William Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies
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William Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies
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Narrated by:
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Peter Saccio
About this listen
Shakespeare's plays - whether a comedy like A Midsummer Night's Dream, a history like Henry IV, or a tragedy like Hamlet - are treasure troves of insight into our very humanity. These 36 lectures introduce you to Shakespeare's major plays from each of these three genres and explain the achievement that makes him the leading playwright in Western civilization.
As you'll see, the key to Shakespeare's massive achievement is his "abundance," according to Professor Saccio; not only in the number and length of his plays but in the variety of experiences they depict, the multitude of actions and characters they contain, the combination of public and private life they deal with, and the richness of feelings they express.
All the major plays are here for you to dive into, explore, and enjoy: The Taming of the Shrew (with its realistic look at bourgeois marriage customs), Measure for Measure (which shows Shakespeare breaking out of comic conventions), Richard III (the source of one of the Bard's most entertaining and frightening historical villains), Henry V (which raises questions about the morality of warfare), Macbeth (with its piercing look into the consciousness of a man hungry for power), and more. As the richness of each of these and other plays is revealed, you'll also touch upon the far-ranging philosophical and theological implications behind them. By the last lecture, you'll have a true understanding of why these comedies, histories, and tragedies endure even to this very day.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©1999 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)1999 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about William Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies
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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
- Fletcher Christian
- 30-03-21
Quite brilliant
This is a genuinely brilliant and insightful series of lectures delivered by a deeply learned and talented teacher. At every turn I was impressed to find I was learning something new even though I have a degree in English literature and have read Shakespeare continually since leaving university. This may not reflect so well on me but it certainly seems to me that anyone remotely interested in the greatest writer of all time will gain a great deal from listening to these talks.
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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
- Mark Kelly
- 15-08-17
Excellent insights to the Shakespearean world
loved this book. The narrator is excellent and his Shakespearean acting skills really come across.
If you want more than the plots this is an excellent listen. You get a real feel for all the plays.
The balance was great on how much time was spent on each play. Though the author could have talked longer and I could easily have listed much longer.
keep teaching :)
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2 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
- Pamela
- 02-02-21
Enjoyable and Engaging.
This was a tremendously enjoyable set of lectures. Peter Saccio is a wonderfully. entertaining and engaging speaker. I wish my lecturers had been so vibrant and interesting. A few of the texts I had studied and the delight is there is always something new to learn or a new way of seeing things. I am sure Saccio could have talked longer and I could definitely listened to him. For me it was a delight and I certainly recommend it.
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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
- Ishi100
- 21-03-21
Thoroughly enjoyed and will listen again
Enjoyed the discussion of the Shakespeare plays learnt a lot will listen again whilst studying the plays
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ross A Baglin
- 29-06-23
High quality teaching
Prof Saccio is a very learned man who has read Shakespeare and his context very closely. He brings genuinely illuminating insights and individuality to these wide-ranging and comprehensive lectures. I have read a great deal of Shakespeare, but my understanding was still enlarged by his interpretations.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Benjamin Wright
- 01-09-20
a very nice overview of Shakespeare.
Saccio clearly knows his Shakespeare. this is an entertaining and informative series. my one criticism is that the presentation of the plays means that they can often run together and as a Shakespeare novice it can be difficult to work out which work Saccio is talking about
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Buddy
- 28-06-23
If you listen at least 1 hour a day you will get through it
Great insight expect the lecturer kept on stumbling over his word and in one lecture while being recorded he said shut up to someone in the class
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Conrad
- 02-12-14
Good details.
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Not really sure. I think so, but the guy reading stutters and makes mistakes over and over again.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Not really suited to this book. Hamlet.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
He stuttered and stammered the whole time. It was quite distracting.
If this book were a film would you go see it?
No.
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4 people found this helpful