words. If you listen at .85, you’ll enjoy it so much more.

Slow down dude

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