Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Tempest  By  cover art

The Tempest

By: William Shakespeare
Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen,Emilia Fox,Scott Handy,Ben Owukwe
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $9.36

Buy for $9.36

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Sir Ian McKellen, fresh from his performance as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, is Prospero, and heads a strong cast in Shakespeare’s last great play. The wronged duke raises a tempest to shipwreck his old opponents on his island so that he can ensure justice is done. With Emilia Fox as Miranda, Scott Handy in the pivotal role of the sprite Ariel, and Ben Owukwe as Caliban, this new production, directed by John Tydeman, balances the magic and the earthiness, with music playing a key role.

Public Domain (P)2004 Naxos AudioBooks

Featured Article: 50+ Timeless Shakespeare Quotes


From knock-knock jokes to the wild goose chase, we owe many of our most-used and best-loved phrases to the talent of the Bard. His words are timeless in their direct wisdom, their witty humor, and their surprising applicability to modern life: its nature, its purpose, and its pitfalls. We’ve collected some of our favorite William Shakespeare quotes for when you want to think about life’s big questions, wax poetic on the nature of love, or just need a good laugh. Immerse yourself in these Shakespeare quotes to dive into the comedies and tragedies penned by the Bard of Avon.

What listeners say about The Tempest

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    500
  • 4 Stars
    147
  • 3 Stars
    55
  • 2 Stars
    16
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    491
  • 4 Stars
    92
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    428
  • 4 Stars
    119
  • 3 Stars
    56
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gandalf is great

I've always had trouble following Shakespeare plays in text. It's difficult for me to identify the tone of the scene, and the story becomes hard to follow.

Listening to these voice actors solves that problem. It's easy to follow the story when the lines are being delivered with the correct emotion.

That being said, The Tempest is a bit romantic for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Ian McKellen could literally read a dictionary to me and I would like it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A stellar performance by a stunning cast

If you enjoy Shakespeare's comedies you should not miss out on this edition of The Tempest. Sir Ian McKellen as Prospero is everything you might hope for and more, which is no surprise from an actor of his caliber. The remainder of the cast excels similarly and the recording is produced seamlessly. This audio performance is a real treat.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Last of the "top-shelf" Shakespeare

Me, poor man, my library
Was dukedom large enough.
- William Shakespeare, The Tempest

The last of the "top-shelf" Shakespeare plays. Those written after are either only partially written by Shakespeare or phoned-in. This one is just a trip and is a director's dream. There is so much room for interpretation and ability to get funky. This year, as I started reading Shakespeare, I saw a high school perform the Tempest and loved it. It was a HS performance for sure, but it translates well to a whole variety of people and ages. For me, the Tempest is next to A Midsummer Night's Dream in tone and style. While I'm usually not a fan of music and Shakespeare, this is one of those plays with its supernatural qualities, where music seems not only appropriate, but essential.

Favorite Lines:

- Hell is empty and all the devils are here. (Act 1, Scene 2)

- Good wombs have borne bad sons. (Act 1, Scene 2)

- You taught me language, and my profit on't
Is, I know how to curse (Act 1, Scene 2)

- So. Lie there, my art. (Act 1, Scene 2)

- Watch out he's winding the watch of his wit, by and by it will strike. (Act 2, Scene 1)

- Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. (Act 2, Scene 2)

- Let us not burthen our remembrance with
A heaviness that's gone. (Act 5, Scene 1)

- I'll break my staff, bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound, I'll drown my book! (Act 5, Scene 1).

- This thing of darkness I Acknowledge mine. (Act 5, Scene 1)

- O, brave new world
that has such people in't! (Act 5, Scene 1)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

not good quality

What disappointed you about The Tempest?

I love William Shakespeare, and obviously The Tempest is one of his greatest plays, so I didn't have a problem with that. The reason for such a low rating is purely how book was presented. The background noises was very loud, distracting, and annoying. Then when it came to the speakers I could hardly hear what they were saying! I had bought this book on audible because I thought hearing Shakespeare read out loud would be enjoyable, but instead I found myself cringing every time I turned it on because I was wondering if there was going to be anther part were tons of people were loudly screaming franticly in the background. And usually there was. I have absolutely no idea what was being said in the book. I got the general idea from the bits and pieces I heard, but I'm going to have to actually buy The Tempest in print to read to know what was going on.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story, audio needs a little tweaking

Would you listen to The Tempest again? Why?

Absolutely! It's a fairly entertaining story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Tempest?

"I did not give the lie!"

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

No narrator. This is recorded as a stage play. You get a different actor for every part.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction. Of course I was already familiar with the story.

Any additional comments?

Be prepared to rewind every now and then to catch what was said when the actors whisper. Having a hard copy of the play would probably help. Of course, then you could just read it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good, not perfect

This is a perfectly decent recording of The Tempest. Sir Ian is an excellent Prospero and the rest of the cast are competent, although the Caliban is a bit awkward, The sound quality is a little murky sometimes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

As if Shakespeare isn't hard enough,...

The actors and sound effects make it more difficult to understand what the f is going on!
Had to listen to it twice to make heads or tails out of it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Awesome Narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, because I don't enjoy Shakespeare. I had to read it for a literature course.

Would you ever listen to anything by William Shakespeare again?

If forced.

Any additional comments?

This narration saved my grade! I just can't get into Shakespeare. Somehow the actors made the story flow for me. Even though I didn't care for the story, I made it through with ease. I had excellent comprehension in just one listen. Normally it would have taken me several readings to translate the Shakespearian verse into something that makes sense to me. No need with this performance. Thank you for making this!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful Performance

A wonderful performance of "The Tempest". I particularly enjoyed Ian McKellen and Emilia Fox as Prospero and Miranda.

I believe this is a recording of an actual performance and that is the cause of my one complaint. There are very few or no clues to distinguish between Sebastian and Antonio. To my ear, their voices are close enough that it's a bit difficult sometimes to separate the two. (In the actual performance this wouldn't have been an issue.) Since I'm familiar with the play, it didn't bother me too much, but it did throw me a bit at first.

I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in "The Tempest".

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good performance, kind of boring story

I know it’s a classic but it was just kind of boring. Back to my nonfiction!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful