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SHAKESPEARE: RECORDED LIVE
Listen to recordings of Shakespeare performing on stage in 1607
In 2004, a very dusty box full of 78rpm gramophone records was discovered under a pile of old theatre programmes in a Stratford-upon-Avon cellar. Experts immediately identified the discs as the long-lost recordings of Shakespeare's live performances at the Globe Theatre in London, issued as a limited-edition box-set in 1607 by the Elizabethan Recording Company ... read more
Below are ten selected highlights from these extremely rare recordings.
HAMLET – Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1
Mr. William Shakespeare (poet, actor & gent) walks to the front of the stage and delivers the most famous line in the history of theatre: play audio
(Duration of clip 00:26)
MACBETH – Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 5
Hearing that his wife is dead, and knowing that his own end draws near, Macbeth takes a break from battle to ruminate on the futility of all human existence and endeavour: play audio
(Duration of clip 01:00)
OTHELLO – Othello, Act 3 Scene 4
Othello's misplaced suspicions of his wife's adultery with Cassio seem confirmed when she cannot produce a certain handkerchief. He takes this very badly: play audio
(Duration of clip 00:23)
CORIOLANUS – Coriolanus, Act 3 Scene 1
Standing alone centre-stage holding a bloodied sword, Coriolanus shakes his fist and rails furiously at his troops who are fleeing the field of battle: play audio
(Duration of clip 00:48)
WITCH – Macbeth, Act 4 Scene 1
A witch and her two 'weird sisters' are chanting and casting evil spells around a bubbling cauldron, which involves throwing all sorts of unpleasant things into it: play audio
(Duration of clip 00:45)
HENRY V – Henry V, Act 3 Scene 1
Amidst the noise of battle, King Henry inspires the English army to even greater efforts as his gunners batter the walls of the besieged city of Harfleur: play audio
(Duration of clip 01:06)
MARK ANTONY – Julius Caesar, Act 3 Scene 1
Standing with the assassinated Caesar's corpse behind him, Mark Antony mourns his friend and foresees civil war as the inevitable consequence of this dreadful crime: play audio
(Duration of clip 01:00)
MALVOLIO – Twelfth Night, Act 3 Scene 4
The steward Malvolio mistakenly believes that Olivia, his employer, is in love with him. As he anticipates marriage into her noble family, he considers the nature of greatness: play audio
(Duration of clip 00:34)
LEAR – King Lear, Act 3 Scene 1
Striding across the stage in a fury accompanied only by his faithful companion, a jester, Lear rages against the weather, his daughters, and life in general: play audio
(Duration of clip 01:25)
RICHARD III – Richard III, Act 5 Scene 4
Catesby offers to help the doomed King Richard escape from the battle, but Richard – desperate to find and kill his enemy Richmond – refuses to leave: play audio
(Duration of clip 01:18)