Measure for Measure (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare (Annotated)

Enriched Edition. Justice, Mercy, and Power in a Dark Jacobean ComedyBy William Shakespeare
Listen with Sir Michael Caine™ and 1,000+ voices
Length17h 11m

About this audiobook

Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare's most searching "problem plays," a darkly comic examination of justice, mercy, desire, and public morality in a Vienna governed by hypocrisy and surveillance. In its unabridged form, the play preserves the full density of Shakespeare's language: legal rhetoric, theological argument, bawdy wit, and sudden lyric tenderness. Written in the early Jacobean period, it stands beside Hamlet and Troilus and Cressida in its skepticism toward authority and its fascination with ethical ambiguity. William Shakespeare, actor, shareholder, and playwright of the King's Men, wrote from within a theatrical culture attuned to politics, religion, and popular entertainment. His experience of civic law, court patronage, and London's teeming social world informs the play's uneasy balance between stage comedy and moral inquiry. The accompanying classic biography, The Life of William Shakespeare, offers readers a valuable framework for understanding the man behind the dramatic imagination. This edition is recommended for readers who want both the complete theatrical text and historical orientation. It will reward students, scholars, and general readers interested in Shakespeare's mature art and enduring questions of power, conscience, and forgiveness. 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 11 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 27, 2014
LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1Measure for Measure (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5Measure for Measure (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare
Mostrar todos os capítulos
6PERSONS REPRESENTED.
7ACT I.
8ACT II.
9ACT III.
10ACT IV.
11ACT V.
12The Life of William Shakespeare
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
Das Winter-Mährchen (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare6h 18m4.4 (10)$1 · $0.00
OTHELLO (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare9h 35m4.2 (1K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tragedies of William Shakespeare - All 12 Books in One EditionWilliam Shakespeare35h 3m4.5 (3.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
König Richard II. (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare7h 39m4.2 (43)$1 · $0.00
CYMBELINEWilliam Shakespeare18h 13m3.9 (29.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAMWilliam Shakespeare17h 4m4.1 (671.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam Shakespeare2h 9m$6 · $0.00
HamletWilliam Shakespeare3h 38m4.3 (1.2M)$6 · $0.00
The TempestWilliam Shakespeare1h 53m4.0 (602.3K)$6 · $0.00
All's Well That Ends WellWilliam Shakespeare3h 37m3.7 (26K)$6 · $0.00
Selección de SonetosWilliam Shakespeare31m4.4 (63)$11 · $0.00
Aspects Of LoveWilliam Shakespeare9h 1m4.2 (213)$12 · $0.00
A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam Shakespeare2h 9m4.1 (673.7K)$12 · $0.00
William Shakespeare: Othello. A drama.William Shakespeare4h 9m4.1 (507K)$12 · $0.00
The TempestWilliam Shakespeare1h 53m$6 · $0.00
Lost Worlds: A Collection of 9 Books on Extinct CitiesWilliam Shakespeare, August Mau, Sir E. A. Wallis Budge, Heinrich Schliemann, R. N. Hall, Richard Caton, Gustave Flaubert, Austen Henry Layard98h 38m$1.99 · $0.00
Otelo: Tragedia clásicaWilliam Shakespeare3h 57m$2.99 · $0.00
Soulful Wisdom: 16 Timeless Books on SpiritualismWilliam Shakespeare, E. F. Benson, Camille Flammarion, Sir Oliver Lodge, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Hare, Samuel B. Emmons, Joel Tiffany, A. Alpheus, Chung Ling Soo, Charles Grafton Page, Hermann Hesse, E. Katherine Bates, C. Vincent Patrick, W. Whately Smith133h 22m$1.99 · $0.00
Classic Ballads: 4 Timeless Books of Traditional SongsWilliam Shakespeare, Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Wordsworth, John Fletcher, Walter Scott, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Cowper, Robert Burns, William Makepeace Thackeray, Thomas Moore, Robert Browning, Oliver Goldsmith, James Hogg, William Blake, John Keats, Lord Byron, Lord Tennyson20h 58m$1.99 · $0.00
Timon von Athen / Timon Of Athens - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Englisch)William Shakespeare5h 45m$1 · $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
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 50m4.6 (1.3K)$1.99 · $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 Proust16h 8m4.5 (10.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
Lessons in TruthH. Emilie3h 50m4.6 (1.4K)$4.70 · $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
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $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
Anne of Green GablesLucy Maud Montgomery11h 10m4.4 (1.3M)$8 · $0.00
The Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás CubasMachado De Assis7h 39m4.4 (120.4K)$5 · $0.00

You may also like