Is Shakespeare Dead? (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. From My AutobiographyBy Mark Twain
Length3h 57m
About this audiobook
In Is Shakespeare Dead? Mark Twain turns the Shakespeare authorship question into a brisk, sardonic inquiry, challenging the traditional attribution of the plays to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. Written as a mixture of memoir, legal brief, comic lecture, and polemic, the book weighs documentary absence against literary achievement, using Twain's characteristic irony to expose what he sees as the fragility of inherited belief. Its context lies in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century rise of anti-Stratfordian speculation, when biography, historical evidence, and literary genius were being newly scrutinized. Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, brought to the subject the habits of a journalist, humorist, skeptic, and self-made man suspicious of cultural orthodoxies. His long career had trained him to distrust official narratives and to prize plain-speaking over reverence. The book's argumentative energy reflects Twain's broader fascination with imposture, reputation, and the manufacture of authority in public life. Readers interested in Shakespeare, literary controversy, or Twain's later prose will find this a provocative and entertaining work. Whether or not one accepts its conclusions, the book remains a revealing performance of skeptical wit and democratic irreverence.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.6 (4.2K)
Includes Goodreads
GenreLiterary Classics
Length3 hrs 57 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 27, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Mark Twain: The Complete Novels (The Greatest Novelists of All Time – Book 5) (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER I
7CHAPTER VIII—Shakespeare as a Lawyer [2]
8Analysis
9Reflection
10Memorable Quotes
Die schönsten Kinderbücher der WeltMark Twain, Johanna Spyri, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Selma Lagerlöf, Waldemar Bonsels, Lewis Carroll, Else Ury, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Gerdt von Bassewitz, Robert Louis Stevenson, David Friedrich Weinland, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Emmy von Rhoden, Agnes Sapper, Jack London286h 46m4.7 (12)$1 · $0.00
Auf den Spuren des amerikanischen Traums: Die größten AbenteuerromaneMark Twain, Jack London, James Fenimore Cooper, Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau, Albert Daiber, Edgar Allan Poe, Max Brand, Charles Sealsfield, Friedrich Gerstäcker893h 13m4.5 (12)$1 · $0.00
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry FinnMark Twain19h 15m$1.99 · $0.00
El príncipe y el mendigoMark Twain7h 48m4.1 (148.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Sämtliche RomaneMark Twain108h 40m4.6 (33)$2 · $0.00
Las aventuras de Tom Sawyer (texto completo, con índice activo)Mark Twain8h 23m$9.99 · $0.00
The Golden Book of World's Greatest Mysteries – 60+ Whodunit Tales & Detective StoriesMark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant, Thomas Hardy, William Archer, Brander Matthews, Ambrose Bierce, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Wilkie Collins, E. F. Benson, M. R. James, E. T. A. Hoffmann, Anton Chekhov, Anna Katherine Green, W. F. Harvey, Fitz-James O'Brien, Katherine Rickford, Pliny the Younger, Helena Blavatsky, A. Conan Doyle, Villiers Adam, C. Moffett, F. Marryat, Théopile Gautier, L. Hearn, C. B. Fernando, R. L. Stevenson, T. W. Hanshew, Sir R. Anderson, R. A. Cram, Joseph L. French48h 44m3.7 (65)$1.99 · $0.00
The Ultimate Western CollectionMark Twain, James Fenimore Cooper, Max Brand, James Oliver Curwood, B. M. Bower, Zane Grey, Jackson Gregory, Jack London, William MacLeod Raine, William Patterson White, Rex Beach, Emerson Hough, Will Lillibridge, Andy Adams, Bret Harte, Owen Wister, Washington Irving, Willa Cather, O. Henry, Grace Livingston Hill, Charles King, Charles Alden Seltzer, Stephen Crane, Dane Coolidge, Marah Ellis Ryan, Francis William Sullivan, Frederic Homer Balch, Frederic Remington, Robert W. Chambers, Forrestine C. Hooker, James B. Hendryx, Frank H. Spearman, J. Allan Dunn, Ann S. Stephens, Robert E. Howard, Clarence E. Mulford, R.M. Ballantyne, Charles Siringo, Isabel E. Ostrander, Frederic Logan Paxson1013h 32m$1.99 · $0.00
Living to Tell the Horrid Tales: True Life Stories of Fomer Slaves, Historical Documents & NovelsMark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Aphra Behn, Thomas Clarkson, Daniel Drayton, Louis Hughes, Lydia Maria Child, James Weldon Johnson, Austin Steward, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Moses Grandy, William Wells Brown, William Still, Nat Turner, Henry Bibb, Olaudah Equiano, Sojourner Truth, Mary Prince, Kate Drumgoold, Frederick Douglass, Brantz Mayer, Theodore Canot, Booker T. Washington, Elizabeth Keckley, Albion Winegar Tourgée, Charles Ball, Solomon Northup, Josiah Henson, Stephen Smith, Harriet E. Wilson, Ellen Craft, William Craft, John Gabriel Stedman, Charles W. Chesnutt, Sarah H. Bradford, Sutton E. Griggs, Lucy A. Delaney, L. S. Thompson, F. G. De Fontaine, Henry Box Brown, John Dixon Long, Harriet Jacobs, Jacob D. Green, Thomas S. Gaines, Willie Lynch, Margaretta Matilda Odell, Joseph Mountain331h 6m$1.99 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Mark Twain (Illustrated) (Annotated)Mark Twain154h 22m4.5 (4.3K)$2 · $0.00
Tom Sawyer als Detektiv (Von Huck Finn erzählt) (Kommentiert)Mark Twain4h 3m3.7 (7.8K)$1 · $0.00
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)Mark Twain20h 26m4.4 (7.5K)$2 · $0.00
On Masturbation: "Some Thoughts on the Science of Onanism" (Annotated)Mark Twain1h 49m3.8 (604)$2 · $0.00
Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn – The Great American Adventure (Illustrated) (Annotated)Mark Twain35h 5m4.4 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Speeches of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain8h 29m4.3 (23)$2 · $0.00
The Mysterious Stranger (Annotated)Mark Twain5h 41m$2 · $0.00
Die Abenteuer des Huckleberry Finn (Kommentiert)Mark Twain12h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Illustrated) (Annotated)Mark Twain9h 33m4.2 (48.4K)$2 · $0.00
Time Voyage - Boxed Set (Annotated)Mark Twain, Ayn Rand, Andre Norton, H. Beam Piper, Lester Del Rey, Frederik Pohl, Fritz Leiber, Philip K. Dick, August Derleth, H. G. Wells53h 21m$2 · $0.00
Meisterwerke der englischen Satire (Kommentiert)Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Jerome Klapka Jerome, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, William Makepeace Thackeray, Jane Austen, Tobias Smollett, G. K. Chesterton, Lewis Carroll, Sinclair Lewis183h 50m$2 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
Twelfth Night (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography (Annotated)William Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 40m4.6 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 54m4.5 (10.6K)$2 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
Sitting PrettyRebekah Taussig7h 33m4.5 (18.9K)$26 · $0.00
The Poetic Edda & The Prose EddaSnorri Sturluson, Saemund Sigfusson9h 34m4.5 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Satires & Essays of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain23h 21m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Rilla of InglesideLucy Maud Montgomery10h 58m4.5 (46.7K)$1 · $0.00
The Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás CubasMachado De Assis7h 39m4.4 (120.4K)$5 · $0.00
The Iliad & The OdysseyHomer25h 12m4.4 (39K)$12 · $0.00
You may also like
When Patty Went to CollegeJean Webster4h 23m3.8 (1.8K)$2.30 · $0.00
The Club of Queer TradesG. K. Chesterton4h 46m3.8 (5.9K)$6 · $0.00
ManaliveG. K. Chesterton6h 21m4.1 (5.2K)$2.30 · $0.00
Unpopular OpinionsDorothy L. Sayers10h 12m4.3 (645)$1 · $0.00
The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor FetherEdgar Allan Poe51m3.8 (1.7K)$1
Manalive (Annotated)G. K. Chesterton6h 27m4.2 (3.9K)$1.20 · $0.00
The Club of Queer TradesG. K. Chesterton4h 57m3.9 (4.1K)$12
Tales of the Long BowG. K. Chesterton6h 42m4.0 (426)$2.30
Is Shakespeare Dead?Mark Twain2h 21m3.9 (1.5K)$1 · $0.00
XinguEdith Wharton1h 4m3.9 (2.5K)$2.30 · $0.00
The Man Who Was ThursdayG.K.Chesterton6h 24m3.9 (62.8K)$2.30
The Book of the DamnedCharles Fort12h 56m3.8 (2K)$1 · $0.00
The Well and the ShallowsG.K. Chesterton7h 32m4.2 (492)$2 · $0.00
The Jeeves & Wooster SeriesP. G. Wodehouse23h 31m4.4 (331.3K)$2 · $0.00
Tales of the Long BowG.K. Chesterton6h 42m4.0 (509)$2 · $0.00
SnuffTerry Pratchett11h 29m4.3 (79.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Confidence-ManHerman Melville10h 27m3.7 (5.8K)$23
An Admonition showing, the Advantages which Christendom might derive from an Inventory of RelicsJohn Calvin2h 5m4.2 (274)$2 · $0.00
Bartleby, the ScrivenerHerman Melville1h 28m4.1 (96.6K)$10
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 4Edgar Allan Poe9h 19m4.5 (1.6K)Free