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The Tempest

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The Tempest

By: William Shakespeare
Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen, Emilia Fox, Scott Handy, Ben Owukwe
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About this listen

Sir Ian McKellen, fresh from his performance as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, is Prospero, and heads a strong cast in Shakespeare’s last great play. The wronged duke raises a tempest to shipwreck his old opponents on his island so that he can ensure justice is done. With Emilia Fox as Miranda, Scott Handy in the pivotal role of the sprite Ariel, and Ben Owukwe as Caliban, this new production, directed by John Tydeman, balances the magic and the earthiness, with music playing a key role.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2004 Naxos AudioBooks Classics Drama & Plays European Literary History & Criticism Shakespeare World Literature Africa

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All stars
Most relevant  
It’s a great play and this is a lovely audio version. Ian mckellan is fantastic

Brilliant play, brilliant production, love Gandalf

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Ian McKellen gives an excellent performance as Prospero and the recording really brings the play to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Tempest?

Ariel's music and also the way in which characters were brought to life through their own mannerisms and personalities.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Prospero is the central character and gives an unforgettable performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - I easily could have.

Tempestuous Performance

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It was as if I was watching the performance.
All voices prefecture matched the character.
A wonderful audio that Shakespeare himself would be proud of.

Wonderful

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The cast is outstanding, although Ian McKellan can be hard to hear if there's any background noise while you're listening. However, I can't give 5* because the singing/music is utterly dreadful. It's so bad that I nearly gave 3* overall!

I wish there was a full cast list available. I'm 95% sure Ferdinand is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, but his name isn't listed.

Excellent performances

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This was beautifully performed and thoroughly enjoyed.

The cast was superb and really brought the tale to life.

GRIPPING

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Any additional comments?

The Tempest was an assigned reading for my studies. I was kind of forced to read it but I ended up falling in love with the book. Performances are obviously superb but the story itself has so much meaning, so many interpretations; it is a gold mine. Plus I would recommend watching a film with Helen Mirren as Prospero/Prospera - mind blowing.

Loved it!!!

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This is a lovely performance of Shakespeare's late masterpiece with outstanding actors. The music can be a little irritating but that's a minor complaint.

A beautiful performance of masterpiece

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Not a false note struck. McKellen outstanding as one would expect. Altogether a pleasure.

Splendid

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Such commanding performances evoke the unique and distinct individuations of Shakespeare’s swan song.

From the power of Prospero, to the drunken hilarity of Stephano and Trunculo; the beastly naivety of Caliban, to the listless lostness of Alonso and Sebastian; the beautiful springing of love in Miranda and Ferdinand to the mature reserve of Gonzalo.

These magical performances provide fertile ground for beginners to grow with Shakespearean language and aesthetic - animating terror and melancholy or emphasising comedic anarchy with intonations and dispositions truly expressive of the beautifully ridiculous follies on display in this magnificent literary achievement

A masterpiece in narrative aesthetic and performance

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The Tempest is hard to follow at the best of times but there are a few things in this production that really don't help. The first is Ian McKellen. Much of this performance of Prospero is practically whispered by the great actor. It is simply hard to hear his lines a lot of the time, unless you are listening to this in headphones - I was listening in the car and even with the volume right up he was incomprehensible at times. The second problem is the music; the musical settings of the songs are awful and obfuscate the text; they are like a lead weight around the ankles of these lyrics and utterly, utterly tuneless. It is hard to believe they were deemed acceptable.

Hard to listen to.

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