Audiobook · read by volunteers
Shakespeare Monologues Collection vol. 03
William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Read by Alan Davis Drake (1945-2010), Jonathan Horniblow, Shurtagal, Squid Varilekova, Caitlin Hier, Patrick Beverley, Jennette Selig, Zachary Brewster-Geisz, Karen Savage, Ancilla · 20 chapters · 48 min
About the book
Shakespeare's monologues give a performer the chance to hold the stage alone, and this third collection offers twenty of them. The speeches range across tragedy, comedy and history: the winter of discontent that opens Richard III, Shylock's demand to know whether a Jew does not bleed, Brutus addressing the Roman crowd, Macbeth's tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, Henry V on Saint Crispin's Day, Jaques on the world as a stage and several of Hamlet's great speeches. Different LibriVox volunteers take them, which makes the collection feel like an evening in the company of a varied troupe. The speeches are short, usually only a few minutes each, so they can be enjoyed one at a time or as a full programme of about fifty minutes. Whether you are a student of drama, an actor looking for ideas, or simply a lover of language, this anthology is a lively way to hear Shakespeare's verse.
Introduction
William Shakespeare (1564 to 1616) is widely considered the greatest playwright of all time. He wrote in many forms, from comedies to tragedies and histories, and his work has been performed and studied for four centuries.
This is the third in a series of LibriVox collections of monologues. It contains twenty parts, each identified by play, speech and location in the text. The anthology covers a wide variety of moods, from savage ambition to wry humour, and gives the listener a sense of Shakespeare's range in a short time.
The recording lasts about fifty minutes and is shared among a number of volunteer readers. It is not necessary to know the plays beforehand, although those who do will enjoy recognising speeches in a new setting. For those who do not, each piece is clear enough to stand by itself. A monologue offers a chance to hear how a mind works in real time, and these readings capture that in a simple and direct manner. The variety of voices makes the collection a pleasure to hear in sequence, and some listeners may like to follow along with a printed text. Because the speeches are taken out of their plays, each becomes a small drama in itself, with its own question, argument and ending. It is a fine way to prepare for seeing a play or simply to enjoy the beauty of the verse.
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