Shakespeare Classics

Julius Caesar is a history play and tragedy by William Shakespeare first performed in 1599. In the play, Brutus joins a conspiracy led by Cassius to assassinate Julius Caesar, to prevent him from becoming a tyrant. Caesar's right-hand man Antony stirs up hostility against the conspirators and Rome becomes embroiled in a dramatic civil war.

Based on Robert Greene’s story Pandosto, The Winter’s Tale play tells the story of Leontes, king of Sicilia, and his childhood friend Polixenes, king of Bohemia. In a jealous rage, Leontes mistakenly accuses Polixenes and his own his wife, Hermione, of adultery, and her newborn daughter as illegitimate, casting her into the wilderness, causing their son to die of grief and Hermione to seemingly follow suit. With his family dead or believed dead, Leontes must face the tragic consequences of his actions.

A shipwreck separates twins Viola and Sebastian on the shores of an unknown land. Viola disguises herself as a male servant, but soon falls in love with her master. He is in love with a countess, who in turn falls in love with Viola! And it only gets more complicated when Sebastian turns up...

Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston star in Shakespeare's tragedy of love and power. As part of BBC Radio 3's celebration of the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston star in this brand-new production. Lovers, politicians, superstars... Antony & Cleopatra is Shakespeare’s late and epic tragedy of mature love, and the catastrophic fall from grace and power that it brings about.

This version of Hamlet is adapted into plain English for a younger audience, though the plot and themes of the play are unchanged. The play is adapted from Shakespeare's original by Laurie Riihimaki and performed by a full cast of voice actors with music and sound effects to amplify the mood of the performance.

Whispers of ambition, power, and the supernatural intertwine in Jeanette Vigon's "Macbeth," where a Scottish warrior's quest for the throne spirals into a chilling tale of betrayal and fate, captivating young listeners with a timeless drama reimagined. Through simplified language and carefully crafted scenes, Vigon retains the essence of the original play while making it engaging for children.

When young Orlando searches the forest for his banished lady love, Rosalind, he doesn't realise that he's met her in disguise. Dressed up as a boy, Rosalind sees a chance to train Orlando to be the sort of partner she'd like—and she has some laughs along the way!

Shakespeare's life, despite the scrutiny of generations of biographers and scholars, is still a thicket of myths and traditions, some preposterous, some conflicting, arranged around the few scant facts known about the Bard: from his birth in Stratford to the bequest of his second best bed to his wife when he died.

Bassiano, a noble Venetian, hopes to woo the beautiful heiress Portia. However, he requires financial assistance from his friend Antonio. Antonio agrees, but he, in turn, must borrow from the Jewish moneylender Shylock. As recourse for past ills, Shylock stipulates that the forfeit on the loan must be a pound of Antonio’s flesh. In the most renowned onstage law scene of all time, Portia proves herself one of Shakespeare’s most cunning heroines, disguising herself as a lawyer and vanquishing Shylock’s claims....

Shakespeare's Sonnets, one of the most remarkable collections of poetry, was first published in 1609, 400 years ago by Mr Thomas Thorpe. Naxos AudioBooks marks the occasion with a selection of 80 of the finest, read by leading actors. The selection includes famous ones such as 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' as well as lesser well-known sonnets though of equally fine stature.

Henry VIII, sometimes called All Is True, is a historical play written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600s, possibly in collaboration with John Fletcher. This is an abridged plain English version for a full-cast audio production by Charlie Creed.

There is no finer way to welcome young people (or adults!) to the pleasures of Shakespeare than with these four masterful retellings of the Bard's most beloved plays. Ranging from the pure magic of A Midsummer Night's Dream to the heartbreak of young love in Romeo and Juliet, featuring the spine-tingling tragedy of Macbeth (complete with ghost and witches) and culminating in the laugh-out-loud hijinks of Twelfth Night.

Las circunstancias pero especialmente la ambición, la envidia y el asesinato van hacer que Hamlet y Ofelia, la pareja de enamorados que con sus respectivas familias tenían derecho a ser felices, no lo puedan ser, gestándose el desenlace más dramático imaginable. Hamlet simplemente no puede creerse que su madre, tan sólo dos meses después de la muerte de su padre, se case con su tío Claudio.

Arguably the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet continues to touch modern audiences with its passionate depiction of the tragic romance between two young lovers. With a bitter feud between their respective families, Romeo and Juliet’s love is troubled from the start, and through their relationship, Shakespeare shows the fine line between love, hatred, comedy and tragedy.

Sir Ian McKellen, William Squire, Trevor Nunn and Gary Watson perform Shakespeare's play that tells the story of King Henry V of England, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War.

William Shakespeare has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition, and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters. Shakespeare's monologues are short distillations of his larger themes—love and loss, fairness and inequity, power and envy, lust and purity. Here are the best of Shakespeare's greatest monologues, each of which captures a shining, brilliant moment from his plays that gives us a deeper understanding of each character, whether flattering, damning, or inspiring.

Power, tragedy and hubris are played out in this quartet, all of which are set in the febrile political atmosphere of ancient Rome. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Prunella Scales, Patrick Wymark and William Devlin can be heard in these recordings.

King Ferdinand's plan to ban ladies from his court to focus on his studies seems like a great one—until the Princess of France and her friends arrive and he falls in love! Can Ferdinand and his friends break their own law?

The greatest love story ever told. When Romeo and Juliet meet, they fall in love—but how can they ever be together when all their families know is hate for one another?

Unravel the history, themes, and language of Shakespeare's plays, poems, and sonnets with this beautiful guide to his life and works. Comedy and romance, history, and tragedy, Shakespeare's canon has it all. Some 400 years after they were written and first performed, his works remain fresh and relevant today. Shakespeare: his life and works is an accessible and lavish celebration of the Bard himself and his 39 plays, great sonnets, and narrative poems.