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The voice of Shakespeare
Shakespeare. What does that single word bring up for you? Thoughts of sublime prose? Fierce discussions about whether he was one person, several, or if he existed at all? Or simple dread, born of hours/days/weeks of school tedium?
Whatever your reaction, William Shakespeare is indisputably the best-known writer in the Western European tradition. He was a playwright and poet rather than an author of books because, in his day, most people couldn’t read. Dramatic performance and spoken poetry were the ways by which literature was enjoyed, and this is why he is known as “the Bard.”
If you are a Shakespeare fan, I have a treat for you: Whistler Public Library has just acquired the Arkangel Shakespeare. This fantastic set includes all 38 plays, with text taken from the authoritative Complete Pelican Shakespeare. Completely unabridged on audio CDs, the plays feature “an extraordinary cast of nearly 400 brilliant actors, who make it easy to understand the poetry inherent in the plays. Casts include Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Sophie Thompson, and Jane Lapotaire.”
Take it from me – I would normally prefer to watch West Side Story over deciphering the Elizabethan English of Romeo and Juliet, but I am listening to King Lear in my car right now. The voices are clear and I can understand most of it, and what I don’t get I can rewind!
References to Shakespeare’s works abound throughout western culture, including familiar quotations as well as adaptations or allusions in other books, plays, and films. As I see or listen to a new play, I recognize these as old friends when they go by. For example, through no fault of my own, I saw Othello at Bard on the Beach this year, and I discovered that jealousy was first called the “green-ey'd monster” in that play. I’ve learned that if a quote is common and universal enough, it is usually from Shakespeare or the Bible. The stories in these plays are timeless; we just have to get past the words.
These CDs can be used by people doing schoolwork or projects; and they are great for people like me, who want to fill in the gaps in their literary education. We are all about lifelong learning here at WPL; after all, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” and a lot of them are in Shakespeare.
Lauren Stara, Library Director