Patrick Stewart Performs the Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare: With Original Commentary by Patrick Stewart

by William Shakespeare, Patrick Stewart

An instant audio classic! Sir Patrick Stewart draws upon his decades on the Shakespearean stage to bring listeners an all-new, definitive recording of the complete Sonnets—an audio treasury of incandescent performances and insightful personal commentary.

Already beloved by audiobook listeners for the acclaimed recordings of his one-man stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol and his award–winning, bestselling memoir Making It So, the Grammy Award-winning, Tony- and Emmy-nominated star of stage and screen now gives listeners his most ambitious and rewarding audio project yet.

Sir Patrick Stewart brought Shakespeare into the lives of millions in the early days of the pandemic when he began posting daily online sonnet readings that exploded into a social media phenomenon. Now he returns to that timeless material to offer fresh new performances of all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets, along with personal thoughts and anecdotes that make for a uniquely powerful and intimate audio presentation.

Stewart spent over forty years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, developing an informed and empathetic approach to the material that brings these classic works of literature to life for today’s listening audiences. In addition to spirited, meticulously crafted performances of each poem, Stewart shares reflections on his creative process that can guide listeners’ deeper appreciation of the poetry—from curious explorations of a particular word or turn of phrase to candid insights about feeling energized and uplifted by the material, connecting with Shakespeare in a more personal and intimate way, and ultimately discovering the essential message of love at the heart of each sonnet.

In Stewart’s distinctively rich and resonant voice, those qualities of curiosity, uplift, connection, and love can be heard in every moment of this remarkable recording.

Genres: Poetry, Audiobook, Classics

Audible Audio

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Leo]

Been listening to a podcast episode where they discussed Shakespeare and very much enjoyed it. When I saw that not only does Patrick Stewart preform the sonnets to you but give some commentary too, I was very interested. I enjoyed the mix and it was great to have a little break from the sonnets from time to time.

[Barry Hammock]

I could listen to Patrick Stewart read the phone book.

[Jake]

A few years ago, realizing that I was already about halfway there, I completing readings and viewings of all 38 plays attributed to William Shakespeare. One of the lasting gifts of that experience is that, whenever I revisit any Shakespeare play, I find myself remembering parts and characters and getting more quickly into the business of enjoying the material. Now I hope to enjoy the same practiced relationship with the sonnets.

Patrick Stewart's age has greatly softened his voice. He leans into this reality, and in the process shows us what a master he has become of timing and inflection. These are conversational, often tender, incredibly thoughtful readings of the poetry. The treasure of this audiobook is the scattering of asides where Stewart interjects tidbits of reflection. The result is feeling like you are sitting in Stewart's living room, watching him read to you in that intimate setting.

I recommend doing what Patrick Stewart suggests, reading along with the free Folger Shakespeare Library online edition of the sonnets. Those include a brief synopsis of each poem, so you can understand the general meaning of even the trickier sonnets. And listen all the way through the Afterword tracks, which include a bonus sonnet reading!

[Jimmy]

So enjoyable, I will probably need to revisit this in smaller bits.

[Kyle Best]

I don’t have the brain power to fully understand many of the sonnets, but the phenomenal Patrick Stewart’s delivery of them is masterful. All of his insights and musings in between sonnets are worth the price of admission alone. I believe i will be listening to this for the rest of my days

[Cameron Rhoads]

4 hours on Libby. Superbly done by the mellifluous and honey-tongued Jean-Luc Picard himself. Stewart thanks William Shakespeare at the end of this recording for these 154 sonnets and wishes that William rests in peace. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[PAUL]

I understand the popularity of this audiobook, but alas, it is not for me. Patrick Stewart is in fine voice, of course, and he draws on his decades of experience as a Shakespearean actor to make the lines of the sonnets sound lively, emotional, human.

On the other hand, I often felt that his line readings were a bit off: not so much with respect to the meter, but with the meaning of text. He would read a line and it would sound dramatic, but when I thought about the sentence itself, it seemed as if he had chosen drama over actual sense. (I'm an admirer of Helen Vendler's magnificent "The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets", so I probably have a much more academic approach to the sonnets than Stewart does.) As I listened, I followed along with the Folger on line edition of the sonnets.

The recording promises "original commentary by Patrick Stewart", but the commentary is relatively infrequent and, it seemed to me, often rather banal. So, "Patrick Stewart Performs the Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare" was a disappointment to me. Still, if it gets people to experience and enjoy the sonnets, then it is a good thing.

[Anna Martinez]

I'm not a Shakespeare fan (though I appreciate his art and talent), but I AM a gigantic Patrick Stewart fan. He is a treasure, and he does the sonnets justice. You can tell how much he studies, adores, and admires Shakespeare. I love that. Any teachers out there wanting to help their students understand the sonnets should assign this audiobook.

[Autumn Kearney]

Patrick Stewart sounded rough. I don't know if anyone else got the same copy I did, but he sounded noticeably different from his usual self. I was curious if people were listening with their memories of how he sounded on Star Trek or with their current impressions. His voice now feels gravely, harsh, and kaput.

[David Earl Woodbury]

#61 Book read in 2026
Patrick Stewart Performs the Complete
Sonnets of William Shakespeare 
Audible 
Started 4.21.26 Finished 4.31.26

For an old 70-year-old Nashvillian, this was pure joy.

I highly recommend reading this to make you feel young and inspired again.

[Vernon Campbell]

I liked everything about the book. Which I always think it is better to see or hear any Shakespeare being done. And Patrick is one of my favorites. I have read and listened to the sonnets before, but this was a fresh reminder of how good it can be done. Entertaining and inspiring.

[Cathy]

I read the 154 Sonnets along with Patrick Stewart while he recited them. He suggests doing just five a day so I stuck to that schedule. What an awesome journey. The Bard would be proud. Stewart's commentary throughout was enlightening as well.

[Sarah Dunmire]

I like his commentary when he adds them to the sonnets he reads.
I ended up going with his suggestion to read the sonnets along with him with the sonnet book I have.
At his age he’s having trouble phonating, which is normal but sad. I love his voice.

[Gail]

Delightfully calm - I listened to his daily readings during COVID lockdown and they brought me such comfort. The sonnets, for me, are hard to fully grasp in audio, but I certainly got a lot from narrator’s commentary - my favorite part of this experience.

[Beth]

Absolutely LOVED listening to Shakespeare’s sonnets as read by Sir Patrick Stewart!

[Lana Renner]

Loved it! Patrick Stewart brings Shakespeare alive!

[Mary]

I will be listening to these again. Probably going to have to buy the audiobook (instead of borrowing it).

[Hal]

I'd love to see a version of this with Original Pronunciation, but Sir Patrick Stewart reading with modern pronunciation is an absolute delight and I have no complaints. This is wonderful.

[Jenny (readingbooksandstars)]

Loved it!

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase]]

Easy to listen to and be pulled into, I could listen to Patrick Stewart narrate just about anything.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted copy.

[Jane Hill]

Patrick Stewart reading Shakespeare is amazing, he adds in his own comments, and will talk about how sonnet doesn't make sense to him. Its a fun thing to listen to!

[Emily]

I'm not sure what I was expecting but Data wasn't there so I left.

[Kate]

I would dearly love more of Patrick’s commentary on the sonnets, but it was great as is. ❤️

[Andrea Stoeckel]

I first heard Mr Stewart perform these during the pandemic and was surprised to see he'd performed them again as an audiobook.

Heck, he could read a cereal box and I'd listen. Highly Recommended 5/5

[monika hoppe]

Absolutely delightful

[Adam Greven]

Worth it to listen to Sir Patrick Stewart for a few hours. I would listen to him just about anything.

[Stephanie]

His commentary between sonnets was fantastic. He did such a great job with this! Be sure to listen all the way to the end even after the credits!

[Christine Jetter]

If Patrick Stewart taught me Shakespeare when I was in school, I’d have learned a lot more. Or at least cared a lot more.

[Tetiana]

This was so lovely. An excellent performance of the sonnets ❤️

[Mandyalam0de]

I will always Five Star anything Patrick Stewart!