Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies
Hamlet; Macbeth; Romeo and Juliet
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Narrated by:
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full cast
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Paul Scofield
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Peggy Ashcroft
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Ian McKellen
About this listen
Three powerful radio productions from the BBC archives starring Ian McKellen, Ronald Pickup and Paul Scofield and a host of celebrated acting talent. These three legendary plays, performed by some of the best-known theatrical actors of the 20th century, are the perfect way to commemorate England's greatest dramatist.
Romeo and Juliet: the Montagues and the Capulets are sworn enemies, so when Romeo Montague falls in love with Juliet Capulet, tragedy ensues. This fateful tale of two young star-crossed lovers is one of Shakespeare's most popular dramas. First broadcast in 1970, starring Ian McKellen as Romeo.
Hamlet: one of the most powerful, influential and thrilling tragedies in the English language, and the story of Prince Hamlet and his quest for vengeance never fails to enthral. First broadcast in 1971, starring Ronald Pickup as the Prince of Denmark.
Macbeth: the notorious 'Scottish Play' is a gripping tale of vaulting ambition, witchcraft, madness and murder that has kept generations of audiences spellbound. First broadcast in 1966, starring Paul Scofield as Macbeth and Peggy Ashcroft as Lady Macbeth.
Recorded at BBC Broadcasting House and featuring the BBC Drama Repertory company, with specially composed music including a score from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, this is classic radio drama at its finest. Duration: 7 hours 30 mins approx.
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Story
These three legendary plays, performed by some of the best-known theatrical actors of the 20th century, are the perfect way to commemorate England's greatest dramatist. The Winter's Tale: one man's consuming jealousy threatens to destroy both himself and those around him, but his actions arouse a passionate sense of honour, love, justice and self-sacrifice in members of his Court and family. First broadcast in 1982, starring Ronald Pickup as Leontes, with Hannah Gordon as Hermione and John Gielgud as Time.
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Shakespeare: The Histories
- Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, Henry V, Henry VI Part I, Henry VI Part II, Henry VI Part III, Henry VIII, King John, Richard II, Richard III
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, Prunella Scales, and others
- Length: 27 hrs
- Unabridged
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Politics, power and the tragedy of war are played out in these sweeping histories that continue to surprise and entertain. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, Prunella Scales, William Squire and Timothy West can be heard in these recordings.
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Missing Act V of King John
- By picky buyer on 06-17-24
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Macbeth: Fully Dramatized Audio Edition
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
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Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, is among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language. Promised a golden future as ruler of Scotland by three sinister witches, Macbeth murders the king in order to succeed to the throne. Tortured by his conscience and fearful of discovery, he becomes fatally enmeshed in a web of treachery and deceit.
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excellent
- By Laura W. on 05-25-18
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BBC Classics: Ultimate Story Collection
- 90 Unmissable Tales
- By: Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Virginia Woolf, and others
- Narrated by: Sam Dale, Joseph Ayre, Carolyn Pickles, and others
- Length: 26 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
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A treasure chest of timeless short stories by some of the world's greatest authors.
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These are not full cast audio dramas
- By Mollie on 03-25-23
By: Oscar Wilde, and others
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Sophocles’ Greek Tragedies: A BBC Radio Drama Collection
- Oedipus, Antigone, Electra and More
- By: Sophocles
- Narrated by: Fiona Shaw, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Kenneth Cranham, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
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One of the three great tragic playwrights of ancient Greece, Sophocles wrote over 120 plays during his 60-year career, though only seven survive today. The most famous of these are the Theban Plays, all three of which are included in this collection alongside adaptations of Electra and Philoctetes, brought to life by celebrated writers, poets, and playwrights.
By: Sophocles
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Macbeth
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: James Marsters, Joanne Whalley, Josh Cooke, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Infamously known as the cursed Scottish play, Macbeth is perhaps Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy. When General Macbeth is foretold by three witches that he will one day be King of Scotland, Lady Macbeth convinces him to get rid of anyone who could stand in his way – including committing regicide. As Macbeth ascends to the throne through bloody murder, he becomes a tyrant consumed by fear and paranoia.
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Might want to Read Along
- By Syd Young on 02-03-14
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The Oscar Wilde BBC Radio Drama Collection
- Five Full-Cast Productions
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes, Judi Dench, Diana Rigg, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Original Recording
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A sparkling collection of the major works of the ever-adored Oscar Wilde, with incredible casts including Judi Dench, Martin Clunes, Michael Sheen, Miriam Margolyes, Ian McDiarmid, Joely Richardson, Penelope Keith, Martin Jarvis, Diana Rigg, Simon Russell Beale, Sheila Hancock, Ian McKellen and Stephen Fry.
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No chapter titles?
- By Eric Feigenbaum on 02-24-21
By: Oscar Wilde
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The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection: The Later Years
- Eight BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister, Robert Lindsay, Ian Holm, and others
- Length: 36 hrs and 35 mins
- Original Recording
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Enthralling radio dramatisations of eight of Charles Dickens' much-loved novels. Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned authors of all time, and this second digital volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes eight of his classic novels. This collection includes the epic masterpiece David Copperfield, described by Dickens as his 'favourite child'; suspenseful mystery Bleak House; Dickens' most openly political novel, Hard Times; and Little Dorrit.
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Excellent!
- By Christine on 11-24-18
By: Charles Dickens
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Much Ado About Nothing
- Much Ado About Nothing (Dramatized)
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: David Tennant, Samantha Spiro, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 14 mins
- Original Recording
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In Shakespeare's comedy of wit, love and miscommunication, Beatrice and Benedick and Hero and Claudio are pushed into and pulled out of love, their friends playing cupid with life-changing consequences. David Tennant and Samantha Spiro star as the famous sparring partners Benedick and Beatrice, with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Emilia Fox as Claudio and Hero. The supporting cast includes Maxine Peake and Julian Rhind-Tutt
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Come...bid me do anything for thee.
- By Irene Adler on 08-01-14
What listeners say about Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Troy
- 09-11-18
To much sound variation
On stage, a dynamic range of volume is exciting. In my headphones, after cranking the volume to hear the whisper of some madman, the blasting trumpets of battle were too much. Also, while the performance was great, this isn't the sort of thing you can pick up to gain an exposure to Shakespeare. In a script or on stage you have done clue as to who is speaking. I enjoyed the one liners but I have no more understanding of the titles than when I started
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4 people found this helpful
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- Lisa Fuentes
- 05-12-20
Superb recording with one reservation
These are great performances. I would like to request that Audible list the full casts of each play. In its current form, it's possible to discover the names of only Paul Scofield, Peggy Ashcroft, and Ian McKellen. This is a limitation that could be easily removed.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Kristen Newby
- 05-25-16
Sparknotes is genius.
As a first time Shakespeare "reader", I loved the storyline, but struggled because I was never clear on which voice beyond to which character. I ended up finding the best solution was to read the sparknotes plot overview then listen and I could follow along and appreciate the dialogue more.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Frank
- 05-26-22
Wonderful Full Cast Production
These tragedies are wonderfully performed. Sometimes I find listening to Shakespeare's plays on audio book to be difficult because I have trouble telling the difference between the performers. This felt like a large professional cast and it really made it a fun and interesting listen.
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- Alanna R.
- 05-01-18
Some lines omitted and/or changed
It was a different version than what I am use to, but it was ok.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Garrett
- 10-14-20
Why you should read reviews
I bought this to listen to while reading the book. The 2nd scene in Macbeth and they’re omitting lines??? No where does it say this is an abridge version. Can here to write this review and saw someone had already said this so read the reviews! Everything was great until that.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 07-08-17
Abridged
What did you like best about Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies? What did you like least?
I have not listened to all three plays, but Macbeth is definitely abridged. Lines are skipped over here and there and one whole scene was missing. Also, the delivery is laboriously slow in spots.
Would you recommend Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies to your friends? Why or why not?
I have listened to several other recordings of Shakespeare's plays and this is one of the worst.
Did the narrators do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
The characters were well voiced although I disagreed with some interpretations. That's Shakespeare for you.
Was Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies worth the listening time?
Unfortunately, I'd have to say this was not worth my time.
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22 people found this helpful