• The Head That Wears a Crown

  • Speeches For Royal Men by William Shakespeare
  • By: William Shakespeare
  • Narrated by: Alan Cumming
  • Length: 45 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (23 ratings)

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 Head That Wears a Crown  By  cover art

The Head That Wears a Crown

By: William Shakespeare
Narrated by: Alan Cumming
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.99

Buy for $13.99

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

Internationally acclaimed actor and Tony Award winner, Alan Cumming performs Shakespeare’s most important and beloved royal speeches, including "To be or not to be", "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow", "Now is the winter of our discontent", "O that this too sullied flesh would melt" and more. All the speeches were personally chosen by Cumming. Michael Boyd adds, "Cumming brings to Shakespeare the lyricism of a genuine singer, the sharp edge of a wicked comic, and the embodied intelligence of a major actor."

Public Domain (P)2013 GPR Records

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen everywhere

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Reach your reading goals

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for $0.00 $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What listeners say about The Head That Wears a Crown

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

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

out of context speeches

Really enjoyed Cumming's rendition of major Shakespeare speeches. That said, the speeches were presented entirely out of context, without even a title, let alone an explanation of the context. I have enough background that I could recognize most/all but wouldn't be at all helpful for someone just getting to know Shakespeare. This is unfortunate, since it would be much more inspiring in context.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Can't recommend this one

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The speeches need to have the name of the play and scene listed before each track. The listener isn't given any kind of information that would provide a context for what they are listening to.

Would you be willing to try another one of Alan Cumming’s performances?

Not likely. I thought he drifted into overacting on nearly every speech.

Could you see The Head That Wears a Crown being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No. It is a collection of speeches.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend Shakespeare's Original Pronunciation instead.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful