Classic BBC Radio Shakespeare: Romances: The Winter's Tale, Pericles, The Tempest

by William Shakespeare

Three classic radio productions from the BBC archives starring Hannah Gordon, Tim Pigott-Smith, Paul Scofield and a host of celebrated acting talent.

These three legendary plays, performed by some of the best-known theatrical actors of the 20th Century, are the perfect way to commemorate England's greatest dramatist.

The Winter's Tale: One man's consuming jealousy threatens to destroy both himself and those around him, but his actions arouse a passionate sense of honour, love, justice and self-sacrifice in members of his Court and family. First broadcast in 1982, starring Ronald Pickup as Leontes, with Hannah Gordon as Hermione and John Gielgud as Time.

Pericles: Pericles is haunted by Fate, buffeted by storms, driven from country to country and cruelly separated from his wife and daughter. Having endured the waywardness of Fortune, will he be reunited with his family? First broadcast in 1981, starring Tim Pigott-Smith as Pericles and Angharad Rees as Marina.

The Tempest: Set on an enchanted island ruled by the sorcerer Prospero, this spellbinding tale of magic, illusion, forgiveness and repentance is one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. First broadcast in 1974, starring Paul Scofield as Prospero and Patrick Stewart as Caliban.

Recorded at BBC Broadcasting House and featuring the BBC Drama Repertory company, with specially composed music, this is classic radio drama at its finest.

Duration: 7 hours 35 mins approx.

Audible Audio

Published December 1, 2016

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

[Anne Boleyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful singings.

[Am · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ - perfectly illustrates why Shakespeare is best consumed by spoken word over reading independently (at least for me)

[sch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jun 2024. Teaching aid for TEMPEST.

Jul 2021. Considering Pericles for the classroom. Using the PELICAN SHAKESPEARE as my copy text while listening to the audiobook. Finished, nope: good not great. Problems are with the play, not the performance--perhaps I need to watch a production? WINTER'S TALE and TEMPEST are much more high-school friendly.

15-16 Dec 2020. Considering Winter's Tale (1982) for the high school classroom, paired with the free "Folger Shakespeare Library" digital text. Finished, and I can entirely forgive Shakespeare his Act IV because of his Act V.3. Wow.

5 Oct 2018. Tempest again, before teaching it for the first time. Last go-round I missed the power of the music in this production.

19 Jul 2018. Also The Tempest, which I recollect from years ago. In this excellent production (1974), Ariel's lines are delivered entirely as whispers: a wonderful effect. Paul Scofield plays Prospero and Patrick Stewart plays Caliban.

19 Jul 2018. Astounded by the final act of Pericles (1981). James McManaway says the play is "less effective in the study than on stage," and that sounds right.