Showing results by author "William Shakespeare" in All Categories

Richard, duke of Gloucester, schemes to inherit the throne by killing all who stand in his way - including his own brother and the two young sons of King Edward IV.

Don’t be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard’s plays accessible and enjoyable.

In this great tragedy, Macbeth's ambition to fulfill the three witches' prophecy that he will become King of Scotland spurs him and his wife to assassinate King Duncan. But for persistant ghosts, Lady Macbeth's conscience, and the vengeance of Duncan's son, they might have gotten away with murder!

Based on Robert Greene’s story Pandosto, The Winter’s Tale play tells the story of Leontes, king of Sicilia, and his childhood friend Polixenes, king of Bohemia. In a jealous rage, Leontes mistakenly accuses Polixenes and his own his wife, Hermione, of adultery, and her newborn daughter as illegitimate, casting her into the wilderness, causing their son to die of grief and Hermione to seemingly follow suit. With his family dead or believed dead, Leontes must face the tragic consequences of his actions.

Dame Edith Evans reads the poetry of Lord Byron, William Blake, and William Shakespeare amongst many others.

Bianca is beautiful and demure, with a plethora of would-be suitors, but marriage is forbidden until her older sister, Katherina, finds a suitable match. The hitch? Fiery Katherina has sworn to deny the hand or demands of any would-be suitor. That is, until she meets her match in the wily Petrucio. As Katherina’s own sharp tongue is met by Petrucio’s feigned cruelty, the ‘shrew’ apparently capitulates. Or does she?

As You Like It follows its heroine, Rosalind, as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love in the Forest of Arden. This edition is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous comedy, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare's drama. Read in English, unabridged.

Sir Michael Morpurgo retells two of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays, Macbeth and Hamlet, in this stunning audio collection in association with the RSC, featuring readings by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Michael himself.

This edition of Romeo and Juliet is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous play, the incredible romantic story full of passion and wisdom retold in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare's drama.

Richard Burton reads Shakespeare's narrative poem about the legendary Lucretia (or 'Lucrece'). The poem tells the story of the Roman leader Tarquin's rape of Lucrece and her subsequent suicide.

Baptista, a rich Paduan merchant, announces that his fair young daughter, Bianca, will remain unwed until her older sister, Katharina, a hellish shrew, has wed. An unabridged cast performance of Shakespeare's comedy about the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew.

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1606. Promised a golden future as ruler of Scotland by three sinister witches, Macbeth murders the king to ensure his ambitions come true. But he soon learns the meaning of terror - killing once, he must kill again and again, and the dead return to haunt him.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare is a whimsical comedy set in Athens and a magical forest. It follows four young lovers and a group of amateur actors who wander into an enchanted wood. There, mischievous fairy Puck and his master, Oberon, the Fairy King, create chaos with a love potion, causing characters to fall in and out of love in unpredictable ways. Meanwhile, the actors, led by the bumbling Bottom, prepare a play for the Duke's wedding. After a night of humorous confusion, love is restored to its rightful place, and the couples return to Athens to celebrate harmony(...

In life’s kitbag of essentials food and drink are right at the top. Their variety and ways to consume are a wonder, both of nature’s offerings and human creativity. For our classic poets ranging from Ancient Romans to Elinor Wylie and Rainer Maria Rilke, their recipes for verse using the simple ingredients of words and imagination are a wonderful and enduring example of their craft and art applied to the one thing mankind looks forward to each and every day.

Shakespeare's most profound and practical quotations, from A to Z, volume 1. Produced and narrated by John Fiore

Our quoted authority is not the people in white coats but those with a quill, a heart and a soul that can take these feelings of love and loss and with the ink of words put to verse feelings and emotions that can be re-lived and shared by all. As they venture through depression, war, slavery to heartache and the loss of loved ones our eyes may mist and tears gently fall at what collectively we have done, have experienced, have witnessed and lost.

Prince Hamlet's father is dead. Hamlet believes he was murdered, and that he knows the culprit. The only problem is it's his uncle, the new king—and Hamlet has no proof.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother. Hamlet is considered among the "most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language", with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others".

Shakespeare's sonnet about the comfort brought by dwelling on the one he loves, read by Bill Wallis.

Antonio's friend Bassanio is in love and needs money to go courting. Using Antonio as his collateral, he borrows money from Shylock. But when the debt comes due, Shylock demands repayment in the form of a pound of Antonio's flesh. Hugh Griffin, Harry Andrews, Ian Holm and Roy Dotrice perform Shakespeare's tragicomedy.