Classic Plays

Naxos AudioBooks presents the history of the Plantaganets as seen through the eyes of Shakespeare. These easy-to-understand introductions feature key speeches and scenes from the plays themselves, and are very accessible for children approaching Shakespeare for the first time, as well as being an invaluable aid to the history of the Plantaganets, from Richard II to Richard III. This set covers Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, Henry V, Henry VI parts 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III.

Apollon Evgen'evich Okojomov - pomeshhik, krasavec-muzhchina, kotoryj zhivjot v schastlivom brake v uezdnom gorodke Brjahimove. Buduchi v Moskve on proigralsja v karty i zalez v dolgi. Okojomov reshil vskruzhit' golovu moskovskoj millionershe Obolduevoj i tem samym popravit' svoi finansovye dela. Dlja togo, chtoby pretendovat' na pridanoe Obolduevoj, Apollon reshaet srazu razvestis' s zhenoj. Razvod on poluchit, tol'ko esli ulichit suprugu v nevernosti.

Istorija, kotoruju rasskazyvaet Aleksandr Nikolaevich Ostrovskij v p'ese "Serdce ne kamen'", stara, kak mir. V bogatom kupecheskom dome, slovno ptica v kletke, tomitsja molodaja krasavica Vera Filippovna. V pjatnadcat' let ona vyshla zamuzh za bogacha Karkunova. Ljubvi Vera Filippovna k muzhu ne pitala, no buduchi porjadochnoj baryshnej byla emu vernoj zhenoj.

«Krazha» - luchshaja drama Londona. Jeta istorija objedinila i ljubovnye otnoshenija, i spekuljaciju politicheskimi interesami, muzhestvennye postupki i otkrovennoe predatel'stvo. Po svidetel'stvu ego zheny Charmian London, pisatel', sozdav «Krazhu», schital, chto na sej raz on napisal «dovol'no horoshuju p'esu». Odnako n'ju-jorkskie teatral'nye agentstva, kotorym dramaturg predlozhil svoe proizvedenie, edinodushno ot nego otkazalis', i Londonu tak i ne udalos' uvidet' «Krazhu» v scenicheskom ispolnenii.

Irine, mladshej iz trjoh sestjor Prozorovyh, ispolnjaetsja dvadcat' let. «Na dvore solnechno, veselo», a v zale nakryvaetsja stol, zhdut gostej - oficerov raskvartirovannoj v gorode artillerijskoj batarei i novogo ejo komandira podpolkovnika Vershinina. Vse polny radostnyh ozhidanij i nadezhd.

Vechnye problemy otcov i detej, vernosti i predatel'stva. Na scene ujutnyj, chisten'kij mir meshhanki Anny Markovny Celovan'evoj. K nej pribyli znatnye i bogatye gosti - lesopromyshlennik Antipa Zykov s synom Mihailom i sestroj Sof'ej, - chtoby sladit' pomolvku docheri Celovan'evoj Pavly s Mihailom. Celovan'eva rada - Mihail hot' i p'et, no tih, dobr i pokladist. Sochinjaet stihi, igraet na gitare. Bogat, i k tomu zhe edinstvennyj naslednik. Odnako Antipa sam polozhil glaz na Pavlu: «Idi za menjm...Jeto ja budu tebja molodo ljubit'». I...Pavla soglasna...

P'esa Deti solnca pisalas' v janvare - fevrale 1905 g. v Petropavlovskoj kreposti, v kamere nomer 39 Trubeckogo bastiona, kuda M. Gor'kij byl zakljuchjon 12 janvarja 1905 g. posle aresta po delu o 9 janvarja. Na pervoj stranice rukopisi p'esy, hranjashhejsja v Arhive A. M. Gor'kogo, est' nadpis': Pisalos' v Petropavlovskoj kreposti 16 janvarja - 20 fevralja 1905 goda. Pervaja tetrad'. A. Peshkov. Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.

Sir Michael Morpurgo retells two of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays, Macbeth and Hamlet, in this stunning audio collection in association with the RSC, featuring readings by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Michael himself.

The first volume of David Timson's series retelling of the stories from Shakespeare's plays was widely praised by newspaper and educators alike. Here is volume 2, with more key plays. Including Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, and Henry IV, all texts which regularly appear on the exam syllabus. As before, the stories are illustrated by numerous examples from the plays themselves. They are read by two leading Shakespearean actors, Juliet Stevenson and Alex Jennings.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the Shakespeare’s most well-known and beloved tragedy plays. Set in Denmark, it tells the story of Hamlet, a man whose father was murdered and replaced by Hamlet’s uncle Claudius. The play follows Hamlet as he discovers the truth of his father’s fate and becomes more and more distressed and enraged as he plots vengeance against his uncle.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known comedies and is arguably one of his most beloved plays. The play tells the tale of the misadventures of the people gathering to participate in their marriage of the duke of Athens and Hippolyta, former queen of the Amazons.

The Tempest is a beautiful and sweeping drama by William Shakespeare and is one of the Bard’s last plays. With a role written as a farewell to the theater, this emotional drama is a beautiful testament to Shakespeare’s talents as a storyteller and writer. The play centers around Prospero, a usurped ruler and powerful sorcerer who lives out his days on a remote island with few humans with whom to interact. Prospero seeks his revenge on his brother by causing his ship to wreck on his island, and the adventure of the play begins.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on February 14th 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.

If only I could remain young while the picture grows old. For that I’d give anything.... When Dorian Gray, a handsome young man about town, makes this wish, he can hardly guess that it will mark the beginning of a life of hedonism and debauchery. Soon enough his webs of deception and deceit catch innocent victims, some of them his closest friends, and the only evidence of his misdeeds is a long-forgotten portrait in his attic.

When a handsome young man begins to court Catherine Sloper, she feels she is very lucky. She is a quiet, gentle girl, but neither beautiful nor clever; no one had ever admired her before, or come to the front parlour of her home in Washington Square to whisper soft words of love to her. But in New York in the 1840s young ladies are not free to marry where they please. Catherine must have her father’s permission, and Dr Sloper is a rich man.

Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare’s most compelling Roman plays. The plot against Caesar and the infamous assassination scene make for unforgettable listening. Brutus, the true protagonist of the play, is mesmerizing in his psychological state of anguish, forced to choose between the bonds of friendship and his desire for patriotic justice.

In a hole under the floorboards Silas Marner the linen-weaver keeps his gold. Every day he works hard at his weaving, and every night he takes the gold out and holds the bright coins lovingly, feeling them and counting them again and again. The villagers are afraid of him and he has no family, no friends. Only the gold is his friend, his delight, his reason for living. But what if a thief should come in the night and take his gold away?

The St. Charles Players present a unique telling of Owen Wister's classic Western, in a new multi-cast dramatization performed in exciting Radio Theatre style.

Many masters employed the form of the sonnet, including Petrarch, Spenser, Shakespeare, Keats, and Robert Bridges. However, the most celebrated, and oft quoted, examples are to be found in the collection by Shakespeare, first published in 1609. In the 154 poems, Shakespeare surveys and dissects the subject of love in all its guises, and its relationship with youth, age, illness, death, and memory.

With more than 80 of the most popular and loved poems in the English language, this collection is one of the most comprehensive anthologies of its kind. It covers a remarkable range, from the striking visions of Blake and Shelley and the insights of Keats to lighter but equally memorable verse by Tennyson.