King Lear by William Shakespeare audiobook

King Lear

By William Shakespeare
Performed by Trevor Peacock, Clive Merrison, and a full cast

Arkangel

The Arkangel Shakespeare Collection

Audio Theater

Format : Library CD (In Stock)
  • 2 Formats: CD
  • 2 Formats: Library CD

  • ISBN: 9781932219180

  • ISBN: 9780792729877

Runtime: 3.14 Hours
Category: Nonfiction/Drama/Performing Arts
Audience: Adult
Language: English
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Summary

Summary

This shattering drama of isolation and loss is one of the greatest tragedies in world literature.

King Lear of Britain has three daughters: the hard-hearted Goneril and Regan, and the good and gentle Cordelia. He determines to divide his kingdom between them, giving the largest share to she who can say she loves him the best. Lear’s tragic lack of judgement and self-knowledge is paralleled by the blindness of the loyal Gloucester who is persuaded to reject his virtuous son Edgar in favor of the villainous Edmund.

Lear is played by Trevor Peacock and Gloucester by Clive Merrison. Penny Downie is Goneril, Samantha Bond is Regan, and Julia Ford is Cordelia. Edgar is played by David Tennant, Edmund by Gerard Murphy, and the Fool by John Rogan.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“Hearing Lear, rather than seeing it, emphasizes the power of Shakespearean language. As the aging king who gives up his throne, Trevor Peacock deteriorates from petulance to madness. Gerard Murphy delivers Edmund's monologue on his bastard condition with masterful control, humanizing evil with an anger born of oversensitivity to injustice. Julia Ford brings a gentle strength to Cordelia; her voice alone is enough to convince that she is virtuous but not weaker for it.”  —AudioFile
“A rhapsody of words, assembled for the ear. This venture marries scholarship and accessibility on an unmatched scale.” —New York Times, praise for the series

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Author

Author Bio: William Shakespeare

Author Bio: William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan and early Jacobean period, is the most widely known author in all of English literature and often considered the greatest. He was an active member of a theater company for at least twenty years, during which time he wrote many great plays. Plays were not prized as literature at the time and Shakespeare was not widely read until the middle of the eighteenth century, when a great upsurge of interest in his works began that continues today.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : CD, Library CD
Category: Nonfiction/Drama/Performing Arts
Runtime: 3.14
Audience: Adult
Language: English

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