A Life of Shakespeare cover art

A Life of Shakespeare

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

A Life of Shakespeare

By: Hesketh Pearson
Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale, David Timson, Daniel Philpott, Caroline Faber
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £9.99

Buy Now for £9.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

The plays of William Shakespeare, and his famous lines, are part of the national consciousness. There may be few solid facts about Shakespeare the man, and yet not only do we want to know all about him - we feel, through his plays, we do. In this classic biography, Hesketh Pearson puts his skills as an actor and biography to lively use, looking at the man as much through his worth - the great plays and poems - as through the extant facts. Having heard this affectionate account, you will go back to the plays with more understanding and enjoyment.

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

©1961 Hesketh Pearson (P)2001 NAXOS AudioBooks
Authors Literary History & Criticism
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Editor reviews

A short life of Shakespeare is particularly appropriate, given how little hard fact is knowable; this one is brief but particularly well suited to this series' format. narrations from the plays alternate here with Elizabethan music and with interesting fact or speculation on Shakespeare's parents, his marriage, and how his characters may have sprung from his surroundings and events of the times. Pearson is particularly good on Shakespeare's relationship with his queen (he did not like being ordered to show Falstaff in love). The commentary on the plays and Elizabethan theater is wise and interesting, if not always conclusive; the narrators of the connective text and the play excerpts are marvelous. A delight.

What listeners say about A Life of Shakespeare

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.