Twelfth Night (Pelican Shakespeare Series)

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-William Shakespeare's comedy of disguised and deceptive love is entertainingly brought to listeners on these high-quality audiocassettes. Using the complete text from the New Cambridge Shakespeare text, the production presents a full cast of accomplished Shakespearean actors and actresses who skillfully convey the emotion and meaning, confusion and humor of this popular play. When twins Sebastian and Viola are shipwrecked and separated off the coast of Illyria, each believes the other is dead. Viola disguises herself as a boy, becomes a page of Duke Orsinio, and falls in love with him. The Duke is hopelessly in love with Olivia, but she is in the process of mourning her brother's death and becomes infatuated with Viola as she/he delivers messages for the Duke. When Sebastian shows up, Olivia confuses him with the Duke's page (Olivia) and marries the astonished young man. All is cleared up eventually when Viola and Sebatian meet and recognize each other. In the midst of all of this romantic confusion, servants and family members provide comic relief with their pompous, pretentious, and sometimes inebriated behavior. Early English music and excellent sound effects are sparingly included, yet add greatly to this performance. Reading along with the text is optional as the production moves at an easy-to-follow pace, and characterizations are clear and captivating. A booklet with background and a synopsis of the play, photos and descriptions of each cast member, and starting points for each scene on the proper tape side is a useful addition. For its entertainment value or as a supplement to the curriculum, this excellent audioplay is highly recommended.Marilyn Higgins, Metuchen High School, NJ Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Shakespeare's romantic comedy is directed by Nicolas Soames. Disguised as a boy, Viola, a shipwrecked maiden, enters the service of Duke Orsino, with whom she falls in love. He, however, loves Olivia and sends Viola to woo her for him. The cast makes the play easy to follow and has fun with the complications and the comic characters, Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Sir Toby Belch, the inflated Malvolio, and the sarcastic Feste. Y.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


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SHAKESPEARE INTERACTIVE General Editor: Mickey Bond, President, Santa Fe New Media Advisory Editors: James L. Harner, Professor of English, Texas A & M University, Editor of World Shakespeare Bibliography and William Ingram, Professor of English, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor A unique multimedia introduction to Shakespeare s most often studied plays William Shakespeare s drama has captivated audiences for centuries. Now for the first time, users can experience the plays with all the vividness and immediacy of a live performance, combined with instantly accessible text, glossary and reference features. Each title in the Shakespeare Interactive series contains the full text of a classic Shakespeare play, complete with pop-up definitions, side-by-side commentary and detailed character profiles. Users can read the text at their own pace, taking advantage of the abundant hypertext lines over 3,000 per play then press the Play button and the text literally comes to life! An all new stereo digital recording features a professional cast, authentic period music and sound effects. Designed for use in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and public libraries that serve students. Shakespeare Interactive allows users to experience the playwright s work as never before. Finding Aids Numerous finding aids allow users to master the text quickly and easily: * The Contents page contains brief descriptions of each scene, allowing users to locate easily any event in the play. * The Characters page allows rapid access to detailed character profiles. * A Scene Index is provided for each character, detailing the play from the character s perspective while providing an inventory of every scene in which the character appears. * The Dramatic Time outline correlates the play s action with the passage of objective time. And a handy Index button appears on the screen at all times, providing instant access to every piece of information in the entire database. * The Themes page catalogs the play s principal themes, and also allows users to locate easily instances of poetic, dramatic and literary devices, e.g. sonnets, soliloquies, oxymorons, dramatic irony, etc. Summary of Features * An authoritative text based on the Cambridge edition. * Side-by-side running commentary. * Pop-up definitions of unusual words. * Comprehensive plot summaries for each scene. * Character profiles complete with Scene Index. * Unabridged narration in a radio theater-style production. * Gallery of over 100 images of actors, costumes, Shakespeare portraits, etc. (images can be printed). * Powerful Boolean full-text searching. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Windows: IBM-compatible computer, Windows 3.1 or higher, 4 Mb RAM, CD-ROM drive, and mouse. Color VGA Monitor with 8-bit (256 color) graphics card is recommended. A 16-bit sound card (with speakers or headphones) is required to hear audio.


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