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Richard II Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Shakespeare’s finest verse play is also his first portrait of the psychology of power.
The sensitive and poetic Richard II is undoubtedly the rightful king of England, but he is unscrupulous and weak. When his cousin Henry Bolingbroke returns from banishment and mounts a challenge to his authority, Richard’s right to the throne proves of little help to him. Richard is forced to abdicate, but as his power is stripped away, he gains dignity and self-awareness, and he meets his death heroically. Meanwhile Bolingbroke’s seizure of the crown has caused resentment among the nobles of England.
Rupert Graves is Richard II, and Julian Glover is Bolingbroke. John Wood plays John of Gaunt.
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“Cambridge University Press has provided a very great service to the scholarly community with its series The Early Quartos…This text is a valuable contribution to the study of this play and of the history of Shakespeare’s texts in general.”
— Shakespeare Bulletin
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“Listeners will easily lose themselves in the rhythm of the erudite language and period-sounding music, written especially for this production…A gift to all for the ages.”
— AudioFile
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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
Bleak December Inc. is a multimedia company founded by Canadian actor and filmmaker Anthony D.P. Mann.
John Wood worked for Microsoft for nine years, helping grow the company’s international profile. He resigned at age thirty-five and founded Room to Read, which is widely regarded as one of the world’s top nonprofit organizations. He documented his decision to create Room to Read in his memoir, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. He lives in New York City.
Julian Glover is a classical stage actor who has also appeared in many films, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Troy, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, and the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. He trained at the National Youth Theatre, performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and appeared in many British television series in the 1960s and ’70s.