Seven Ages

An Anthology of Poetry with Music

By: William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes

Narrated by: Ralph Fiennes, Dame Judi Dench

Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

This highly entertaining anthology of verse is the comic, tragic, tender, and telling story of life's seven ages, from childhood to old age. Within the framework of Shakespeare's speech, "The Seven Ages of Man," performed by Sir Ian McKellen, are 150 great poems from all ages, from Chaucer to Emily Dickinson to Walt Whitman and many others. The poem are presented by the finest cast ever assembled on one recording and includes Ralph Fiennes, Dame Judi Dench, John Cleese, Michael Caine, and more.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1998 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. (P)1998 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Wonderful Readings

I really loved this disc, which was originally recorded as a tribute to the life of Princess Di. The readings are incredible, and my favorite was John Cleese's reading of Owl & The Pussycat. The poetry selections are perfect to follow the line of Shakespeare's ages of man and the readers were wonderfully chosen. High recommend.

Nice but hard to handle

It is really hard to go back to a specific poem with no index. It lessens the enjoyability since you have to guess if you want to go back to the beginning of a poem.

One of my favorite audio poetry collections

Excellent narrations of many famous poems and many which aren’t typically anthologized. Highly recommend!!! No matter your level of poetic prowess.

I'd never understood poetry's appeal...until now!

I bought this primarily for my Mom, who is great poetry lover, so she could listen to it in my car during long trips. I thought it would be short enough that I wouldn't be bored...I have never cared for poetry, or so I thought.

What a complete surprise....this is an absolutely outstanding piece of work!

I listened to it all in one sitting...I couldn't turn it off. I laughed, and I wept....and all of it made me think. This is a wonderful collection. I was so stunned at the depth of emotion I experienced listening it that I had to write this review immediately to inform other like-minded individuals of what they've been missing.

I was vaguely familiar with some of the poems, but I never quite understood them when reading them in print. What a difference HEARING them has made to my perspective! Listening to Michael Caine, and Judi Dench, and Ralph Fiennes and all of the others was a real pleasure. The emotions conjured up by these virtuoso readers has really opened my eyes to how powerful poetry can be. The order that they were presented was very appealing as well, starting with poems about birth and childhood, through those about romantic love and war and middle age, to those about old age and death. And managing to end such a collection on a hopeful note was truly inspiring. I just loved it!

I may never attempt to READ poetry again, but I fully expect that I will LISTEN to this collection many times in the future.

I'd like to express my thanks to another reviewer, ESK from Russia, for taking the time to list all of the poems, their authors and the name of the readers. Very helpful.

This is a treat to the soul....HIGHLY recommended.

Inspiring

It reminds me of the poems I have learnt in university and the classes I have had with my British professor. Very inspiring.

Performance vary; Organization could be better

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Performance vary by narrator. Some are good (e.g. Ian Mckellen) while some are unexpectedly disappointing.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, this is a book that you want to absorb in stages.

Any additional comments?

I wish there's an option to replay a specific section over and over again or to skip to a specific poem. What I ended up doing was making separate notes at the beginning of each poem so that I could skip to that part.

Pleased!

All readers are expressive. They seem to understand the pieces with sensitivity.
This is rare and I value it.

Definitely worth a listening!! Honestly worth many!!!

It is a wonderful book! I never write reviews but I felt I must express how wonderful it is. Me and my two children (7yr old & a 17 month old), and they both had their favorite ones. My daughter lived Macaverity the Car & The End. My son loved the Prologue from Macbeth and the way the person preformed in did it in a way that really highlighted, by beginning whispering it all and it made my Sons ears and eyes pop up land pay complete attention to the whole thing! I loved so many myself that I most likely listened to each poem between 3-10 times. There are many great ones by Shakespeare, of course, but there was also many amazing ones by Christina Rossetti, who I had never heard from but was very IMPRESSED by her work.
Honesty I would say that they are all great and enjoyable in one way or another. By being beautiful and with perfect cadences, or being heartfelt, or humorous, etc. All enjoy in one way or another. Definitely worth the Listen!

Surprising

I was really not expecting so many favouites so well read.

Some not read or heard in many years.

Even if you are not so interested in the Seven Ages aspect, this is a very good selection.

Thanks reviewer 'ESK' , for the list.

Life is poetry and poetry gives life

Would you consider the audio edition of Seven Ages to be better than the print version?

I consider this a compliment to the print version and to be enjoyed with the written work.

Any additional comments?

I listened to the poems as a warm up for my own writing. I also listened to the poems while studying for a comprehensive literature exam. These works were helpful in successfully completing the test.