Audiobook · read by volunteers
Shakespeare Monologues Collection vol. 05
William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Read by A.K.Farrar, Elizabeth Klett, BLRossow, Charlene V. Smith, Caitlin Teresa, Victoria Clarke, Vin Reilly, Shurtagal, Rhonda Federman, Nathan Pilling · 20 chapters · 45 min
About the book
Twenty of Shakespeare’s most dramatic speeches, performed by LibriVox volunteers one by one. This fifth collection of monologues opens with the dying John of Gaunt in Richard II, Methinks I am a prophet, then turns to the anger of Henry VI, Part 3. It goes on to Hamlet’s advice to the players, the opening of Richard III, Juliet on the night of the garden, Hecate in Macbeth, a fairy song and a lovers’ quarrel from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and speeches by Portia, Isabella, Adriana and Beatrice. Each piece stands on its own and lasts only a few minutes, so you can listen to a single speech or to the whole set, about fifty minutes in all. The collection is a fine way to enjoy Shakespeare’s language without needing to follow an entire play. It will suit students, actors, teachers and anyone who simply loves to hear great verse spoken aloud with feeling.
Introduction
William Shakespeare, who lived from 1564 to 1616, is widely regarded as the greatest playwright in the English language. He wrote in many forms, including tragedies, comedies and history plays, and his speeches are among the most quoted passages in English literature. The plays from which these speeches come were written over a long span of years, in the last decade of the sixteenth century and beyond.
This is the fifth volume in a series in which LibriVox volunteers record individual monologues from the plays. The twenty parts include a speech from Richard II, beginning with the words about being a prophet in the second act, and two from the first act of the third part of Henry VI. They are joined by speeches from Hamlet, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, The Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure and Much Ado About Nothing, and by the Prologue to Troilus and Cressida. Each monologue is named by its opening words and its place in the play, so listeners can find the passage in a printed text.
A monologue shows a character thinking aloud, and Shakespeare used the form to reveal motive, grief, anger or ambition. Hearing these passages out of context highlights the rhythm of the verse and the way in which a single speaker can fill a stage. At the same time, some of their force depends on the surrounding story, so the collection also invites the listener to seek out the full plays.
The recording runs for under an hour, read by different volunteers, and offers a pleasing variety of voices. It is worth hearing as an introduction, a revision aid or a pleasant way to meet great 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