Customer Reviews

The Complete Shakespeare Sonnets (Audio CD)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The sonnet is one among the many forms of poetry. It is a difficult form of verse with a FIXED rhyme scheme. The other trivia about writing it is that the verse should be 14 lines long. 154 sonnets written by Shakespeare have been read/recorded in this collection. There are actually two cd's in the box - the first cd contains sonnets 1 through 75 and the second, sonnets 76 through 154. The accompanying book of sonnets is a plus - it saves our time spent in scurrying to locate the sonnet being read next, since all the sonnets are in one place, in the order that they are being read. The book also has two indexes of the sonnets: 1. Track number / First line of sonnet/ Artist and 2. First line of sonnet / Track number / Artist

Since the rhyming scheme is fixed (abab bcbd cdcd ee), listening to them all at a time can sometimes make it sound monotonous, but that issue has been fixed in this audio book, by varying the tone, voice, and reader. When it comes to reading The Bard's works on an audio CD, who can do it better than experienced and well known thespians and theatre personalities who have made a mark in their own style? Here is the list of personalities who have read the sonnets for us:
1. Gerry Bammon
2. Roberta Bella
3. Claire Bloom
4. Lindsay Crouse
5. Ossie Davis
6. Ruby Dee
7. Brian Dennehy
8. Denise Dumont
9. Jill Gascoin
10. Amy Irving
11. Anne Jackson
12. Jordan Lage
13. Brian Stokes Mitchell
14. Alfred Molina
15. Al Pacino
16. Natasha Richardson
17. Patric Stewart
18. Allyson Tucker
19. Kathleen Turner (who, along with Charline Spektor, is also the producer for this audio-collection)
20. Eli Wallach
21. Fritz Weaver

Some of the sonnets have been rendered by more than one person, and both of them have been published in this cd, since both of them are good to listen. There was no point in time while I listened to the CD that I felt bored. In fact, some of them have been rendered so well that I wanted to listen to them again, just for the rendition.

For those who are interested in Shakespeare, this is an important addition to their collection. Some of the sonnets therein are well known ("Let me not to the marriage of true minds/Admit impediments.../If this be error and upon me proved/I never writ, nor no man ever loved"), and there are so many others to be read for the first time. Some of them bring vivid imagery, even if they are unknown ("Thus in his cheek the map of days outworn"), whereas others have wonderful metaphors ("So are you to my thoughts as food to life,/or as sweet-season'd showers are to the ground;"). Almost all of them are treasure houses of wisdom (remember, Shakespeare was 45 when they were published, and he had lived life then).

Now, coming to majors who have to read the sonnets for their academic purposes - it is well known that it helps if we can quote lines from the sonnets amidst our theory answers; to that end, listening to the cd before, after or while reading the sonnet in print helps memorizing the lesson easier - this is my experience.

Here is a fantastic audio-book that reminds me why I was so entranced by literature while I was studying. A good gift for literature oriented people to add to their collection.