King Lear (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Unabridged Tragedy of Madness, Succession, and Filial BetrayalBy William Shakespeare
Length17h 51m
About this audiobook
King Lear (The Unabridged Play) presents Shakespeare's most devastating tragedy in its full dramatic architecture, a work in which political authority, filial obligation, madness, and moral vision are tested against a universe stripped of comforting certainties. Written in a style that moves from ceremonial grandeur to elemental plainness, the play belongs to the mature Jacobean period, where Shakespeare's tragic art reaches a severe philosophical intensity. Paired with The Life of William Shakespeare, the volume situates the drama within the broader contours of early modern theatre and literary history. William Shakespeare, actor, shareholder, and playwright of the Lord Chamberlain's Men and later the King's Men, wrote from intimate knowledge of performance, patronage, and public appetite. His England was shaped by dynastic anxiety, religious inheritance, and questions of sovereignty, all of which resonate powerfully in Lear's divided kingdom. Biographical reflection helps illuminate how a provincial dramatist from Stratford transformed inherited chronicles and legends into searching studies of power and human frailty. This edition is recommended for readers seeking both the uncut force of Shakespeare's tragedy and a contextual understanding of its creator. Students, theatre lovers, and serious general readers will find it an excellent gateway to one of literature's bleakest yet most profound masterpieces.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- An Introduction draws the threads together, discussing why these diverse authors and texts belong in one collection.
- Historical Context explores the cultural and intellectual currents that shaped these works, offering insight into the shared (or contrasting) eras that influenced each writer.
- A combined Synopsis (Selection) briefly outlines the key plots or arguments of the included pieces, helping readers grasp the anthology's overall scope without giving away essential twists.
- A collective Analysis highlights common themes, stylistic variations, and significant crossovers in tone and technique, tying together writers from different backgrounds.
- Reflection questions encourage readers to compare the different voices and perspectives within the collection, fostering a richer understanding of the overarching conversation.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics
Length17 hrs 51 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 27, 2014
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Author Biography
4Historical Context
5Synopsis (Selection)
Show all chaptersShow less
6King Lear (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare
7King Lear
8ACT I.
9ACT II.
10ACT III.
11ACT IV.
12ACT V.
13PREFACE
14I—PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
15II—CHILDHOOD, EDUCATION, AND MARRIAGE
16III—THE FAREWELL TO STRATFORD
17IV—ON THE LONDON STAGE
18V.—EARLY DRAMATIC EFFORTS
19VI—THE FIRST APPEAL TO THE READING PUBLIC
20VII—THE SONNETS AND THEIR LITERARY HISTORY
21VIII—THE BORROWED CONCEITS OF THE SONNETS
22IX—THE PATRONAGE OF THE EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON
23X—THE SUPPOSED STORY OF INTRIGUE IN THE SONNETS
24XI—THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRAMATIC POWER
25XII—THE PRACTICAL AFFAIRS OF LIFE
26XIII—MATURITY OF GENIUS
27XIV—THE HIGHEST THEMES OF TRAGEDY
28XV—THE LATEST PLAYS
29XVI—THE CLOSE OF LIFE
30XVII—SURVIVORS AND DESCENDANTS
31XVIII—AUTOGRAPHS, PORTRAITS, AND MEMORIALS
32XIX—BIBLIOGRAPHY
33XX—POSTHUMOUS REPUTATION
34XXI—GENERAL ESTIMATE
35APPENDIX (pt. 1)
36APPENDIX (pt. 2)
37Analysis
38Reflection
39Memorable Quotes
Antonius und Cleopatra / Antony and Cleopatra - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare8h 56m$1 · $0.00
König Heinrich VIII. / Henry VIII - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare7h 56m$1 · $0.00
König Heinrich V. / King Henry V - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare8h 38m$1 · $0.00
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Ein Sommernachtstraum / A Midsummer Night's Dream - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare5h 58m$1 · $0.00
Sämtliche Werke: Komödien, Tragödien, Historiendramen, Sonette & Epische Versdichtungen (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare125h 50m$1 · $0.00
The Winter's Tale (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography (Annotated)William Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 58m$2 · $0.00
RICHARD III (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare9h 25m$1 · $0.00
Das Winter-Mährchen / The Winter's Tale - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare8h$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare157h 18m$2 · $0.00
154 Sonette (Nachdichtung von / Translated by Max Josef Wolff) / Sonnets - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) / Bilingual edition (German-English) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare3h 25m$2 · $0.00
Richard III - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) / Bilingual edition (German-English) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare9h 23m$1 · $0.00
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor / The Merry Wives Of Windsor - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) / Bilingual edition (German-English) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare7h 49m$2 · $0.00
The Best of Shakespeare: (Annotated)William Shakespeare29h 40m$2 · $0.00
Zwei Herren aus Verona / The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare6h 33m$1 · $0.00
Richard II (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare17h 16m$2 · $0.00
Die wichtigsten Werke von William Shakespeare (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare66h 53m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: All 214 Plays, Sonnets, Poems & Apocryphal Plays (Including the Biography of the Author) (Annotated)William Shakespeare156h 38m$2 · $0.00
Gesammelte Komödien / Collected Comedies - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare75h 3m$1 · $0.00
König Heinrich IV. / King Henry IV - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch) / Bilingual edition (German-English) (Kommentiert)William Shakespeare13h 43m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the Brontë Family Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë140h 13m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5.0 (2)$2 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
Ivanhoe (Annotated)Walter Scott22h 52m$2 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$2 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes series - completeArthur Conan54h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
The Count of Monte Cristo (With Original Illustrations)Alexandre Dumas54h$1 · $0.00
H. P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft50h 45m$2 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m$29 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Charlotte Brontë (Annotated)Charlotte Brontë80h 42m$2 · $0.00
Richard Wagamese SelectedRichard Wagamese3h 14m$15
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m$2 · $0.00
Twelfth Night (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography (Annotated)William Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m$2 · $0.00
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