Product Description

Distressed by his father’s death and his mother’s hasty remarriage, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is haunted by a ghostly courier bearing a grim message of murder and revenge. The young prince is driven to the edge of madness as he struggles to understand the situation he finds himself in and to do his duty. Many others, including Hamlet’s beloved, the innocent Ophelia, are swept up in his tragedy. Shakespeare’s most famous play remains one of the greatest stories in Western literature. Performed by Simon Russell Beale, Imogen Stubbs, Jane Lapotaire, and the Arkangel cast.

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare marks the first time in audio publishing history that all of Shakespeare’s plays have been produced by a single creative team. Based word-for-word on The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, each play is presented uncut.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #178443 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-10
• Formats: Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 3
• Binding: Audio CD

Features

• ISBN13: 9781932219081
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From AudioFile
Simon Russell Beale portrays the tragic Prince of Denmark in Shakespeare's most quoted play, with actress Imogen Stubbs playing the fair Ophelia. This production of HAMLET, produced exclusively for the Archangel Shakespeare audio collection, is a gem worthy of repeated listening. Paul Jesson provides a beautifully dramatic, but strangely un-ghostly, soliloquy as the King's ghost. Also in the cast are Jane Lapotaire as Gertrude, Bob Peck as the murderous and incestuous Claudius, and the late Norman Rodway as the garrulous Polonius. Music composed by Dominique Le Gendre supplies evocative interludes between scenes, and a handy printed insert provides a track list, cast list, and scene-by-scene summary of the play. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

The next best thing...
I started listening to the Arkangel series because of David Tennant (Doctor Who). Well, ye David Tennant fans, he's not listed in Amazon's summary for this CD but he's here on this CD playing Mercutio. Perfect for his fast-paced delivery!

I've become addicted to this series, buying what I cannot borrow. The full cast of actors present the material in a very natural style, quite different from the respectful, poetic style that I was exposed to in school (so many years ago). I've even gone through four of the histories, something that I never intended to do.

Read all the other reviews for well-considered, thoughtful reviews, especially in comparison to other offerings. I just know that I am enjoying listening to these CDs just for fun.

Good, but let's also have the Caedmon recordings!
As with most of the Arkangel Shakespeare, this is a very decently done performance, with some great acting. (The music, which is modern and a little sentimental, seems to me a mistake.) But as with all the Shakespeare, I'm a big believer in the Caedmon recordings from several decades ago, which feature simply amazing actors of the last generation: Sir Ralph Richardson, Paul Scofield, Sir John Gielgud, Hugh Griffith, Jeremy Brett, Sir Michael Redgrave, Cyril Cusack, Alan Bates, Vanessa Redgrave...the list goes on. The Arkangel recordings have a lot to offer, but we ought to have the option of listening to the classic recordings of these plays. Protest to Caedmon Music/Harper Collins today!

Best Yet
What a terrific find! I got the Romeo and Juliet cd from the same company and was very pleased. So, I tried Macbeth. This is the finest interpretation of the parts I have ever heard. The readers even speak with Scottish accents. This a dramatized version, complete with sound effects. My students love it.