All's Well That Ends Well (Arkangel Complete Shakespeare) [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio Cassette)

by Arkangel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This dark comedy, written in the very early 1600s, is the latest title in the revamped "Pelican Shakespeare" series, which offers definitive texts of the plays with scholarly introductions, essays, and notes. You can't go wrong with this wonderful series. FICTION
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review
"A quite wonderful idea... So blindingly obvious, I can't understand why nobody had thought of it before. I will certainly use the texts myself" Peter Hall" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Penguin Group(CA); Unabridged edition (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140867740
• ISBN-13: 978-0140867749
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,512,561 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine edition of a play that is unjustly unloved, January 17, 2005

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: All's Well That Ends Well: Second Series (Arden Shakespeare) (Paperback)

There are artists whose work is so fundamental that they are beyond questioning. It is not that all their work is supreme, but rather that the body of their work is so transcendent and so core to our culture that one must come to grips with it if one wishes to understand what makes us who we are. There is no writer more central to the English language than Shakespeare. So, by definition everything he wrote is worth reading and deserves five stars by my ranking system.

That is not to say that every play has in it what we value most in his greatest works. Certainly, "All's Well That Ends Well" is not one of his greatest works. However, that is like noting that 2004 was not a good year for Tiger Woods and he still placed fourth on the money list and is still ranked number two in the world. Even lesser Shakespeare is ahead of nearly everyone else, especially when one factors in the insight gained by experiencing his entire body of work.

What we are after in reviews like this is less about the play than the edition itself. I am a huge fan of the Arden editions because of the helpful insights their scholarship provides into the plays. We do not have to wade through unnecessary essays on politically correct interpretations of the plays. In this edition, we get an introductory essay that deals with issues of text, date, interpretation, and performance. Since this is one of the least performed of Shakespeare's plays, this is necessarily brief.

What is this play about? The title is a motto of young commoner named Helena. She is the orphan of a doctor and taken in by the Countess of Rossillion. Helena is captivated by the Countess's son, Bertram who has no interest in her. The play is about her unrelenting path to have him as her husband. It is an interesting play with some glorious lines. But if you are only going to read a half dozen of Shakespeare's plays, you need not bother with this one. However, I think you should take time to read all of them.

So, this is a fine and recommended edition of one of Shakespeare's lesser plays, but that is still greater than nearly everything else and so should be read by all.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and rich, January 12, 2008

By	Tracy Cummings (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All's Well That Ends Well (Signet Classic Shakespeare) (Paperback)

All's Well has been unfairly treated. It's supposed to be one of Shakespeare's worst plays, but it is truly fascinating. It is subtle, and the conflicts are rich. Here, no one is purely good or bad, and perhaps it's the difficulty of feeling drawn to a variety of characters who are in conflict that makes people dislike this play. The female lead is bravely determined. The male lead is completely controlled by the political situation. Of course he wants his freedom! The adoration that the female lead feels for him must seem like a trap. . . And yet she does feel it, and she's willing to do everything to realize her dream. I love the reality of this play. It isn't glorious like Hamlet, it isn't abject like Lear. Instead, it's a picture of a middle class reality that gives us insight into sex, liberty, love, and authority.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hunter fails again, January 6, 2009

By	Holofernes "mmkcm4" (Brookline, MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All's Well That Ends Well: Second Series (Arden Shakespeare) (Paperback)

There are many finer editions than this. G. K. Hunter is one of the least penetrating and dullest commentators around. The older critics, from the nineteenth century, are superior. The moderns' erudition is artificial; they don't live religion or classical culture. Hunter is one of the worst. Avoid.