Classic Plays

Cymbeline ist König von England. Seine Tochter Imogen soll Cloten heiraten - doch sie ist schon vermählt, mit Posthumus, dem gebildetsten Manne Englands. Dieser wird verbannt und schon droht Gefahr in Person von Iachimo, einem italienischen Kavalier.

Many masters employed the form of the sonnet, including Petrarch, Spenser, Shakespeare, Keats, and Robert Bridges. However, the most celebrated, and oft quoted, examples are to be found in the collection by Shakespeare, first published in 1609. In the 154 poems, Shakespeare surveys and dissects the subject of love in all its guises, and its relationship with youth, age, illness, death, and memory.

A solo recording of Twelfth Night in an American dialect.

A solo recording of Julius Caesar in an American dialect.

William Shakespeare had nothing to do with the actor and moneylender William Shaksper from Stratford-upon-Avon. The man behind the nom de plume "William Shakespeare" was, in fact, a very well-educated aristocrat who often frequented the court of Elizabeth and whose real name was Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford. The dramas of Shakespeare were not written for the Globe Theatre but for the Queen's court.

King Lear divides his kingdom between his two duplicitous daughters, banishing the loving Cordelia and the steadfast Kent. These and other acts of folly launch a hugely moving search for dignity, self-knowledge and wisdom on the grandest of scales.

The new Jim Carrey movie, Me, Myself, and Irene, hits theaters this weekend! We recommend listening to the original tale of a man with an evil twin, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as a warm-up for this summer blockbuster.

Petruchio arrives in Padua determined to gain his fortune by marrying the volatile Katherina. Their tempestuous meeting and marriage leads to a great love affair. This is perhaps the most famous play ever written about the battle of the sexes. (A full-cast production.)

From the Lady Macbeth to the Three Witches, AudioLearn is your complete study guide to Shakespeare's Macbeth. Download AudioLearn to your MP3 player and study at the gym. Pop in an AudioLearn CD and review key terms in the car. With its convenient format, AudioLearn fits your busy lifestyle, enabling you to study anywhere, anytime.

An award winning Drama from SmartPass. Unabridged with guided description to set the scene and fill in visual moments.

The Marlowe Society performs an unabridged version of Shakespeare's tragedy featuring Romeo and Juliet, whose untimely deaths unite their feuding families.

Award-winning drama from SmartPass. The play is unabridged, with guided description to set the scene and fill in visual moments.

With more than 80 of the most popular and loved poems in the English language, this collection is one of the most comprehensive anthologies of its kind. It covers a remarkable range, from the striking visions of Blake and Shelley and the insights of Keats to lighter but equally memorable verse by Tennyson.

Pride, justice, and vengeance. Aristocracy and democracy vie for ultimate power over Rome, and each faction violently erupts when Coriolanus takes the political stage. After receiving glorious accolades for taking an enemy city when the plebian soldiers cowered without the gates, the common people find his arrogance and pride offensive. Now, banished from the very city for which he was prepared to lay down his life, he strikes up an unholy alliance with his country's enemies.

King Lear is one of Shakespeare's greatest and darkest works. Lear banishes his favorite daughter when she seemingly speaks out against him. However, he does not know that his two other daughters, who pay tribute to him, are in fact plotting against him. Shakespeare's observations on the nature of human suffering and kinship are never better defined than in this play.

The re-written Shakespeare tale of Twelfth Night by Charles and Mary Lamb.

Here is Shakespeare's 1599 tragedy, performed by The Marlowe Society. Julius Caesar portrays the conspiracy against the Roman dictator, his assassination, and its aftermath.

Perikles ist bei Kaiser Antiochus in Ungnade gefallen, weil er dessen Schandtat erkannt hat, und so flieht er nach Tyrus. Dort heiratet er Thaisa. Auf See bringt sie eine Tochter zur Welt - und stirbt vermeintlich bei der Geburt. Doch auch Marina, die Tochter, bleibt vom Schicksal nicht verschont.

A solo recording of A Midsummer Night's Dream in an American dialect.

The Tempest has the ingredients of a cracking good story - magic, power, and love - and they kick up a storm. The magician Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, are banished by his jealous brother, Antonio, with the help of Alonso, the king of Naples. Prospero conjures up a tempest than ensures justice is done.