Classic Plays

From the Lady Macbeth to the Three Witches, AudioLearn is your complete study guide to Shakespeare's Macbeth. Download AudioLearn to your MP3 player and study at the gym. Pop in an AudioLearn CD and review key terms in the car. With its convenient format, AudioLearn fits your busy lifestyle, enabling you to study anywhere, anytime.

Das 1896 entstandene Stück greift auf einen zwar zeitbeschränkten Stoff zurück, der aber gerade in den wunderbar zarten Liebesszenen ins zeitlos Dichterische erhoben ist. Das Drama spielt im 16. Jahrhundert während der französischen Glaubenskriege; die Handlung beruht auf historischen Tatsachen, wobei sich Romain Rolland bisweilen sogar darauf beschränkt, geschichtlich überlieferte Texte wörtlich wiederzugeben. In dem historischen Rahmen spielt sich die erschütternde Liebestragödie eines neunzehnjährigen Mädchens, Johanna von Piennes, ab.

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites William Shakespeare's Sonnet 50.

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 Merchant of Venice, though featuring its title character heavily, is most memorable for the Jewish merchant Shylock, who insists on a pound of flesh when a debt cannot be repaid in time.

Inevitably, love features as the money borrowed by Antonio, the Merchant of Venice, is for his friend, Bassiano, who wishes to woo the beautiful and talented Portia, who ultimately provides a clever solution and saves Antonio's life.

Bertram's indifference to Helena forces her to use subterfuge in order to comply with the seemingly impossible demands that he places on their engagement. Keep an ear out for the clown - he has the honor of delivering some of the play's best lines!

The noble Timon lavishes wealth and kindness upon his friends. But what happens to their allegience when his fortunes begin to fail?

The story revolves around two characters, Othello and Iago. Othello is a Moorish military commander who was serving as a general of the Venetian army in defense of Cyprus against invasion by Ottoman Turks. He has recently married Desdemona, a beautiful and wealthy Venetian lady much younger than himself, against the wishes of her father. Iago is Othello's malevolent ensign, who maliciously stokes his master's jealousy until the usually stoic Mute kills his beloved wife in a fit of blind rage.

Wie es euch gefällt: Ein Dauerbrenner auf deutschen Bühnen! Was übrigens nicht verwundert, denn diese Komödie über vier Paare, die sich nach vielem Hin und Her im Ardenner Wald schließlich doch finden, hat neben der üblichen Shakespearschen wortspielerischen Komplexität auch die Leichtigkeit einer frühen Boulevardkomödie.

Claudio verliebt sich in Hero. Das aber will Don Juan hintertreiben! Beatrice liebt Benedikt - und er sie! Aber zugeben will es keiner von den beiden. Und dann ist da natürlich noch Konstabler Holzapfel, der mit seinem schlichten Gemüt alles nach Kräften durcheinanderbringt. Kurz: Eine klassische Shakespeare-Komödie eben.

Rómeó er í öngum sínum yfir stúlku sem vill ekkert með hann hafa, svo vinur hans tekur hann með sér í veislu í von um að aðrar fallegar stúlkur muni leiða hugann frá henni. Það tekst svo sannarlega. Þegar Rómeó læsir augunum við unga Júlíu er ást við fyrstu sýn. Til allrar óhamingju uppgötva Rómeó og Júlía brátt að þau tilheyra fjölskyldum sem eiga í ættardeilum og verða þau að halda rómantík sinni leyndri. Frægasta ástarsaga sem skrifuð hefur verið, Rómeó og Júlía, er vísun í bæði hreina sanna ást og harmleik.

This production is abridged and in plain English. Timon of Athens (The Life of Tymon of Athens) is perhaps Shakespeare's sharpest satire on wealth, greed, and betrayal. Scholars generally classify Timon either as a tragedy or a problem play.

Whether it's friendship, beauty, love, or something more saucy, the Bard of Avon has a sonnet for every occasion. Learn what the sonnets mean and hear fun facts about the poet, witches, Elizabethan life, and the unfortunate hygiene habits of the 16th century. Despite being written 400 years ago, the sonnets speak to the eternal ups and downs of anyone in love and the struggle to fight our mortality with art. Many centuries later, we have something else in common with Elizabethans: We find kittens to be utterly adorable.

The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594. The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments — the "taming" — until she is an obedient bride.

Dive into the world of intrigue, romance, and high stakes with The Black Pearl by Victorien Sardou, narrated by Marcus Locke. This gripping tale combines mystery and sophistication, following a story of passion, betrayal, and the allure of a priceless black pearl. Set against a backdrop of opulence and drama, Sardou’s vivid storytelling transports listeners to a lavish 19th-century world filled with unforgettable characters and twists.

Here is Shakespeare's 1599 tragedy, performed by The Marlowe Society. Julius Caesar portrays the conspiracy against the Roman dictator, his assassination, and its aftermath.

A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy play set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict among four Athenian lovers. Another follows a group of six amateur actors rehearsing the play which they are to perform before the wedding. Both groups find themselves in a forest inhabited by fairies who manipulate the humans and are engaged in their own domestic intrigue. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays.

Theseus wird Hippolyta heiraten, zwei Paare verlieben sich, verkrachen sich, verlieben sich erneut, der Elfenkönig Oberon hat Streit mit seiner Frau, eine Schar untalentierter Handwerker soll ein dramatisches Theaterstück aufführen. Shakespeares Komödien-Dauerbrenner hat alle Zutaten für eine Hollywood-Screwball-Comedy.

Prospero, eigentlich Herzog von Mailand, hat durch eine Intrige seine Macht verloren und fristet mit seiner Tochter Miranda auf einer unwirtlichen Insel sein Leben, das er der Magie gewidmet hat. Als ein Schiff mit den Übeltätern Alonso, Antonio und Sebastian des Weges kommt, sieht Prospero die Stunde der Rache gekommen. Er befiehlt Ariel, seinem dienstbaren Geist, einen Sturm heraufzubeschwören, um das Schiff und seine Passagiere tüchtig durchzuschütteln. Die vermeintlich Schiffbrüchigen retten sich auf Prosperos Insel - und das Spiel seiner Vergeltung beginnt.