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    Richard III: A Fully-Dramatized Audio Production From Folger Theatre
    Richard III: A Fully-Dramatized Audio Production From Folger Theatre
    Richard III: A Fully-Dramatized Audio Production From Folger Theatre
    Audiobook3 hours

    Richard III: A Fully-Dramatized Audio Production From Folger Theatre

    Written by William Shakespeare

    Narrated by Full Cast Dramatization

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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 Richard and his fantasy of total control of self and domination of others. Not yet king at the start of the play, Richard presents himself as an enterprising villain as he successfully plans to dispose of his brother Clarence. Richard achieves similar success in conquering the woman he chooses to marry. He carves a way to the throne through assassination and executions.

    But Richard also meets resistance, most threateningly from Queen Margaret, widow of King Henry VI, whom he killed before the play’s beginning. Margaret issues a stream of curses, including one on Richard.

    Gradually, the curses are fulfilled, suggesting the curse on Richard may come true, too. Increasingly, the play directs our sympathies away from Richard. His supporters desert him; his victims pile up. We may begin to share in the desire for vengeance voiced by Margaret.

    This new unabridged audio recording of the well-respected edition of Shakespeare’s classic—expertly produced by the Folger Theatre—is perfect for students, teachers, and the everyday listener.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateFeb 24, 2015
    ISBN9781442381551
    Richard III: A Fully-Dramatized Audio Production From Folger Theatre
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

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    Reviews for Richard III

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    • 3/5
      I'm giving Romeo and Juliet 3 stars because the writing was brilliant. I must admit, Shakespeare was a master in this aspect; in others, not so much. Oh how much I loathe the characters of Romeo and Juliet. But Mercutio was pretty awesome.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Just a masterpiece.
      A wonderful dramatization, what's more to say.
    • 5/5
      Some people think Shakespeare is too old, outdated and overrated. However, when I can read something for the 14th time, and STILL find new things in it? Obviously that means the author did something right.

      The themes that appear in this play: love, suicide, hate, and revenge being some of them are very relevant to the youth of today. The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues is one that mirrors that of gangs in modern times. And it's interesting that I can lead students through this text, and they can say how stupid it is that Romeo and Juliet killed themselves, how dumb it is for the families to be feuding....and then trying to show them that gangs are the same, well that is the challenge.

      Hopefully this play also brings to light what a msitake it is to take one's own life out of love. This play hits a personal note there, knowing a student who did that to herself last year.

      Romeo and Juliet is a CLASSIC that should be taught to students everywhere. It is not something that should be pushed aside because it is 'too hard' or 'written weird' (arguments I hear at my school). It is not too difficult for students to read, although it will take support from the teacher.

    • 4/5
      Brilliant. I am not a fan of love stories or romances or even stories of betrayal and family dynamics. However, this is a stunning book, one of the best ever written I suppose. (I also liked the movie with Leonardo di Caprio and John Leguizamo by this name. It seemed to have all the original writing or a good chunk of it in a modern movie which I've never seen done well before -- I liked it much better than the Liam Neeson ones). The story is basic compared to many of his other books but the writing's as good or better.
    • 3/5
      It's okay. And I love the Queen Mab speech. And look, Shakespeare's SHAKESPEARE. Man knows how to write. And I get that it's not a love story and that Shakespeare knows this. Just. Everyone in this story needs to calm down like forty notches. It's histrionic. And I love Catcher in the Rye, so when I say something's histrionic, I mean it.
    • 5/5
      A first-class presentation of this Shakespeare play. The cast includes Kenneth Branagh, Samantha Bond, Judi Dench, John Gielgud, Richard Briers, Derek Jacobi and Simon Callow.
    • 2/5
      READ IN ENGLISH

      I suppose this is an absolute must-read for everyone who has ever been to high school. I read it in my fifth year and actually I really couldn't understand what gave this story it's marvelous reputation.

      May Contain Some Spoilers!

      Maybe it was more normal in those days, as I'm not the slightest a professor when it comes to both English Literature/Plays and English History, but it seems at least a bit weird, to run away and kill yourself over someone you've only just met and everything. Yes, there is of course a lot of drama in it, and presumably it is better to see it on stage than to read it, but I had expected more from this story, as it is so extremely famous!
    • 5/5
      I guess my love for this play was cemented back in the day before I could grow old enough to balk at the love in it based on nothing but physical appearance, when I was Juliet's age actually. I just listened to the dramatized audiobook tonight, and it still pulls at my heartstrings. One thing hasn't changed; I still love tragedy and the over-dramatic. No surprise that I went on to become a doom metal lover. This is the kind of stuff that musical genre is made out of...well it's actually a wide genre, so it's at least true of a lot of the bands I listen to, like My Dying Bride :) Actually, listening to the song, "For My Fallen Angel" (lyrics below) while reading the last part of this play would be awesome. I need to pair up music and reading more often.

      As I draw up my breath,
      And silver fills my eyes.
      I kiss her still,
      For she will never rise.

      On my weak body,
      Lays her dying hand.
      Through those meadows of Heaven,
      Where we ran.

      Like a thief in the night,
      The wind blows so light.
      It wars with my tears,
      That won't dry for many years.

      "Loves golden arrow
      At her should have fled,
      And not Death's ebon dart
      To strike her dead."
    • 5/5
      This review is for the Frankly Annotated First Folio Edition, with annotations by Demitra Papadinis.The layout of the book is fantastic, making it easy to keep your place in the play when checking on the notes. The notes themselves are fantastic, going in depth and not leaving out the dirty jokes. A thoroughly enjoyable and educational edition!
    • 5/5
      This updated Folger's edition is very readable, yet still contains all of the explanatory picture from the previous editions.I sometimes was able to read several pages without referencing the footnotes on the left page. I also thought the suggested books for further reading were helpful, as they highlight major themes of this classic.
    • 3/5
      Classic... what else is there to say?
    • 4/5
      This was the first Shakespeare play that I read as a Freshman in a small town Wisconsin high school about fifty years ago (doesn't seem that long). Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written relatively early in his career by playwright William Shakespeare about two young lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. But upon rereading the play it seems that there is much more to it than this. Here are some lines from the chorus that opens the play:"Two households, both alike in dignity(In fair Verona, where we lay our scene),From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."(The Prologue, 1-4)So it seems that we also have a play about civil disorder and strife in the community of Verona. This disorder arose from "ancient grudge" but, as we find in the first scene of Act I, when a street fight breaks out between youths supporting the Capulets versus the Montagues (Verona's version of the Hatfields and the McCoys) we quickly face the strife that is contemporary to the story of the young lovers, though it is doubtful any of the youthful combatants are aware of the source of the "ancient grudge". It will take much more bloodshed before order is restored. The overall arc of this story is reminiscent of The Oresteia of Aeschylus where disorder from the blood feud within the House of Atreus was not ended until the founding of the rule of law by Athena. But the chorus also tells of the lovers' plight:"From forth the fatal loins of these two foesA pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;Whose misadventured piteous overthrowsDoth with their death bury their parents' strife."(The Prologue, 5-8)These lines remind us that it is best known as a tragedy of a young "pair of star-crossed lovers" and was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers. While they must hide their love and later their marriage (although the later part happens relatively quickly) due to the civil strife their fates seem to be more astral in nature (remember the stars) and would have succumbed to an early death at any rate.The play belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. Believed written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597. While you might quibble, as I do, with the easy-going Friar's willingness to marry the young lovers, the play moves quickly and deftly due to Shakespeare's use of dramatic structure, especially effects such as switching between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension. His expansion of minor characters (Mercutio has some particularly beautiful lines) and his use of sub-plots to embellish the story, has been praised as an early sign of his dramatic skill. The play ascribes different poetic forms to different characters, sometimes changing the form as the character develops. Romeo, for example, grows more adept at the sonnet over the course of the play. I believe because of both these aspects and the great use of language that is already present in early Shakespeare that it is a great place to start reading Shakespeare, especially for those who may have not had the opportunity to the early start that some of us, like myself, had in their own teenage years.
    • 4/5
      Note: this is only four stars compared to other Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet is not the best play he ever wrote, but it is far and away better than almost anything else in the English language.
    • 3/5
      Shakespeare has a nice writing style, but Romeo and Juliet were really stupid, so I'm feeling this was just okay. It wasn't true love as much as it was infatuation.
    • 5/5
      Didn't like the ending.
    • 4/5
      When two star-crossed lovers meet, it's love at first sight. Despite being from rival families, Romeo and Juliet forsake their own families and risk everything to be together, which ends in tragedy.
    • 4/5
      This is not my favorite of the tragedies...perhaps too much memory of Ninth Grade English cramming comparisons of it and West Side Story down my throat. Seriously though, while I've reread it twice and can love the language, I can't overlook the essential silliness of the whole situation.Recommended because there's no Shakespeare I've yet read that I wouldn't recommend, I don't think it's the most enjoyable thing he's written.
    • 4/5
      This frayed beauty of a long ago created book has the most grieved, nut stunning end of all time.
    • 4/5
      I like the nurse. I still don't think these dumb kids loved" each other."
    • 5/5
      I read this fall semester of my freshman year of high school, and have loved it ever since--it remains one of my most favorite books/plays.
    • 5/5
      Romeo and Juliet has to be the greatest love story of all time. The comic and dramatic words of Shakespeare are simply breath taking. I loved the irony and always knowing what was going to happen at the end, but hoping, somehow some way their fate would not be true. This book gave me chills on almost every page. I think that the characters are very interesting and you can picture each one as you read. Reading the book as a script was also enjoyable because I was able to hear each character's voice in my head. This was a phenomenal book, and I would recommend it to anyone up for the challenging word plays, because it is well worth it.
    • 3/5
      It's a classic, but not really a favorite of mine.
    • 1/5
      This is proof that Shakespeare plays should be experienced not read. As a piece of literature, this does not work. As a drama, this is exceptional. Conclusion...watch the movie.
    • 4/5
      "Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo?"

      *rolls eyes*

      I've seen way too many skits/parodies for this, and I perfected the plot even before I read the unabridged manuscript. The 1968 movie version (which we were all forced to watch for English Class *cringe*) did feature two very good-looking leads, but basically, I didn't have any respect for two shockingly young idiots who killed themselves for [puppy] love.

      Until...

      We were forced to make a play for this. I wasn't a happy camper, especially since I was pushed into making our script. Why should we make a play for this, when we already know what's going to happen? Talk about milking it. I don’t think there’s a person who has never heard of Romeo and Juliet. Granted, we were given freedom to change the ending, but aside from that, there is no element of surprise.

      What I didn't count on was that the element of surprise, was my new-found respect for Will Shakespeare.

      I have to hand it to Shakespeare: he’s a brilliant writer, not only because of the things he writes of, but because of the way he writes them. The words flow wonderfully. It was then that I understood why we had to learn Shakespeare in school: reading his works is a celebration of words.

      Taken out of context, Romeo falling in love with Juliet just after he was dumped by Rosaline, induces one to roll one’s eyes. But damn, did you read what Romeo says about Juliet?
      “Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”

      A lot of people dissent: This is a romantic story; No, it is not. Whatever it may be, I do believe that Romeo and Juliet’s passion is touching, and in the first few acts, enviable. There are way too many lines between them that I love!

      I also believe that it is a cautionary tale. That it was intended to be a tragedy, for R & J to act stupidly because we act stupidly in love, too. And so enter Friar Lawrence to deliver us a most important speech:
      These violent delights have violent ends
      And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
      Which, as they kiss, consume. The sweetest honey
      Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
      And in the taste confounds the appetite.
      Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so.
      Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

      Thank God for sparknotes, seriously, for this interpretation: These sudden joys have sudden endings. They burn up in victory like fire and gunpowder. When they meet, as in a kiss, they explode. Too much honey is delicious, but it makes you sick to your stomach. Therefore, love each other in moderation. That is the key to long-lasting love. Too fast is as bad as too slow.


      Romeo and Juliet made me look at Shakespeare in a whole new light. It made me realize that Shakespeare really is a writing genius. I have a long way into fully appreciating him, since R & J is the only play I’ve read. I do think there will come a time when I will finally muster up the motivation to read through another Shakespeare again.
    • 5/5
      Romeo and Juliet is fairly far down on my list of Shakespeare's plays (compared, say, with The Tempest, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night at the top), so my five***** rating of this book (ISBN 978-0786447480) is not for the play itself but for the editorial work. I snagged Demitra Papadinis's "Frankly Annotated First Folio Edition" as an Early Reviewer, and after browsing it I've definitely wish-listed her similar edition of As You Like It (ISBN 978-0786449651, which I didn't win as an Early Reviewer) as well as her pre-order edition of Macbeth (ISBN 978-0786464791).I was particularly curious to see how Papadinis's "Frankly Annotated" editions would stack up versus the Norton Critical Editions (generically, that is, because there is no NCE of Romeo and Juliet to the best of my knowledge). There is simply no comparison between the two, and I say this in praise of both Papadinis and NCE. The strength of NCE is in its supplementary materials, which are completely lacking to Papadinis, while the strength of Papadinis is in her highly detailed line-by-line annotation. Papadinis and NCE, in other words, complement rather than compete with each other.Papadinis's annotation is highly detailed and presented in facing-page format, with the play's text on the left-hand page and the corresponding annotation on the right. What this means is that some left-hand text pages may contain only four or five lines while a corresponding right-hand annotation page will be completely filled, so that Papadinis's "Frankly Annotated" editions are not for a newcomer or casual reader, who will most likely find the design cumbersome and the trade paperback edition's price higher than a beginner would like. (Leaving out introduction and bibliography, both quite short, Papadinis's text/annotations for Romeo and Juliet run from pages 28 through 447 inclusive.)Another Early Reviewer has expressed some objection that these annotations represent a "tendentious study of the vulgar in Shakespeare's play." In reality, though, Romeo and Juliet (like Twelfth Night) in fact is one of Shakespeare's most bawdy plays, so I have to object to such a criticism. On the other hand, I also have to admit that I have not studied Papadinis's annotations that comprehensively, considering the time limit in posting an Early Review. In fact, this is not the kind of book that you are likely to read cover-to-cover, but rather one that you'll browse through, maybe just a scene (or even a few lines) at a time to savor the wealth of annotation that Papadinis provides. For that matter, I'm not such a Shakespeare specialist that I'd necessarily pick up on small annotational glitches anyway, so here's hoping some other ER can comment with more specificity on this subject.Papadinis's "Frankly Annotated" editions are available in both trade paperback and Kindle, but this does not seem like the kind of text that could be properly formatted for eBook reading, given the need for facing-page capability. I did download a Kindle sample, but it was too short (it included only some of the introduction, with none of the facing-page text/annotation) to be sure of this, but I'd definitely recommend the trade paperback edition. It's a bit pricey but worth it, though not recommended for a first-timer to the play.
    • 5/5
      It maybe a cliche but I love this play.
    • 5/5
      This is a great romantic tragedy, which I had to read for my Intro. to Drama class. This is one of those works of Shakespeare that has been done in a multitude of forms and variations, so it is quite likely that everyone has a rough idea of the story. Still, you really cannot replace the original. There is a lot of unbelievable story to it, which can overdo it to the point of being distracting, but overall the language and story are so supremely memorable that it automatically qualifies as a must-read. As to the edition itself, I found it to be greatly helpful in understanding the action in the play. It has a layout which places each page of the play opposite a page of notes, definitions, explanations, and other things needed to understand that page more thoroughly. While I didn't always need it, I was certainly glad to have it whenever I ran into a turn of language that was unfamiliar, and I definitely appreciated the scene-by-scene summaries. Really, if you want to or need to read Shakespeare, an edition such as this is really the way to go, especially until you get more accustomed to it.
    • 4/5
      What a sorrowful tale this was, all toldeth
      which tooketh me so long to finally beholdeth.
      Enjoying much am I, traveling through the Bard's w'rks
      the linquistics, the grammar, the sentence-y quirks.
      Fresh eyes, with which, I cometh as observer
      and eateth up the words, with generous fervor
      What ho! what a tome of impending doom,
      which buries the heart in grief's wretched gloom.
      But a lesson is learn'd from the reading, plain it be
      that through the preponderances of history:
      Great is that trait, the undercurrent to see
      peace, love, hope, and tranquility.
      But soft, much there are stories of woe,
      like that of our Juliet and Romeo.
    • 4/5
      this is a love story, and it is a tragedy.Remeo and Juliet's families are enemy. but in this story is told us if you are falling in love, everything will be possible, and you will be brave.
    • 5/5
      The classic play. Some of the finest dialogue in the English language. This is a student edition with additional materials and illustrations.