Pericles

Arkangel Shakespeare

By: William Shakespeare

Narrated by: Sir John Gielgud, Nigel Terry, Stella Gonet, Julie Cox

Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Pericles, Prince of Tyre, undergoes a tyrant's fury, storm, and shipwreck. He wins love and suffers loss, but what is lost may also be found.

With the ancient poet Gower acting as narrator, we follow the adventures of Pericles from young manhood to maturity. This strange and powerful tale of loss and recovery is the first in the group of romance comedies created by Shakespeare at the end of his dramatic career.

Sir John Gielgud plays Gower, and Nigel Terry is Pericles. Thaisa is played by Stella Gonet and Marina by Julie Cox.

Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

Scan the outward habit by the inward man

“Opinion's but a fool, that makes us scan the outward habit by the inward man.”
― William Shakespeare, Pericles

Pericles, Prince of Tyre has a foot in the cannon and a foot outside it. It wasn't part of the First Folio, but I decided to still read it this year so I could basically still say I read everything. The play threw me a bit off my 3 x 12 schedule, but meh. Sometimes, you gotta do what ye gotta do. Fair warning GR friends, most likely, the first two acts are NOT composed by the Bard, but the last three make up a lot of the ground. Also, I'm pretty sure Shakespeare spiced a few of George Wilkins' lines in the first two.

No doubt some mouldy tale,
Like Pericles; and stale
As the Shrieve's crusts, and nasty as his fish—
Scraps out of every dish
Throwne forth, and rak't into the common tub
- Ben Jonson, Ode (to Himself)

Anyway, it begins with an incest riddle and ends with the unwinding and winding back of Pericles' family. There is, packed into this play, a few moments of brilliance AND the story is interesting (just not brilliant). Some of the characters were boring, undercooked, and flat, but I tend to agree with T.S. Eliot about how amazing the reunion (recognition) scene is between Pericles and his daughter.

Favorite quotes:

― “Few love to hear the sins they love to act.” Act 1, Scene 1

― “Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.” - Act 1, Scene 2

― “Who makes the fairest show means the most deceit.” - Act 1, Scene 4

Fantastic way to enjoy Shakespeare

I listened to the Arkangel full cast recording of the play while reading the text from the Delphi Complete Works of Shakespeare E book and was delighted with the experience. The recording was performed by professional Shakespearean actors complete with musical instruments and sound effects. It brought that added dimension to the play and spirit of the work. Pericles tells the story of a Prince who leads anything but a normal life and definitely should avoid the open seas at all costs. I don't want to give more of the story away, but it is a good one and considered a comedy for all the bad luck that befalls the protagonist-he lives so it's not a tragedy. I was entertained and enjoyed the play immensely. This is an excellent way to enjoy Shakespeare.

Excellent production of a lesser-known play

I am part of a book group that is reading the entire works of Shakespeare, and this was the latest assignment. Listening to this production while following the written play, gave me such delight! Well done.