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The Tempest (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.00) - 73,208 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
""Our revels now are ended... this rough magic I here abjure...""
In Shakespeare hinting at the end of his own magnificent career in these and others lines spoken by the great magician, Prospero? The Tempest was the last of Shakespeare's comedies, completed just before he retired to his native Stratford-upon-Avon; perhaps this delightful comedy was intended to signal the playwright's farewell to his beloved theater. The Tempest reflects Shakespeare's mature genius, with its story of innocence tempered by intrigue, hilarity bounded by melancholy. Audiences the world over still thrill to The Tempest's dark comedy and magical fantasy.
Sir Michael Redgrave and Vanessa Redgrave helped to build one of England's foremost theatrical families-- a tradition that Ms. Redgrave continues today. And Hugh Griffith is one of the nation's greatest character actors. Together, they bring The Tempest majestically to life.
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"Being the fantasy geek that I am, "The Tempest" is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Interestingly enough, it was also the last play Shakespeare completed before his death. So it's only fitting that the Bard's swan song would be a bewitching adventure. Plus, here's some trivia: two of the characters are named *Ariel and Sebastian*. (strikes a thoughtful pose) Do you think perhaps the creators of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" read "The Tempest" and decided to give their characters the same names? ;) One can only wonder."
— Carol (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Shakespeare’s blend of romance, comedy and political intrigue and his echoings of Virgil and Ovid can make this, like his other late work, feel at once classical and incipiently postmodern.”
— New York Times -
“Part of The Tempest’s permanent facination for so many playgoers and readers, in a myriad of national cultures, is its juxtaposition of a vengeful magus who turns to forgiveness.”
— Harold Bloom -
Prospero’s use of magic in The Tempest is a source of apparently endless critical speculation. It has been defined as benign and redemptive, its violence excused or legitimated. At the opposite end of the critical spectrum it has been defined as witchcraft and read as a metaphor for colonial oppression…By whatever means The Tempest is approached, magic is the defining factor in the relationship between Prospero and Caliban.”
— Times Literary Supplement
The Tempest Listener Reviews
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" This book is about revenge, love, and storms. "
— Yui, 2/17/2014 -
" I am a big Shakespeare fan but I had to read this in school and it was so boring and confusing. Nothing important seemed to happen, the plot was too strange to be tragic and there was no excitement. "
— Emma, 2/3/2014 -
" Reminded me of LOST. I owe this work more time and energy. "
— Greg, 1/27/2014 -
" Absolutely perfect. This is my favorite Shakespeare play; it's got spectacular characters, mountains of wit, an exciting plot, perfect dialog and a wonderfully intricate meaning. <3 "
— Chrissy, 1/20/2014 -
" Complicated but enjoyable, especially if you're able to discuss it with people afterwards. Would love to see this on stage some day. "
— Theres, 1/19/2014 -
" I read this book in my class with some friends. I thought this book was okay there were some parts of the story I don't understand maybe because of my age and in other parts I just loved. The way they speak interests me in most Shakespeare's books like the classic " Romeo and Juliet". These books are really just beautiful in the words and how they see them. "
— Jordan, 1/13/2014 -
" It was hard for me to follow, as most Shakespeare is, but I plugged away at it. I recommend it for any Shakespeare lover. "
— Jeri, 1/13/2014 -
" Very hard to read but an awesome story. "
— Erikka, 1/11/2014 -
" This was an entertaining play but it wasn't great. It was funny but I was confused sometimes and I had to read over the page to understand it better. "
— Roberto, 1/2/2014 -
" Honestly, I am not a huge fan of Shakespeare (which makes me a pariah in my major), but this play blew my mind with the sheer skill of word-craft that went into it. It's one I will have to read several times over. "
— Amanda, 10/15/2013 -
" I read this in school and didnt like it at all, thought it was boring. And I didnt like the language used as it was difficult to understand. "
— Alejandra, 10/5/2013 -
" Anybody else read this and think "A better measure for measure?" "
— Dirk, 10/3/2013 -
" I really would like someone to explain to me what I can possibly enjoy about this enough to get excited about teaching it. "
— Kari, 4/20/2013 -
" I didn't realize that this was one of the last things written by Shakespeare. It makes the ending even more poignant. "
— Julie, 1/30/2013 -
" Unfortunately,I had to read it in the Shakespeare language and not the modern day version. At the beginning it was a little confusing because of the words, but overall I say it was a great/ fun book to read. "
— Devyn, 1/6/2013 -
" An interesting comedy by Shakespeare. Shakespeare has a knack for capturing human nature and presenting us with a picture of both extremes behavior and rationale--from the wise and good to the self-centered and evil. "
— Sandy, 11/5/2012 -
" Good, entertaining but not quite in the same league as Julius Ceaser or Merchant of Venice "
— Amrendra, 10/7/2012 -
" Typical Shakespeare comedy. Tons of suspension of disbelief. Everything works out in the end. Sex sex sex sex "
— Kristin, 9/7/2012 -
" remind me of preparatory school when i took it ... "
— Khadijah, 4/27/2012 -
" This would actually translate really well as a sci-fi movie. "
— Tagnahoor, 4/4/2012 -
" What a delight! I wrote a very involved unit plan on this work for my class. Hope I get to use it someday. Perfect for Juniors or Seniors. "
— Helen, 3/27/2012 -
" Never much liked this play and then I saw it performed by the Seattle Children's Theatre. Everything clicked, and since then it's been one of my favorites. "
— carl, 9/14/2011 -
" Just didn't do as much for me as I'd hoped. I think I wanted more interactions with the supernatural beings. "
— Cheryl, 8/20/2011 -
" Shakespeare is an amazing play writer. This book was really good, but I could not understand most of the wording. "
— Megan, 8/4/2011 -
" This one is all about magic,power, politics, dilemma, etc. Not my the best of Shakespeare, but still quite a good read. "
— Advaita, 7/19/2011 -
" It was good. It was a side of Shakespeare that I haven't seen much of because in class we only read his tragedies. I had to write a ten page paper on it though so that kind of ruined the experience for me. "
— Steff, 5/23/2011 -
" Possibly my favorite Shakespeare comedy.<br/><br/>Also, it has a special place in my heart because my fifth-grade class performed it in the original language, and I was a little cross-cast Gonzalo, and it was epic. "
— Leigh, 5/20/2011 -
" To me, it felt like Shakespeare gave up. The ending was disappointing. I was incredibly disappointed by this play. I thought it would be so much better than it was. "
— Sam, 5/16/2011 -
" An explanation of my profile picture... This is my favourite play, favourite Shakespeare, one of my absolute top five favourite texts - so I have a quotation from it tattooed on my arm. 'We are such stuff / As dreams are made on'. "
— Kirsty, 5/15/2011 -
" This is not my favourite play by Shakespeare but it is a pleasure to read nonetheless. <br/> <br/>Funny that he thought Milan on the sea. "
— Robi, 5/9/2011 -
" One of the easiest to understand of the Shakespeare plays that I have read. Lots of good fantasy. A fast paced story. Humor. One of my favorites. "
— Tom, 5/8/2011 -
" Too bad my professor sucks at teaching... I might have really enjoyed reading this otherwise. "
— Courtney, 5/8/2011 -
" Shakespeare's swan song, would want to be shipwrecked with it! "
— Linda, 5/7/2011 -
" Hadn't read it before-- though I realized, reading it, that various quotations I've used have come from it. Lovely, straightforward. "
— Aran, 5/4/2011 -
" Thunder, lightning, magical creatures and islands. A lovely fantasy. "
— Jennifer, 5/3/2011 -
" Not my absolute favorite Shakespearean play, but I loved the fantastical elements with spirits and magic. "
— Carly, 4/25/2011 -
" I love this play - but then I have a daughter named Miranda and yes, she is wondrous also. Can't help feeling for Caliban too, the "puppy-headed monster". "
— Georgie, 4/23/2011
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
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave (1908–1985) was a renowned English stage and film actor, director, manager, and author. He began his acting career in Liverpool and London, and over four decades became renowned as an actor, winning several awards for best actor in both Britain and the United States. His first major film role was in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes in 1938. For his services to drama, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1952 and was knighted in 1959. He was also appointed Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog, Denmark, in 1955. Besides being one of the post-WWI English acting pantheon, he was the sire of an acting dynasty. As an author, he wrote four books, including his autobiography, In My Mind’s I, as well as two plays and two stage adaptations.
Bleak December Inc. is a multimedia company founded by Canadian actor and filmmaker Anthony D.P. Mann.