Shakespeare Classics

Plain English Shakespeare adapts and abridges Shakespeare's classic plays presenting them in shorter versions in plain English. Antony and Cleopatra is a Roman tragedy with romantic and comedic aspects, first performed around 1607, based on Thomas North's translation of the story Plutarch's lives in Ancient Greek. The plays follows Antony and Cleopatra at a time of strife in Sicily and the Roman Republic more broadly.

Leontes, suspecting his wife's infidelity, imprisons her and exiles her infant daughter to a faraway island. Years later, his wife, presumed dead, is returned to him as a statue.

Featuring re-tellings of a further eight of Shakespeare’s plays, and beautifully written with Michael Morpurgo’s warm, accessible and inimitable style, this is the much-anticipated follow up to Michael Morpurgo's highly-acclaimed Tales from Shakespeare. This wonderful collection offers a new generation of listeners the chance to discover even more of the magic of Shakespeare – the perfect introduction to the Bard and an unmissable book for children.

William Shakespeare is of course England's greatest play right and revered the World over. The Merchant of Venice is a masterly tale and is on a par with many of his other works. In his creation of Venice Shakespeare revels in his characters and story. Perhaps best well known for the creation of the character Shylock in a world of money lending the play has survived admirably down the years. This play is performed by a quite magnificent cast and in the lead role of Shylock we have Michael Redgrave.

Full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play. Universally accepted as Shakespeare's finest play, we peel back the layers of Hamlet to discover how and why it deserves such a place of honour in world literature.

Shakespeare's most popular comedy, set in an enchanted forest with fairies, sparring lovers and a group of amateur actors who are putting on a play. Four Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master play a trick on the fairy queen. In the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry.

Tutto soggiace alla falce del Tempo, che ruba le cose care all'uomo. Solo nella poesia si può crearle di nuovo. All'alba del XXI secolo, dopo un sonno pluricentenario, viene ritrovato e battuto all'asta a Vienna il dramma perduto di Shakespeare: una trilogia teatrale su Dante Alighieri. Si scopre così che, per riuscire nell'impresa impossibile di raccontare il Sommo Poeta e la sua Divina Commedia, ci voleva il Sommo Drammaturgo: il genio di Stratford ha narrato l'intera vita di Dante intrecciandola con la trama del suo capolavoro, con le immagini sconvolgenti di Inferno, Purgatorio e Paradiso.

A celebration of one of the world's best loved actors, Sir John Gielgud. Here you can hear him perform his classic roles and read some of his favourite poetry.

Depicting a once-great ruler's descent into madness, King Lear is one of the most powerful tragedies ever staged. King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm. His banished daughter returns with an army, but they lose the battle and Lear, all his daughters and more, die.

Bassanio is a man in love, but he does not have much money to his name, and thus is unable to woo the rich heiress Portia. His friend Antonio suggests that they borrow money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who has had many dealings with Antonio in the past. Shylock, being of Antonio’s ability to repay, agrees to grant the loan with a difficult condition. If the loan is not repaid in full by the agreed date, Shylock will take a pound of Antonio’s flesh.

The story revolves around its two central characters: Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army, and his unfaithful ensign, Iago. This is one of the most prolific Shakespeare works, featuring themes of passion, jealousy, love, betrayal, revenge and repentance. This edition of Othello is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous drama, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare work. Read in English, unabridged.

Prospero and his lovely daughter Miranda live alone on the tiny island where they were marooned years ago, with only the island creatures for company - that is, until a powerful storm brings a boat full of strangers to the island. As the story unfolds, magic and mystery fill the island in this retelling of Shakespeare's classic play.

William Shakespeare's classic masterpiece, the tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice, joined in an interracial marriage to the beautiful Desdemona and driven to suspicion and jealousy by his maleficent officer Iago.

An award winning Drama from SmartPass. Unabridged with guided description to set the scene and fill in visual moments.

Macbeth and his wife show how bad the evil that can possess human souls is. But evil is not all powerful. On the one hand, Macbeth is the gloomiest of the great Shakespeare's tragedies; on the other hand, it's more encouraging than Hamlet, Othello or King Lear. In no other tragedy as in Macbeth the evil is confronted by so many people, and nowhere else they are so active. Shakespeare is the author of the world famous sonnets and plays: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello, as well as comedies Twelfth Night, A Midsummer's Night Dream, Love's Labour's Lost, etc.

William Shakespeare’s 73rd sonnet read by award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti.

In this classic Shakespeare tale as adapted for a younger audience by Elaina Garcia, Coriolanus makes his name as a general defending Rome. However, he does not win support of the people as a Roman consul, so he must make other plans. This version is adapted for a younger audience, told in plain English and downplaying some of the more adult themes of the play while remaining true to Shakespeare's plot and intent.

This edition of King Lear is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous tragedy. The story depicts the gradual descent into madness of the title character after he disposes of his kingdom, giving bequests to two of his three daughters based on their flattery of him, bringing tragic consequences for all. Narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of Shakespeare's original drama. Read in English, unabridged.

Pericles, prince of Tyre, leaves home to escape death only to win a jousting contest and marry a princess. Once he can return home, his family sails with him, but a storm separates them, so Pericles returns alone. Years later, Pericles finds his daughter and reunites with the wife he had thought was dead.

Plain English Shakespeare adapts and abridges Shakespeare's classic plays presenting them in shorter versions in plain English. In this case All's Well That Ends Well is performed in 13 minutes. This conversion from Shakespearian language to today’s English, makes it easier to grasp the narrative structure of the play and appreciate Shakespeare's incredible gift for storytelling. This can be helpful for a younger audience, for those who are newer to the Shakespeare canon and for those who simply looking for a fresh approach to the great works of Shakespeare.