Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

King Lear

By: William Shakespeare
Narrated by: Paul Scofield, Rachel Roberts, Cyryl Cusak, full cast
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.29

Buy for $15.29

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

I am a man more sinned against than sinning.

A Shakespeare Society Production.

The complete play in five acts.

©1965, 1995 HarperCollins Publishers
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about King Lear

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A true classic

I first heard this recording when I was an undergraduate some forty years ago. It made a Shakespeare-lover out of me for life. Now that I encounter it again, I find it every bit as moving as before. I've seen King Lear many times on the stage, but no performance has ever moved me as the memory of this audio did. If you've a budding Shakespearean in your family, buy this audio as the best Christmas or birthday present he or she will ever receive. Scofield's performance is simply one of the best ever preserved for us.

Okay, have I made my point? Spend this ten bucks; you'll not regret it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ne Plus Ultra

The best recording of a Shakespeare play ever made. Repeated listenings over fifty years have confirmed this opinion.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very Good Lear

Excellent version of Lear. Scofield is awesome, particularly in mad scenes, and the rest of the cast is strong as well. Edmund is particularly good, though I don't know who the actor is. The fool is slightly annoying but not too bad. I have no idea why this has been rated so poorly. I recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Paul Scofield at the height of his powers

A Tour de Force performance that captures the brilliance of Scofield and the genius of Shakespeare to the apex of imagination. Wow, just wow.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Powerhouse Lear.

KING LEAR, Shakespeare's great tragedy, is beautifully rendered here. Paul Scofield is majestic as the mad, doomed and very human king. It is a heartbreaking performance in a play almost too painful to endure. It is a staggering dramatic work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful