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Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies
- Hamlet; Macbeth; Romeo and Juliet
- Narrated by: full cast, Paul Scofield, Peggy Ashcroft, Ian McKellen
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
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Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies
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Summary
Three powerful radio productions from the BBC archives starring Ian McKellen, Ronald Pickup and Paul Scofield and a host of celebrated acting talent. These three legendary plays, performed by some of the best-known theatrical actors of the 20th century, are the perfect way to commemorate England's greatest dramatist.
Romeo and Juliet: the Montagues and the Capulets are sworn enemies, so when Romeo Montague falls in love with Juliet Capulet, tragedy ensues. This fateful tale of two young star-crossed lovers is one of Shakespeare's most popular dramas. First broadcast in 1970, starring Ian McKellen as Romeo.
Hamlet: one of the most powerful, influential and thrilling tragedies in the English language, and the story of Prince Hamlet and his quest for vengeance never fails to enthral. First broadcast in 1971, starring Ronald Pickup as the Prince of Denmark.
Macbeth: the notorious 'Scottish Play' is a gripping tale of vaulting ambition, witchcraft, madness and murder that has kept generations of audiences spellbound. First broadcast in 1966, starring Paul Scofield as Macbeth and Peggy Ashcroft as Lady Macbeth.
Recorded at BBC Broadcasting House and featuring the BBC Drama Repertory company, with specially composed music including a score from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, this is classic radio drama at its finest. Duration: 7 hours 30 mins approx.
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What listeners say about Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lewis Kane
- 10-01-18
Think before buying this
I thoughtlessly bought this to hear some of the most popular Shakespeare stories, 2 of which I've never read or seen performed before.
This is a reading of the script, without the visuals of performers, the names you'd see if you were reading this or any familiarity with the stories, it is very difficult to follow and know which character says which line.
Only buy this if you know the stories well enough to know the characters in each scene, or at least have a very good ear for distinguishing Shakespearean actors who all sound similar. With that in mind, this could still be for you.
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21 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Barry Deri
- 12-11-17
Terrible sound quality don't waste your time
Terrible sound quality don't waste your time. I was extremely disappointed, thus was another missed opportunity.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jordan raghnal
- 29-04-17
Student piont of veiw
As a student it hells me grasp the way it can be presented to an audience such as my self
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Culwen
- 14-02-20
Not an easy listen
The voice acting and expression is good. But I found it hard to know who was who in Hamlet. Romeo and Juliet was fine but it’s hard to follow a story when it’s purely conversational. There needs to be some narration to clarify names to voices. Could be better.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Dave
- 17-03-18
A difficult listen, it feels like school again
OK, so why did I download these tragedies if I don't like Shakespeare?
A good question, but I had been thinking that I'd been missing out on some great works of literature as everyone I talk to tells me how wonderful they are. To be honest, now that I've listened to just one, I'm not convinced.
I started with Romeo and Juliet.
We all know the story, rival families, boy & girl meet, families don't like it, two dead teenagers. (I think I'm ok for spoilers after 400 years)
Lets start with the story. It was OK. Yip, just ok. Nothing particularly great or gripping in it, no great characters, nobody particularly memorable at all in fact.
However, what I did find was that there were loads of common day phrases that have made their way into the English language that came from the play. "parting is such sweet sorrow", "What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
I'm not going to go on, yo get the drift.
The characters. Well, a couple of teenagers who fancy each other, their friends and families. Quite dull characters, even the principles.
The delivery. Hmmm, perhaps this is why I didn't really get it. On the stage there are people playing the different characters and it's quite clear who's who. In a book, it typically says "Romeo said..." But in a radio play, it's really difficult to figure out who's who. There's lots of background noise and effects which only detract.
OK, I'm not sold. But I will soldier on through the other three plays in this and update the review as I go.
For now though, it feels like I'm at school and being forced to read a dull book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard Anderson
- 09-10-22
la voz de Romeo era muy asquerosas...
se supone que Romeo tiene 17 años y la voz era de un señor mínimo de 50 años... sonaba un poco raro escuchar la voz de un viejo hablando con una adolescente
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 08-07-17
Abridged
What did you like best about Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies? What did you like least?
I have not listened to all three plays, but Macbeth is definitely abridged. Lines are skipped over here and there and one whole scene was missing. Also, the delivery is laboriously slow in spots.
Would you recommend Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies to your friends? Why or why not?
I have listened to several other recordings of Shakespeare's plays and this is one of the worst.
Did the narrators do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
The characters were well voiced although I disagreed with some interpretations. That's Shakespeare for you.
Was Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Tragedies worth the listening time?
Unfortunately, I'd have to say this was not worth my time.
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22 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kristen Newby
- 25-05-16
Sparknotes is genius.
As a first time Shakespeare "reader", I loved the storyline, but struggled because I was never clear on which voice beyond to which character. I ended up finding the best solution was to read the sparknotes plot overview then listen and I could follow along and appreciate the dialogue more.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Garrett
- 14-10-20
Why you should read reviews
I bought this to listen to while reading the book. The 2nd scene in Macbeth and they’re omitting lines??? No where does it say this is an abridge version. Can here to write this review and saw someone had already said this so read the reviews! Everything was great until that.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Fuentes
- 12-05-20
Superb recording with one reservation
These are great performances. I would like to request that Audible list the full casts of each play. In its current form, it's possible to discover the names of only Paul Scofield, Peggy Ashcroft, and Ian McKellen. This is a limitation that could be easily removed.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Troy
- 11-09-18
To much sound variation
On stage, a dynamic range of volume is exciting. In my headphones, after cranking the volume to hear the whisper of some madman, the blasting trumpets of battle were too much. Also, while the performance was great, this isn't the sort of thing you can pick up to gain an exposure to Shakespeare. In a script or on stage you have done clue as to who is speaking. I enjoyed the one liners but I have no more understanding of the titles than when I started
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Alanna R.
- 01-05-18
Some lines omitted and/or changed
It was a different version than what I am use to, but it was ok.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Frank
- 26-05-22
Wonderful Full Cast Production
These tragedies are wonderfully performed. Sometimes I find listening to Shakespeare's plays on audio book to be difficult because I have trouble telling the difference between the performers. This felt like a large professional cast and it really made it a fun and interesting listen.
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