Showing titles in Shakespeare

Becoming Shakespeare begins with his death in 1616 and relates the fascinating story of his unlikely transformation from provincial playwright to universal Bard. Unlike later literary giants, Shakespeare created no stir when he died. Though he'd once had a string of hit plays, he had been retired in the country for six years, and only his family, friends, and business partners seemed to care that he was gone.

Few plays have had more impact than William Shakespeare's Hamlet. With this new guide, you will have an even greater understanding of the play. Included in this guide: a biography of author William Shakespeare, a look at the play's context and its literary elements, detailed scene summaries, character analysis, and much more. This is the definitive guide to Hamlet, concise, easy to understand, and guaranteed to add to your enjoyment of this classic play.

Shakespeare's comedy is performed by a cast including Derek Godfrey, Patrick Garland, Prunella Scales and Peter Pears.

Master storyteller Jim Weiss brings young listeners the glorious richness of two of Shakespeare's best loved plays, on a level children can grasp. Renowned storyteller Jim Weiss brings us the magic and mistaken identities of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the comedy of The Taming of the Shrew.

Titus Andronicus is the main character and tragic hero in William Shakespeare's play of the same name, Titus Andronicus, a Senecan tragedy. Titus is a Roman nobleman and a general in the war who distinguished himself in ten years of service against the Goths. Despite his exemplary service the war's toll on him is sufficient that he declined the emperorship. Nonetheless, he begins the play as an exemplary citizen. However faith in the traditions of the Roman system of government eventually leads to his death as others seek revenge.

A BBC Radio 3 full-cast dramatisation of Shakespeare’s classic ‘Pericles’, starring Tom Mannion. Originally broadcast in November 2005 and repeated as part of the ‘Drama on 3’ collection in November 2008. Shakespeare's romantic adventure full of tyrants, incest, murder, knights...

An adaptation of William Shakespeare's 1603-1604 play Measure for Measure adapted and in plain English to a 20-minute production by Charlie Creed. The original was first published in the First Folio in 1623. It was originally classified as a comedy, though is now considered more of a problem play. The play is set in Vienna and focuses on the themes of relationships, integrity, and legal complications. This is a full cast, abridged production of the play in plain English.

The multi-award winning SmartPass full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play.

Believing his wife, Hermione, to be unfaithful, King Leontes of Sicilia, orders her new-born child abandoned in the wilderness. But when Hermione’s fidelity is proven by the divinations of the Oracle of Delphi, Leontes is cursed to have no heir until his daughter is found. Sixteen years later...

Together with The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most magical plays. One night, two parties creep from Athens into the surrounding forest. One party includes sweethearts Lysander and Hermia, fleeing from Athenian law and the disapproval of Hermia’s father to get...

Here is a collection of Shakespeare's most inspiring speeches from the BBC Sound Archives. Hear timeless soliloquies from Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, Henry V, King Lear, Macbeth, Richard III, and The Merchant of Venice, memorably delivered by some of the leading actors of the 20th century.

"In a remarkable performance, Flynn laughs, jokes, and calls O'Hea to task when he's wrong--all sounding very much like the famous Dench...The final segment has Dench (in her own voice) and O'Hea engaged in friendly, very funny, squabbling. Informative, educational and altogether brilliant...

Magical and dreamlike in its tone, Shakespeare’s The Tempest begins with a storm of epic proportions and a shipwreck. Banished from Italy, Prospero lives on a remote island with his daughter. Using his magic, he vows to seek revenge on the injustice dealt to him by his brother, but in doing so, Shakespeare questions the difficulty of distinguishing ‘men’ from ‘monsters’, and the realities of justice.

Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's best dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major language, and are the most performed ever. His work contains stunningly modern insight, witty jokes and soaring passion; it is an endless source of amazement and inspiration. A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage, widely performed across the world.

The so-called "Bad Quarto" of Shakespeare's Hamlet is the first known version of this world-famous tragedy. Published in 1603, this text is significantly shorter, has some divergent character names, and contains different renditions of some of the play's most famous lines. Some scholars believe that the Bad Quarto is a pirated edition, written down by one or more of the company actors, while others think that it is Shakespeare's first attempt that he later revised and expanded.

A solo recording of A Midsummer Night's Dream in an American dialect.

The Folger Shakespeare Library, home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, brings Richard III to life with this new full-length, full-cast dramatic recording of its definitive Folger Edition. In Richard III, Shakespeare invites us on a moral holiday. The play draws us to identify with...

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a history play and tragedy by William Shakespeare first performed in 1599. It is one of several plays written by Shakespeare based on true events from Roman history, such as Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra. Set in Rome in 44 BC, the play depicts the moral dilemma of Brutus as he joins a conspiracy led by Cassius to murder Julius Caesar to prevent him from becoming dictator of Rome. Following Caesar's death, Rome is thrust into a period of civil war, and the republic the conspirators sought to preserve is lost forever.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time...

The complete sonnets performed by the quintessential Shakespearian actor, Sir John Gielgud...