Julius Caesar (Pelican Shakespeare)

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-One of the marks of Shakespeare's greatness is the continued interest in adapting his enduring works. This recording of Julius Caesar is one in a series drawn from Leon Garfield's Shakespeare Stories. Liberally sprinkled with lines from the original play, the recording presents a condensation of all five acts in a little more than an hour. Beginning with a brief biography of the Bard, the recording then offers a thorough but not lengthy overview of the play. All this sets the stage for Simon Russell Beale's well paced narration. This Royal Shakespeare Company veteran moves so skillfully between story text and dialogue that at times it seems as though there are several actors reading. Classic lines such as "Et tu. Brute" and "Friends, Romans, Countrymen " are rendered with fresh vigor. At the conclusion of the play, an article on "Shakespeare Today" offers suggestions to help youngsters have fun with Shakespeare. Short selections of period music make a nice transition between sections of the recording. Though aimed at a middle school audience, both teens and adults will find this presentation a good way to learn about one of the earliest plays performed at the Globe Theatre.Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
This excellent introduction to Shakespeare opens with music of Shakespeare's time, some biographical information and a plot summary, both read in a crisp, straightforward manner by Clare Higgins. The play interpretation shuttles smoothly between narration in modern speech and character speech, which is quoted directly from the original. This combination clarifies for the young listener the actions as they take place, while introducing the flavor and power of Shakespeare's language. Simon Russell Beale's reading is flawless, moving easily between various voices in sixteenth-century English and modern English. Garfield has selected the most famous lines of the play to be quoted in the original, so listeners "lend your ears" to a thoroughly enjoyable production. J.J.F. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine


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In this striking tragedy of political conflict, Shakespeare turns to the ancient Roman world and to the famous assassination of Julius Caesar by his republican opponents. The play is one of tumultuous rivalry, of prophetic warnings -- "Beware the ides of March" -- and of moving public oratory "Friends, Romans, countrymen!" Ironies abound and most of all for Brutus, whose fate it is to learn that his idealistic motives for joining the conspiracy against a would-be dictator are not enough to sustain the movement once Caesar is dead.


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