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King Lear Audiobook
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Publisher Description
This shattering drama of isolation and loss is one of the greatest tragedies in world literature.
King Lear of Britain has three daughters: the hard-hearted Goneril and Regan, and the good and gentle Cordelia. He determines to divide his kingdom between them, giving the largest share to she who can say she loves him the best. Lear’s tragic lack of judgement and self-knowledge is paralleled by the blindness of the loyal Gloucester who is persuaded to reject his virtuous son Edgar in favor of the villainous Edmund.
Lear is played by Trevor Peacock and Gloucester by Clive Merrison. Penny Downie is Goneril, Samantha Bond is Regan, and Julia Ford is Cordelia. Edgar is played by David Tennant, Edmund by Gerard Murphy, and the Fool by John Rogan.
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"There's much to admire in this serviceable performance of Shakespeare's great tragedy. The characterizations aren't quite so vivid as in Paul Scofield's classic account on Caedmon, but the sound quality is infinitely superior and the production values are excellent. Anton Lesser, Clive Merrison and David Tennant stand out as Kent, Gloucester and Edgar."
— Mark (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Hearing Lear, rather than seeing it, emphasizes the power of Shakespearean language. As the aging king who gives up his throne, Trevor Peacock deteriorates from petulance to madness. Gerard Murphy delivers Edmund's monologue on his bastard condition with masterful control, humanizing evil with an anger born of oversensitivity to injustice. Julia Ford brings a gentle strength to Cordelia; her voice alone is enough to convince that she is virtuous but not weaker for it.”
— AudioFile -
“A rhapsody of words, assembled for the ear. This venture marries scholarship and accessibility on an unmatched scale.”
— New York Times, praise for the series
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About William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan and early Jacobean period, is the most widely known author in all of English literature and often considered the greatest. He was an active member of a theater company for at least twenty years, during which time he wrote many great plays. Plays were not prized as literature at the time and Shakespeare was not widely read until the middle of the eighteenth century, when a great upsurge of interest in his works began that continues today.
About the Narrators
Clive Merrison is a film, stage, and television actor who has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and the Old Vic. He and Michael Williams are the only acting duo to have completed the entire canon of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories.
Bleak December Inc. is a multimedia company founded by Canadian actor and filmmaker Anthony D.P. Mann.
Samantha Bond, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is an actress best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in several James Bond films, including Die Another Day, The World Is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies, and GoldenEye. Her many television credits include Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Rumpole of the Bailey, and Downton Abbey. She is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in multiple performances on Broadway and London’s West End. She starred opposite Dame Judi Dench in David Hare’s award-winning play Amy’s View at the Royal National Theatre.
David Tennant, Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a Scottish actor who, over twenty years, has starred on stage, screen, television, and radio. In 2008 he played a widely praised Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company but is probably best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 television serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch Jr. in the 2005 film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. On stage he has played Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, as well as the title roles in Hamlet and Richard II.
Gerard Murphy is an actor who had a long and distinguished career, appearing in such productions as RSC’s The Balcony and in films such as Batman Begins.
David Tennant, Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a Scottish actor who, over twenty years, has starred on stage, screen, television, and radio. In 2008 he played a widely praised Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company but is probably best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 television serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch Jr. in the 2005 film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. On stage he has played Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, as well as the title roles in Hamlet and Richard II.