King Lear
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Narrated by:
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Paul Scofield
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Rachel Roberts
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Cyryl Cusak
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full cast
About this listen
A Shakespeare Society Production.
The complete play in five acts.
©1965, 1995 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The plot centers on the actions of Medea, a former princess of the "barbarian" kingdom of Colchis, and the wife of Jason; she finds her position in the Greek world threatened as Jason leaves her for a Greek princess of Corinth. Medea takes vengeance on Jason by murdering Jason's new wife as well as her own children, after which she escapes to Athens to start a new life.
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Great Narrator makes this story work
- By cosmitron on 08-02-18
By: Euripides
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Shakespeare for Children
- By: Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
- Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Introduce your children to the magic of Shakespeare with these 20 favorite tales. Although simplified, these lively stories don't underestimate young readers; they keep the complexity, twists of plot, and turns of fate found in the originals.
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NOT unabridged
- By Erica on 11-06-07
By: Charles Lamb, and others
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The Plays of Sophocles
- Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone
- By: Sophocles
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Sophocles was born at Colonus, near Athens in about 496 BC and is considered to be one of the premier playwrights of Greek tragedy. His stories may have been filled with strife, but Sophocles himself was prosperous and came from a good family. It is said that he was handsome, wealthy, and a highly respected citizen of Athens. During his life, he wrote over 120 plays and was instrumental in how plays would eventually be performed, including the addition of stage props.
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Bad Dialogue
- By Zoe Olvera on 08-12-18
By: Sophocles
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The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Keith Moore, Toby Leonard Moore, Colin McPhillamy, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Author Peter Ackroyd has won the Somerset Maugham Award, the Whitbread Novel of the Year, and the Guardian Fiction Prize, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s immortal work, this retelling of The Canterbury Tales follows a party of travelers as they tell stories amongst themselves about love and chivalry, saints and legends, travel and adventure. Through allegory, satire, and humor, the tales help pass the time during their journey.
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WOW
- By Mitchell Drimmer on 02-25-15
By: Peter Ackroyd
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Terry Jones
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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A collection of three medieval English poems, translated by Tolkien for the modern-day reader and containing romance, tragedy, love, sex and honour.
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An absolute delight!
- By Shannon Slee on 07-15-18
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
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Gargantua and Pantagruel
- By: François Rabelais
- Narrated by: Bill Homewood
- Length: 34 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is a grotesque and carnivalesque collection of exuberant, fantastical stories that takes us from the ancient world through to the European Renaissance. At the heart of these tall tales are the giant Gargantua and his equally seismic son, Pantagruel. Containing magical adventures, maniacal punning, slapstick humor, erudite allusions, and just about any bodily function one can think of, here is quite possibly the zaniest, most risqué book ever written.
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The king of all the narrators
- By amazon on 02-13-20
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Waverley
- By: Sir Walter Scott
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Waverley by Sir Walter Scott is an enthralling tale of love, war and divided loyalties. Taking place during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, the novel tells the story of proud English officer Edward Waverley. After being posted to Dundee, Edward eventually befriends chieftain of the Highland Clan Mac-Ivor and falls in love with his beautiful sister Flora. He then renounces his former loyalties in order actively to support Scotland in open rebellion against the Union with England. The book depicts stunning, romantic panoramas of the Highlands.
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Loved it
- By Tad Davis on 04-12-18
By: Sir Walter Scott
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Oedipus the King
- By: Sophocles
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
- Original Recording
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In Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus discovers that he has been caught in his terrible destiny, unknowingly murdering his father and marrying his mother.
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Superb
- By Mark on 11-24-09
By: Sophocles
What listeners say about King Lear
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Stanley Hauer
- 07-09-08
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.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Charles Weinstein
- 07-01-23
Ne Plus Ultra
The best recording of a Shakespeare play ever made. Repeated listenings over fifty years have confirmed this opinion.
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Overall
- Lauren
- 12-04-05
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.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Justin Gray
- 07-09-24
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.
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Overall
- John
- 05-23-07
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.
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8 people found this helpful