Shakespeare Audiobook By Ros King cover art

Shakespeare

Preview

Try for $0.00
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.

Shakespeare

By: Ros King
Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.49

Buy for $19.49

Confirm purchase
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.
Cancel

About this listen

Whether the fault of tedious teachers or hammy actors, Shakespeare is often seen as dry and impenetrable. In this fast-paced introduction, Ros King sets out to remind us of the sheer beauty and sophistication that can make Shakespeare’s works a joy for any audience. Exploring his invention and wit, along with his uncanny characterisation, King argues archaic language should be no barrier to the modern reader. This guide summarises the Bard’s life and background, detailing his plays and poetry in such a way that they are made accessible enough for everyone to admire.

©2011 Ros King (P)2012 Bolinda Publishing
Classics Literary History & Criticism Shakespeare Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Celebrity
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Editorial reviews

Listeners who think Shakespeare's work is too archaic or too dry will appreciate Ros King's Shakespeare. In this introduction Ross King makes Shakespeare's work accessible and appealing to audiences who might have previously resisted it. How does he do this? King explains the creativity and elasticity of the Bard's language, so that the listener might admire the work without being intimidated by it; he presents interesting information about Shakespeare's life and the world in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Furthermore, the audiobook is strengthened by Robert Meldrum's enthusiastic performance. A delightful recording all around.

Critic reviews

"Ros King has produced a superb introduction, not just to Shakespeare's skill and significance but to the rich playfulness in which his works engage us. This is a beginner's guide from which most experts could learn a great deal too." (Michael Dobson, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Birkbeck and editor of The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare)
"I love this book...infinitely accessible.... A fantastic introduction to students of Shakespeare, at the same time a fun and delicious refreshing course for actors, directors, and scholars working on Shakespeare's plays.... King is a breath of fresh air." (Danny Scheie, actor, director, and Professor of Drama at the University of California, Santa Cruz.)

What listeners say about Shakespeare

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I Feel Sorry for English Teachers

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Maybe change the name to "The Beginner's Guide to Advanced Shakespearean Scholarship and a Brief History of Printing in the Elizabethan Era." It would be more accurate a title, if harder to remember.

Which character – as performed by Robert Meldrum – was your favorite?

There are no characters to perform, but the material is presented about as clearly and concisely as one could hope.

Was Shakespeare: Bolinda Beginner Guides worth the listening time?

To anyone that wants a peek behind the curtain as to why the average English professor only thinks they know what they know about the Bard, this is a worthy read. It's a complex look at an already difficult subject, and it turns it inside out, explaining some things you never thought you'd need to know. But when you're done reading it, you definitely come away with a greater appreciation for the Bard and his work. It's best absorbed in small chunks so it can be processed.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!