The Tempest

By: William Shakespeare

Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen, Emilia Fox, Scott Handy, Ben Owukwe

Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins

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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2004 Naxos AudioBooks

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.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

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)

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

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.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

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.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Shakespeare's Great Last Play

What did you love best about The Tempest?

The quality of the language and dialogue. I can listen to it over and over again and learn something new.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Caliban was my favorite. He represented peoples of color who lost their lands from colonization. As a character, he was ahead of his time.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Again Caliban. I can imagine myself as him. He is a lot smarter than he sounds and has a wicked sense of humor as well as a keen sense of anger, that he was dispossessed of his heritage and land.

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

Yes, I wanted to listen to it all in one sitting. I opted to listen to it a second time.

Any additional comments?

i highly recommend this fine play.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

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".

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great performance; a little too quiet at times

This was a great production. Sir Ian McKellen presented a powerful and engaging Prospero. My only complaint was that the dialogue got a bit too quiet at times, making it difficult to hear even with the sound cranked way up. Overall, very well done, though.

Beautifully performed

Among Shakespeare’s best plays, at least top 5 in my view, and here with a masterful performance by McKellen as Prospero. An excellent selection.

A Feel-good Drama

I wouldn't classify The Tempest as either a tragedy or comedy, but rather as a straightforward drama about forgiveness, which you don't see too much in Shakespeare's plays.

Tempestuous Performance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Ian McKellen gives an excellent performance as Prospero and the recording really brings the play to life.

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

Ariel's music and also the way in which characters were brought to life through their own mannerisms and personalities.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Prospero is the central character and gives an unforgettable performance.

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

Yes - I easily could have.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Hard to listen to.

The Tempest is hard to follow at the best of times but there are a few things in this production that really don't help. The first is Ian McKellen. Much of this performance of Prospero is practically whispered by the great actor. It is simply hard to hear his lines a lot of the time, unless you are listening to this in headphones - I was listening in the car and even with the volume right up he was incomprehensible at times. The second problem is the music; the musical settings of the songs are awful and obfuscate the text; they are like a lead weight around the ankles of these lyrics and utterly, utterly tuneless. It is hard to believe they were deemed acceptable.

A beautiful performance of masterpiece

This is a lovely performance of Shakespeare's late masterpiece with outstanding actors. The music can be a little irritating but that's a minor complaint.

Wonderful

It was as if I was watching the performance.
All voices prefecture matched the character.
A wonderful audio that Shakespeare himself would be proud of.

Loved it!!!

Any additional comments?

The Tempest was an assigned reading for my studies. I was kind of forced to read it but I ended up falling in love with the book. Performances are obviously superb but the story itself has so much meaning, so many interpretations; it is a gold mine. Plus I would recommend watching a film with Helen Mirren as Prospero/Prospera - mind blowing.