King Lear

King Lear (Dramatized)

By: William Shakespeare

Narrated by: Corin Redgrave, Geraldine James, Full Cast

In this BBC full-cast production, King Lear tests his three daughters' love, with disastrous consequences.

Some of the most stirring scenes Shakespeare ever wrote resonate powerfully in this dramatic radio production. Tortured madness, pure evil and the fatal struggle for power grip the listener until the final, shockingly tragic conclusion.

Starring Corin Redgrave as King Lear, with Justine Waddell as Cordelia, Robert Glenister as Edgar, Geraldine James as Goneril and Kika Markham as Regan

BBC radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly-formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard.

In this acclaimed BBC Radio Shakespeare series, each play is introduced by Richard Eyre, former Director of the Royal National Theatre. Revitalised, original and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the modern day.

©2001 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2001 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

great play, cast

redgrave is phenomenal as Lear. Kent, Gloucester, the fool and Edgar are also wonderful. highly recommend

Good Way to Understand Shakespeare

This BBC series of dramatized Shakespeare's plays is very good. It's so much easier to understand when there are multiple voices, almost as good as a play.

Lear

excellent rendition of King Lear. The BBC performance of this helped me get through King Lear, as opposed to various movies or written text. they made it come alive and very interesting.

A Double Tragedy

Like the other BBC Radio Shakespeare plays I've purchased (7 or so), the sound quality, production, acting and music are brilliant. In particular, William Houston's performance of Edmund is fantastic. However, as always, BBC omits very large portions of the dialog - some of the best lines - and this is so unacceptable and maddening. Let's consider what kind of person listens to audio dramatizations of Shakespeare: would any of us accept anything less than a strict adherence to Shakespeare's script?

great performances, volume not great

beautiful performances! and if you're listening with speakers or good headphones, it will all be clear, but if you're listening, like me, on an older model cell phone, some of the softer voices used for dramatic effect may be hard to make out. You've got to be attentive to catch every word