This personal anthology is my choice of speeches from Shakespeare that I enjoy reading (that I would like to have had by heart years ago!) and that seem to me to illustrate his unsurpassed use of language. He was a man who seemed to know everything about human nature and as Orson Welles said ‘he speaks to everyone and we all claim him’. I know that it has been said that ‘it is impossible to be a great Shakespearian actor without an idiosyncratic and extraordinary voice’ and this may be so, but that does not preclude ordinary mortals from reading, hearing and enjoying Shakespeare. (Summary by Martin Clifton)
Chapters
1
As You Like It (Act 2, Scene 7) : All the World’s a Stage Read by Martin Clifton 1:41
2
Hamlet (Act 1, Scene 3) : To Thine Own Self Be True Read by Martin Clifton 1:36
3
Hamlet (Act 2, Scene 2) : What a Piece of Work Is Man Read by Martin Clifton 1:24
4
Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1) : To Be or Not To Be Read by Martin Clifton 2:01
5
Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 2) : Speak the Speech Read by Martin Clifton 2:11
6
Julius Caesar (Act 1, Scene 2) : Bestrides the Narrow World Read by Martin Clifton 1:47
7
Julius Caesar (Act 3, Scene 2) : If You Have Tears Prepare To Shed Them Now Read by Martin Clifton 1:51
8
Julius Caesar (Act 3, Scene 2) : Friends, Romans, Countrymen Read by Martin Clifton 2:01
9
Julius Caesar (Act 3, Scene 2) : Let Me Not Stir You Up Read by Martin Clifton 1:22
10
Julius Caesar (Act 5, Scene 5) : This Was the Noblest Roman of Them All Read by Martin Clifton 0:41
11
King Henry V (Act 3, Scene 1) : Once More Unto the Breach Read by Martin Clifton 1:55
12
King Henry V (Act 4, Scene 3) : This Day is Called the Feast of Crispian Read by Martin Clifton 1:43
13
King Richard III (Act 1, Scene 1) : Now is the Winter of Our Discontent Read by Martin Clifton 2:18
14
Macbeth (Act 1, Scene 7) : If It Were Done Read by Martin Clifton 1:47
15
Macbeth (Act 2, Scene 1) : Is This a Dagger Read by Martin Clifton 2:06
16
The Merchant of Venice (Act 1, Scene 3) : Many a Time and Oft Read by Martin Clifton 1:27
17
The Merchant of Venice (Act 3, Scene 1) : If You Prick Us Do We Not Bleed Read by Martin Clifton 1:36
18
The Merchant of Venice (Act 4, Scene 1) : The Quality of Mercy Read by Martin Clifton 1:26
19
Romeo and Juliet (Act 2, Scene 2) : What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks Read by Martin Clifton 1:28
20
Romeo and Juliet (Act 2, Scene 2) : Romeo, Romeo Read by Martin Clifton 1:10
From LibriVox, read by volunteers and in the public domain. LibriVox page (opens librivox.org) , all files on the Internet Archive (opens archive.org) .
