The tragedy of King Lear receives an outstanding performance in an all-star cast led by Britain’s senior classical actor, Paul Scofield. He is joined by Alec McCowen as Gloucester, Kenneth Branagh as The Fool, Harriet Walter as Gonerill, Sara Kestelman as Regan and Emilia Fox as Cordelia. This is the ninth recording of Shakespeare plays undertaken by Naxos AudioBooks in conjunction with Cambridge University Press, and is directed by John Tydeman. It was released to mark the eightieth birth...

A full-cast historical mystery by award-winning author Leon Garfield, plus his captivating conclusion to The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles DickensLeon Garfield was the renowned author of more than 30 novels for children and adults. He won numerous awards for his work, including the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Award and the inaugural Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Inspired by Charles Dickens, he set many of his tales in the 18th and 19th century, ...

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.‘O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mockThe meat it feeds on.’Othello follows the story of the Moor through love, jealousy...

Blackstone Audio is proud to present the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's 2014 production of The Tempest, Shakespeare's magical romantic comedy, directed by Tony Taccone. This stunning work of audio theater, fully dramatized with performances by the OSF cast, is a must-listen.Rough magic and brave new worlds …For twelve years, the exiled Duke Prospero has waited for this moment: old enemies have sailed too close to his enchanted island, and a mighty storm has...

Antony and Cleopatra is the tumultuous tragedy and love story played out against a backdrop of war and the vengeance of Octavius Caesar.

William Shakespeare's shortest—but one of his most popular—tragedies features a man who will do anything to fulfill a prophecy that will lead him to become the King of Scotland. Fresh from battle, Macbeth and his companion Banquo come across three witches who tell of great power that is in store for Macbeth. Driven by their prophecy and aided by his wife, Macbeth sets out on a journey that is wrought with deceit, murder, and suffering to acquire the throne of Scotland. At each and every tu...

Mad with jealousy, King Leontes of Sicilia orders his best friend Polixenes killed, his child abandoned, and his wife put on trial for adultery. Sixteen years later, Perdita, raised as a shepherd's daughter, falls in love with Polixenes's royal son and returns to her father's kingdom.

Mistaken identity (which the Elizabethans called “Error”) is nearly always amusing, whether on the stage or in actual life. The Comedy of Errors is a play in which this situation is developed to the extreme of improbability – but we lose sight of this improbability in the roaring fun which results. Nowadays we should call a play of this type a farce, since most of the fun comes from situations which are improbable and the play depends on these for success, rather than on characterization o...

The play begins with the guards of Elsinore Castle encountering the ghost of the recently deceased King Hamlet, the father of Prince Hamlet. The ghost appears to be a harbinger of doom, hinting at foul play surrounding the former king's death. Prince Hamlet is informed of this mysterious apparition and decides to meet the ghost, who reveals that he was murdered by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, who has now assumed the throne and married Queen Gertrude. Hamlet is deeply disturbed by this revelat...

Proteus loves Julia in Verona, Valentine loves Silvia in Milan. But when Proteus meets Silvia, he falls for her too, and the heartbroken Julia sets out in pursuit.This delightful and sometimes disquieting early comedy of love lost and found offers lyrical poetry, disguise, clowning, outlaws, and a most unreliable dog.Proteus is played by Michael Maloney and Valentine by Damian Lewis. Silvia is Saskia Wickham, Julia is Lucy Robinson, and John Woodvine plays Launce.

Helena, the low-born ward of a French countess, is in love with the countess' son, Bertram, who is indifferent to her. Bertram goes to Paris to replace his late father as attendant to the ailing King of France.Helena, the daughter of a recently deceased doctor, follows Bertram, ostensibly to offer the King her services as a healer. The King is sceptical, and she guarantees the cure with her life: if he dies, she will be put to death, but if he lives, she may choose a husband from t...

Blackstone Audio is proud to present the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s 2015 production of Pericles, Shakespeare’s first romance. This stunning work of audio theater, fully dramatized with performances by the OSF cast, is a must-listen.Pericles, Prince of Tyre, sets out to woo a princess and sails headlong into harrowing adventure. Pursued by an evil king, Pericles is blown from port to exotic port. Along the way, he finds the love of his life, then loses her and their infa...