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William Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies
- Narrated by: Peter Saccio
- Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins
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Publisher's summary
Shakespeare's plays - whether a comedy like A Midsummer Night's Dream, a history like Henry IV, or a tragedy like Hamlet - are treasure troves of insight into our very humanity. These 36 lectures introduce you to Shakespeare's major plays from each of these three genres and explain the achievement that makes him the leading playwright in Western civilization.
As you'll see, the key to Shakespeare's massive achievement is his "abundance," according to Professor Saccio; not only in the number and length of his plays but in the variety of experiences they depict, the multitude of actions and characters they contain, the combination of public and private life they deal with, and the richness of feelings they express.
All the major plays are here for you to dive into, explore, and enjoy: The Taming of the Shrew (with its realistic look at bourgeois marriage customs), Measure for Measure (which shows Shakespeare breaking out of comic conventions), Richard III (the source of one of the Bard's most entertaining and frightening historical villains), Henry V (which raises questions about the morality of warfare), Macbeth (with its piercing look into the consciousness of a man hungry for power), and more. As the richness of each of these and other plays is revealed, you'll also touch upon the far-ranging philosophical and theological implications behind them. By the last lecture, you'll have a true understanding of why these comedies, histories, and tragedies endure even to this very day.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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Politics, power and the tragedy of war are played out in these sweeping histories that continue to surprise and entertain. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, Prunella Scales, William Squire and Timothy West can be heard in these recordings.
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Lively and distinct
- By Mary Proffit on 04-26-24
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A Day's Read
- By: The Great Courses, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth, and others
- Narrated by: Arnold Weinstein, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
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Join three literary scholars and award-winning professors as they introduce you to dozens of short masterpieces that you can finish - and engage with - in a day or less. Perfect for people with busy lives who still want to discover-or rediscover-just how transformative an act of reading can be, these 36 lectures range from short stories of fewer than 10 pages to novellas and novels of around 200 pages. Despite their short length, these works are powerful examinations of the same subjects and themes that longer "great books" discuss.
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Stories not included, only discussed
- By Julie Jester on 01-15-16
By: The Great Courses, and others
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Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion
- By: Bill Messenger, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bill Messenger
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
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Jazz is a uniquely American art form, one of America's great contributions to not only musical culture, but world culture, with each generation of musicians applying new levels of creativity that take the music in unexpected directions that defy definition, category, and stagnation. Now you can learn the basics and history of this intoxicating genre in an eight-lecture series that is as free-flowing and original as the art form itself.
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A Disappointingly Distorted, Myopic View Of Jazz
- By Parallax View on 08-18-13
By: Bill Messenger, and others
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The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean
- By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kenneth R. Bartlett
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
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Take a riveting tour of the Italian peninsula, from the glittering canals of Venice to the lavish papal apartments and ancient ruins of Rome. In these 24 lectures, Professor Bartlett traces the development of the Italian city-states of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, showing how the modern nation of Italy was forged out of the rivalries, allegiances, and traditions of a vibrant and diverse people.
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A useful survey, just what I wanted
- By Adeliese Baumann on 11-07-16
By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, and others
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The American Civil War
- By: Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gary W. Gallagher
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
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Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.
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Excellent Series
- By Rodney on 07-09-13
By: Gary W. Gallagher, and others
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Norse Mythology
- By: Jackson Crawford, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Crawford
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
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Thor, Odin, Loki, Freyja, the Valkyries, Valhalla, Ragnarok — many of the places we encounter these and other names, places, and events from Norse mythology in daily life and pop culture are connected to the medieval sources in name only.
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Brilliant Course
- By Frederik on 12-05-21
By: Jackson Crawford, and others
What listeners say about William Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-09-22
Exquisite
This was profoundly brilliant. He coursed over the highlighting articles of several of the mainline plays of William Shakespeare brilliantly. This is like art.
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- Jim Davis
- 07-28-21
Introduction to Everything Shakespeare.
This course requires additional work, reading and also the need to listen to it more than once.I got the professors book Shakespeare's English Kings and also 3 volumes of cliff notes along with a corpus of all of Shakespeare's work. In addition, I bought Saccio's 2nd course Words and Action to work into my rotation over the next year...and there's a particular reason I got these courses. It's not my love of Shakespeare. I have a practical reason to be taking this course
Even after this course, I still don't like Shakespeare, however, I am studying script writing and professional writers reverse engineer Shakespeare into their scripts all the time. Even in my step outline for my novel and screenplays, I do have conflicts reminiscent of the English playwright's work. Whatever it is that attracts people to his work, I will never know but as far as history and the evolution of the written word, I do see the historical significance in the development of the English Language...so I forced myself to listen to this course and absorb what I could the first time around before going back to study more closely.
This professor really knows what he's doing. He reminds me of my HS English teacher my senior year. Saccio introduced me to a Shakespeare play I never heard of and is not in the three major volumes of cliffnotes or in the book I bought that was supposed to contain ALL of Shakespeare's work...Troilus & Cressida...and it gave me an idea to put one of the scenes of that play into an episode/chapter in my 2 novels I'm writing while I write two season of scripts that go with the books. I got my work cut out for me but luckily I found this professor and his courses, putting me on the right track.
If you are going to college for English, I would suggest listening to this course to have a leg up on everyone else in class and that way your professor will know you did extra work and your grades will reflect it. This is your best opportunity to work on your own and the courses are on sale right now. Definitely worth ten bucks.
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- Tracy Novembre
- 08-15-15
Bravo!
This lecture provides insightful information and analysis about Shakespeare's many brilliant works. I have thoroughly enjoyed this program and would recommend it to others!
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- R. MCRACKAN
- 08-28-20
Surprisingly accessible
This lecturer makes the subject matter surprisingly accessible. This is still Shakespeare though and you can't learn it passively, you must put in some work on your own. My advice:
First and foremost, don't rush it. Listen to 1 lecture or at most 1 play (2-3 lectures) then take a break
#2: don't go in blind. Before you start the section for a play, get familiar with it first. The more the better but the summary on wikipedia is a good-enough minimum
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- Jules
- 05-21-22
Captivating & Enlightening
I learned so much and enjoyed every minute. Peter Saccio is a masterful teacher and made learning about Shakespeare’s plays fascinating. 10/10!
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- JP
- 04-01-16
Pretty Good
I enjoyed the subject matter even though I went in looking to hear a synopsis of the plays. The reader is very passionate about the subject which helps but he kind of sounds like a gayer and more enthusiastic version of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory.
My biggest hangup was that when listening in my headphones, I could very clearly hear the reader swallow loudly which was off putting and gross.
Good course overall.
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- Alejandro M. Jimenez
- 05-24-19
Insightful and Enthusiastic
This lecture is perfect for those who have read multiple Shakespearean plays and who want a deeper insight into their symbols and themes. The lecturer is obviously passionate about the subject and delivers the information with enthusiasm.
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- Rose Antrim
- 01-13-24
Wonderful
Wonderful insights on THE beloved Bard. I listen to The Great Courses regularly and this one is the best.
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- jack lichtenstein
- 07-16-16
learned Shakespeare analysis
The Prof knows his stuff.
A complete analysis of the comedies, histories and Tragedies. If you like Shakespeare you will love this book.
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- Leo
- 06-13-17
Bravo
Peter is magnificent. His passion for Shakespeare permeates the entire lecture series. Very well done!
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1 person found this helpful