Henry VIII, William Shakespeare
Henry VIII, William Shakespeare
4 Rating(s)
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Henry VIII

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: a full cast, Timothy West, Jane Lapotaire, Anton Lesser, Paul Jesson

Unabridged: 2 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Arkangel

Published: 01/07/2006

Categories: Fiction, Drama


Synopsis

King Henry is married to Catherine of Aragon, but he has been smitten by the charms of the queen's maid of honor, Anne Boleyn, and is tempted to divorce his dignified and noble wife. Meanwhile, the lords of England resent the influence of Henry's trusted advisor, Cardinal Wolsey, who is gradually drawing power into his own hands. As Catherine and Wolsey suffer their tragic falls, new figures rise to fill their places, but they, too, will be brought low by the inexorable sweep of time and fortune. This colorful history play, possibly written in collaboration with John Fletcher, comes from the very end of Shakespeare's dramatic career.Paul Jesson plays Henry VIII, and Jane Lapotaire plays Queen Catherine. Timothy West is Cardinal Wolsey.

About William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama ever produced, including Romeo and Juliet (1595), Henry V (1599), Hamlet (1601), Othello (1604), King Lear (1606) and Macbeth (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which number among the most profound and influential love poetry in English. Shakespeare died in Stratford in 1616.

About E.A. Copen

E. A. Copen lives deep in the deep dark woods outside one of the most haunted cities in Ohio. While working a boring retail job, she entertained herself with stories of the fantastic, some of which became books like Guilty by Association, Death Rites, and Broken Empire. She speaks three languages fluently: English, Latin, and sarcasm. E. A. is currently studying to become proficient in memes.

About Tom Wheelwright

Tom Wheelwright es Contador Público Autorizado y la fuerza creativa detrás de WealthAbility, el movimiento de Riqueza libre de impuestos más importante del mundo, que sirve a empresarios e inversores a nivel mundial. Como fundador y CEO, Tom ha sido responsable de revolucionar los servicios de consultoría y estrategias fiscales, empresariales y de riqueza para clientes premium durante casi 30 años. Tom es un experto en estrategias fiscales para sociedades y corporaciones, un conocido orador y un innovador en educación financiera. Robert T. Kiyosaki, autor bestseller de Padre Rico, Padre Pobre, se refiere a Tom como "un jugador que cualquiera que quiera ser rico necesita tener en su equipo". Ha sido colaborador de Robert T. Kiyosaki en varios de sus libros. Tom tiene una maestría en Contabilidad Profesional por la Universidad de Texas y una licenciatura en Artes por la Universidad de Utah.

About Timothy West

Timothy West is an acclaimed actor who played the role of Sir Leicester Dedlock in the Masterpiece Theatre presentation of Bleak House. He is a frequent narrator of audiobooks.

About Jane Lapotaire

Jane Lapotaire’s career has encompassed major roles in the theatre, TV, and film, during which time she has twice won the Variety Club of Great Britain Award for Best Actress, as well as The Society of West End Theatre Award, the Plays and Players Award, and a New York Tony Award. With the Royal Shakespeare Company, she has played Gertrude opposite Kenneth Branagh in Hamlet and Mrs Alving in Ghosts. Her films include Anthony and Cleopatra, Surviving Picasso, and Shooting Fish. She is the honorary president of The Bristol Old Vic Theatre Club and has been president of The Friends of Shakespeare’s Globe since its relaunch in 1996.

About Anton Lesser

Anton Lesser has, as an associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, played many of Shakespeare’s most demanding roles, including Troilus (Troilus and Cressida), Edgar (King Lear), Petruchio, Romeo, and Richard III. He is a frequent radio contributor and has recorded many audiobooks, including much of the work of Charles Dickens. Lesser’s narration has won him seven AudioFile Earphones Awards.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on March 15, 2020

There are lots of things about this play that please and impress me, but somehow I don't think it quite works. The best things about it are two scenes probably by Fletcher: the sympathetic portrait of Katharine of Aragon's self-defense and the dignified soliloquy of the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey aft......more

Goodreads review by James on January 17, 2020

Book Review 3 of 5 stars to Henry VIII, a play written in 1613 by William Shakespeare. This play originally had a different title and there is also some suspicion that it was co-written with another person at the time. It was towards the end of Shakespeare's career where while his brillia......more

Goodreads review by Bradley on February 09, 2017

I can't say that the writing is bad, per-se, more that the topic is unworthy except for being an obligatory propagandist piece to prop up the worthiness of the Anglican church versus the Catholics. I'm sure no one is surprised on this count. There's rather less of the real drama that surrounded the Ki......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on October 20, 2020

This was outrageously bad......more


Quotes

“The fine production…infuses much more life into this stately, pageant-like play than one might expect from the text…[with] a lifelike sound design that even includes the murmurs of agreement or dismay of listening characters.” AudioFile