Audiobook · read by volunteers
Shakespeare Monologues Collection vol. 02
William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Read by Kirsten Ferreri, Shurtagal, Elizabeth Klett, Simon Taylor, Beth Peat, Jennette Selig, Scott D. Farquhar, Michael Sirois, A.K.Farrar, Chris Gladis · 15 chapters · 42 min
About the book
The soliloquy is one of the great gifts of the theatre: a single character alone on stage, thinking aloud, letting the audience hear what no one else may know. This second collection presents fifteen monologues from Shakespeare's plays, ranging from the opening of Richard III, with its winter of discontent, to Polonius's advice to his son in Hamlet and the speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream about the forgeries of jealousy. Each piece is read by a LibriVox volunteer, each bringing a distinct voice and interpretation, so that tragedy, comedy and history share the same hour. The pieces are short enough to be heard one at a time or as a complete programme, which lasts about forty minutes. For anyone who loves Shakespeare's language, wants to revisit familiar speeches or hopes to discover new ones, this collection is an easy and enjoyable place to begin.
Introduction
William Shakespeare (1564 to 1616) is widely considered the greatest playwright of all time. He wrote histories, comedies and tragedies in a variety of styles, and his language has shaped English itself. His plays were meant to be heard, which is why a collection of spoken monologues suits them so well.
This is the second in a series of LibriVox collections of speeches from the plays. It contains fifteen parts, each named after the play and speech it presents, with the act and scene given in the title. Among them are the opening of Richard III, Polonius's advice to his son and Hamlet's self-reproach, Oberon's bank where the wild thyme blows, Lear's reproach to his daughters and Ulysses on the power of time, so that the listener moves easily between kinds of drama.
The recording lasts about forty minutes and is shared among several volunteers. A monologue offers a performer a chance to show how a thought develops, how emotion rises and falls and how a pause can carry meaning. Listeners may like to follow along with the texts or simply to let the speeches wash over them. Either way, the collection is a short, rewarding way to spend time with Shakespeare's words. Because the speeches are separate, you can dip in at any point. A good approach is to listen to a monologue once for its sense and again for its sound, noticing how Shakespeare shapes thought into verse. The collection will appeal to students, actors and anyone who simply enjoys fine language well spoken.
Public domain
William Shakespeare died in 1616: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text