The Tempest

By: William Shakespeare

Narrated by: Barry Morse, Sonja Lanzener, Paul Sparer, Ira Burton, John Glover, Brian Murray, Nicholas Kepros, Susan Osborn Mott, Pat Terry

Length: 1 hr and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

In The Tempest, long considered one of Shakespeare’s most lyrical plays, Prospero, a sorcerer, and his daughter, Miranda, have been stranded on an enchanted island for 12 years. When a shipwreck—caused by the eponymous tempest—brings enemies to the island, the stage is set for comedy, romance, and reconciliation.

The Tempest embodies both seemingly timeless romance and the historically specific moment in which Europe began to explore and conquer the New World. Its poetic beauty, complexity of thought, range of characters—from the spirit Ariel and the monster Caliban to the beautiful Miranda and her prince Ferdinand—and exploration of difficult questions that still haunt us today make this play wonderfully compelling.

Public Domain (P)2002 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Not for me.

I found certain voice actors nearly impossible to understand having not read The Tempest before. To each their own.

Enjoyable listen

This was a fun one and makes you feel like you are there if you have imagination.

A Wonderful Play

Short sweet, one of Shakespeare's straight forward plays. A wizard creates a tempest, trapping Italy royals that did him wrong prior. The story unfolds where instead of vengeance the wizards finds a new life with the audience left to applaud and decide his last fate. If this interests you or you are new to Shakespeare's give this a try as it is short and sweet.

Good performance but...it's Shakespeare

Ok. this is only my second contact with Shakespeare - apart from Romeo & Juliet that is - and it sounds a fairly lot like nonsense, probably mostly because of the old Englush, most plays have that characteristic when they are classics. I was curious because it was mentioned in Ready Player One.

The recording and narration is very good, though it is also not new, very well acted, that I cannot fault.

As for the plot....it is quite confusing, but I got the gist, and it was fun to listen to. The conclusion sort of reveals what happens, that was the easiest to get.

The monologues and songs can be quite beautiful. And I guess there is a lesson here somewhere but I'd have to listen to this a few times and even then who knows if I could fully grasp it.

Human weakness is overcome with forgiveness.

Trying to recall the character Ariel made me listen and read this play again.
This time, the story is much differently perceived. Prospero, a multi-faceted character, sets the stage for revenge but then softens - at the suggestion of a magical, invisible being.
Overall, pleasurable and got the job done. Recommended.

Great performance

Great performance of a classic play. Good for those who are new to Shakespeare and interested in learning more.

My Love Of Shakespeare!

Incredible Performance!!!!!! Astonishing!!! Soooo
Amazingly Spoken! A Total Musical Wonderment!
Loved it!!!!! All of it!

PARTS

parts were missing. but otherwise it's a good recording. . . . . . .

Shakespeare...Wait a minute. Did that say Sonya??

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

All Shakespeare should be read aloud. There is a rhythm to Shakespeare that you just don't get when you read it silently. (Hence, at least part of the problem with High School English classes,) But, when you have the chance to listen to some really fine actors playing the parts, you have the ability to watch the story unfold before you
Tempest was the first professional theatrical production I ever saw and this audiobook brings back all the magic of that experience.
Besides which...I actually knew Sonya Lanzener.

short and very entertaining

The performance was top notch, the story is very entertaining. The actors did a very good job.