Twelfth Night [Kindle Edition]

William Shakespeare (Author)

Book Description

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-William Shakespeare's comedy of disguised and deceptive love is entertainingly brought to listeners on these high-quality audiocassettes. Using the complete text from the New Cambridge Shakespeare text, the production presents a full cast of accomplished Shakespearean actors and actresses who skillfully convey the emotion and meaning, confusion and humor of this popular play. When twins Sebastian and Viola are shipwrecked and separated off the coast of Illyria, each believes the other is dead. Viola disguises herself as a boy, becomes a page of Duke Orsinio, and falls in love with him. The Duke is hopelessly in love with Olivia, but she is in the process of mourning her brother's death and becomes infatuated with Viola as she/he delivers messages for the Duke. When Sebastian shows up, Olivia confuses him with the Duke's page (Olivia) and marries the astonished young man. All is cleared up eventually when Viola and Sebatian meet and recognize each other. In the midst of all of this romantic confusion, servants and family members provide comic relief with their pompous, pretentious, and sometimes inebriated behavior. Early English music and excellent sound effects are sparingly included, yet add greatly to this performance. Reading along with the text is optional as the production moves at an easy-to-follow pace, and characterizations are clear and captivating. A booklet with background and a synopsis of the play, photos and descriptions of each cast member, and starting points for each scene on the proper tape side is a useful addition. For its entertainment value or as a supplement to the curriculum, this excellent audioplay is highly recommended.
Marilyn Higgins, Metuchen High School, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'refreshing and of immense practical use ... Sources and provenances are fascinatingly discussed.' Christopher Morley, Birmingham Post Weekend

`The commentary on Twelfth Night is alive with the editors' feeling for the play in performance.' M.M. Mahoud, University of Kent, YES, 27, 1996

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 150 KB
• Print Length: 103 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1461030218
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004TPTLI4
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,819 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #86 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Words, Language & Grammar > Linguistics

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best Shakespeare play on audio ever June 8, 1998

By Molly the Cat

Format:Audio Cassette

Each of the Harper/Caedmon Audio series of Shakespeare's plays, originally recorded in the 60s by the Shakespeare Recording Society and now being reissued on cassette, lives up to a high standard of performance. But the "Twelfth Night" recording is, in my view, the best. The stellar cast includes a young Vanessa Redgrave as Olivia, and a hilarious Willoughby Goddard as Sir Toby. The scenes where Paul Scofield as Malvolio is deceived with a forged letter into thinking that Olivia loves him have a side-splitting humor that comes through even though the play is nearly 400 years old. The sound quality is excellent. I would have to say that this is the crown jewel of the whole Caedmon series.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Naxos complete recording the best so far November 4, 2000

By F. Behrens HALL OF FAME

Format:Audio CD

Please notice that G.H.'s in-house review above does not refer to the recording pictured above, nor do any of the reviews so far. What follows refers only to the Naxos set.

There are now three complete recordings of <Twelfth Night> available. We have the older and elegantly read version on Harper Audio with Dorothy Tutin as the best Viola of the lot. Acted with a bit more verve though with less poetry is the Arkangel Shakespeare recording with a Scottish Malvolio and a cast of younger sounding actors who are making names for themselves in Great Britain. However I am very impressed with the "Twelfth Night" that is one of the latest additions to the Naxos Classic Drama series.

By far, this is the best-produced "Twelfth Night." One actually feels he is hearing an actual stage performance with all of the action but with the loss of none of the poetry. Perhaps the Viola does sound a little maturer than imagination would have her and the Sir Toby Belch a little less belchy sounding than others. None of the Festes sing as marvelously as did Peter Pears on the long deleted Marlowe Society recording (also with Tutin); however, on this Naxos set David Timson stays nicely in tune--and directs the production to boot. And he keeps things moving neatly along, which is saying a lot for Shakespeare recordings.

The CD version has the advantage of excellent tracking cues for not only each scene but for key points within the scene. The Harper CDs give a new track only for each new scene and the tapes (of course) are quite useless in that regard. The Arkangel series at present exists only on tapes but they are planning to reissue the entire series on CDs. So this Naxos release is the one of choice so far.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I would give it five stars, but. . . June 5, 2000

By Candice Cullitan

Format:Mass Market Paperback

. . . to really achieve its full potential, this play needs to be acted out on stage. Still, highly excellent, involving twins, cross-dressing, love tangles, sword-fighting, secret marriages, music, disguises, mistaken identities, high speech, and lowbrow humour.

The entire play takes place in Illyria. In the main plot, Orsino is in love with Olivia, who unfortunately does not return his feelings. Viola is shipwrecked on the Illyrian coast, and dressed as a boy, comes to serve in Orsino's court, where she of course falls in love with Orsino. Meanwhile, in Olivia's court, some of her courtiers plan a cruel--but funny--practical joke against her pompous steward Malvolio. There is also a third plot later on involving Viola's twin brother Sebastian, who has been shipwrecked likewise. Naturally things get quite confusing, but, true to Shakespeare's comedic style, everything gets worked out in the end.

This is an enjoyable book to read, and the notes are very helpful. However, it is still better as a performance.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate description June 12, 2010

By Mariposa

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The information about the contents of this particular book is false. It promises summaries etc. none of which is included. All you get is the play.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Shakespearean Comedy January 12, 2002

By Ashley

Format:Mass Market Paperback

As a high school student reading Twelfth Night, I find it one of the finest Shakespearean comedies. It is the story of two twins, Viola and Sebastian, who become shipwrecked and land on the island of Illyria, both thinking that the other is dead. It includes a classic example of mistaken identities, in which Viola disguises herself as a man (in order to work for Orsino) and is confused with Sebastian. Sebastian is mistaken for Cesario (Viola's fake identity) by Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, and then by Olivia, resulting in their marriage. Sebastian's friend Antonio mistakes Viola for Sebastian and is thrown in jail when Viola claims she doesn't know him. These cases of mistaken identity create a comical mess that is only resolved when Viola and Sebastian appear together, and everyone understands what has happened. The mistaken identities in this plot also create a complex love triangle between Orsino, Olivia and Viola. Viola finds herself falling for Orsino, who she woks disguised as Cesario. Orsino sends her to tell Olivia that he is in love with her. Viola does as her employer wishes, and Olivia falls in love with Cesario. While all this is going on, the reader is entertained with Sir Andrew's hopeless attempts to woo Olivia, and with the trick played on Olivia's head servant Malvolio by Sir Toby and Maria, Olivia's uncle and servant woman. While it can be confusing to keep track of characters true identities, it is definitely a worthwhile play. Having seen the play before actually reading it, I felt this comedy was just as entertaining and enjoyable to read as to see acted on stage.