Publisher, Naxos AudioBooks (October 2005)

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Recommended for Ages 9 and up

• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Hamlet
• King Lear
Henry V
• Twelfth Night
• Romeo and Juliet
• The Tempest
• Othello
• Macbeth
• King Richard III

Juliet Stevenson and Michael Sheen, noted Shakespearean actors, relate the stories of 10 key Shakespeare plays. They present the complex plots in a clear, entertaining and informal style and introduce the main characters in the context of the famous lines. The stories also contain important passages from the plays themselves, taken from the award-winning Naxos AudioBooks recordings performed by leading actors. An ideal way to get to know the plays in preparation for a visit to the theatre, reading or studying.

Disc 1

1. Henry V - 1:26
2. Act I Scene 2: Your Highness lately sending into France - 2:31
3. Henry decided it was time - 1:29
4. Act I Scene 3: He s in Arthur s bosom - 1:19
5. The first battle for Henry - 1:58
6. Their courage renewed by their leader - 1:02
7. Act III Scene 8: My Lord High Constable - 1:27
8. King Henry meanwhile - 2:56
9. A Midsummer Night s Dream - 4:39
10. Act II Scene 1: Why should Titania cross her Oberon - 1:39
11. Then Oberon called his favourite fairy, Puck - 3:22
12. Act I Scene 2: Now is all our company met - 2:04
13. Back in the fairies wood - 2:09
14. Act IV Scene 1: When thou wak'st - 0:32
15. Meanwhile Oberon had found his queen, Titania, asleep - 0:43
16. Oberon stooped over her - 0:35
17. When Titania awoke - 1:00
18. Act IV Scene 1: Come sit thee down - 2:06
19. And so when Oberon came along - 2:10
20. Hamlet - 3:10
21. Act I Scene 4: Look my Lord it comes - 1:38
22. Hamlet followed his father s ghost - 1:19
23. The wicked Claudius had indeed killed - 2:25
24. Act III Scene 1: To be or not to be - 1:38
25. Seeing Ophelia sitting quietly - 4:32
26. Act IV Scene 5: Where is the beauteous Queen of Denmark - 1:08
27. It was not long before - 1:24
28. Hamlet had loved her - 2:57
29. Act V Scene 2: O I die Horatio - 1:07
30. King Lear - 1:14
31. Act I Scene 1: Goneril our eldest born speak first - 1:49
32. King Lear was very pleased with Goneril and Regan s declarations - 3:48
33. Act I Scene 4: Hear Nature, hear - 0:55
34. And with his curse of Goneril still ringing - 1:16
35. Act III Scene 2: Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! - 2:09
36. Before long his servant - 1:45
37. Act IV Scene 6: Dost thou know me - 2:41
38. Edgar, still disguised - 0:32
39. Act IV Scene 6: Sir, do you know me? - 2:24
40. And now he knew at last - 1:47
41. Act V Scene 3: Howl, howl - 2:27

Disc 2

1. The Tempest - 5:07
2. Act I Scene 2: This island s mine - 0:53
3. Prospero finished his story to Miranda - 1:59
4. Act I Scene 2: Full fathom five - 0:59
5. And so singing, Ariel led the spell-bound prince - 1:46
6. Scarcely had they exchanged half a dozen sentences - 1:10
7. Act III Scene 1: You look wearily - 1:41
8. Now other members of King Alonso s household - 2:01
9. When Stephano appeared he had been drinking - 2:37
10. Caliban thought these two examples - 1:40
11. But with the morning Henry s spirits had revived - 1:53
12. And so the battle of Agincourt began - 0:35
13. Act IV Scene 7: Here comes the herald of the French - 1:45
14. And so the battle concluded - 0:59
15. Act V Scene 2: Fair Katherine - 2:15
16. Twelfth Night - 1:10
17. Orsina, the Duke of Illyria - 2:41
18. Act I Scene 5: My Lord and master loves you - 1:22
19. Listening to Viola speaking as the boy Cesario - 2:20
20. Act II Scene 4: Make no compare between that love - 1:33
21. So Viola went - 2:10
22. Act II Scene 5: If this fall into thy hand - 2:02
23. When Malvolio appeared before Olivia - 0:51
24. Act III Scene 4: Why man he s a very devil - 1:45
25. Happily for both Viola and Sir Andrew - 4:25
26. Act V Scene 1: Do I stand there - 0:55
27. Then Viola told her brother all her adventures - 1:39
28. Romeo and Juliet - 2:06
29. Act I Scene 4: O then I see Queen Mab - 0:52
30. But nothing would stop Romeo - 1:03
31. Act I Scene 5: What lady s that - 0:48
32. As he was saying these words - 0:46
33. Act I Scene 5: If I profane - 1:29
34. Just then the girl s nurse - 1:39
35. Act II Scene 2: O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou - 1:46
36. They spoke long together - 1:57
37. The next morning, very early - 2:23
38. Act III Scene 1: Courage man the hurt cannot be much - 1:12
39. So, on the very day of his wedding - 1:13
40. Poor Juliet and her young husband - 1:41
41. Now Juliet s father, Lord Capulet - 1:47
42. Act IV Scene 3: What if it be poison - 1:53
43. Early in the morning - 1:56
44. Act V Scene 3: Ah, dear Juliet why art thou - 1:53
45. So Romeo died beside his wife, Juliet - 1:51

Disc 3

1. Prospero by his enchantments - 2:12
2. So Prospero made heavenly music - 2:01
3. Othello - 3:20
4. Act I Scene 3: My story being done - 0:47
5. Desdemona herself came to the Senate - 2:28
6. Act II Scene 1: O my fair warrior - 1:11
7. Iago upon arrival began to put his plan - 1:35
8. Act II Scene 3: Two things are to be done - 0:18
9. When Cassio and Iago were alone together - 1:14
10. Act III Scene 3: By heaven I ll know - 1:36
11. The seed of jealousy was well and truly sown - 1:11
12. That night, before dinner, Othello - 2:33
13. Act IV Scene 1: How shall I murder him Iago - 1:30
14. Iago s villainy now knew no bounds - 1:36
15. Act IV Scene 3: The poor soul sat sighing - 2:09
16. Desdemona woke with her husband s wild eyes - 2:57
17. Act V Scene 2: Soft you - 2:19
18. Macbeth - 1:03
19. Act I Scene 3: So foul and fair a day - 2:13
20. Macbeth could not take his eyes - 4:02
21. Act II Scene 1: Is this a dagger - 1:54
22. Not long afterwards, with red hands - 0:53
23. The murderers heard a knocking at the castle gate - 2:26
24. Act III Scene 4: Which of you have done this - 1:14
25. Macbeth decided he would find the witches - 4:44
26. Act V Scene 1: Yet here s a spot - 2:06
27. Not long after this, Macbeth heard - 1:31
28. All this while, the English army - 1:27
29. Act V Scene 8: Turn hell-hound, turn - 2:49
30. King Richard III - 1:46
31. Act I Scene 1: Now is the winter - 1:50
32. Nothing was going to stop Richard - 0:40
33. Act I Scene 4: Me thought I had broken from the Tower - 1:22
34. And his bad dreams - 1:43
35. Act I Scene 2: Was ever woman in this humour wooed - 0:44
36. Meanwhile Edward IV s illness - 3:44
37. Act IV Scene 2: Thus high : - 1:35
38. The truth was that Richard - 1:54
39. All the time that Richard had been planning - 1:10
40. Act V Scene 3: Dream on thy cousins - 2:36
41. Next morning the sun was not shining - 0:54
42. Act V Scene 4: Rescue my Lord of Norfolk - 1:43