Romeo and Juliet is the play which, in English literature at least, effectively invented the modern love story. Its charm and its power derive from the romantic setting (Verona, an Italian Renaissance city), the youthful innocence and ardour of the lovers, and (perhaps crucially) the excitement and drama created by the opposition which they have to contend with, an opposition which does not simply stem from the older generation but which is starkly present in the feud between their two families and which seems to be supported by the malignity of Fate. The wit, tenderness, dramatic variety and poetic beauty of this play continue to work their spell: it has proved a perennial favourite inspiring, even in our century, works such as the musical West Side Story.

Romeo and Juliet

Prince Lef Mikolayevitch Muishkin is one of the great characters in Russian literature. Is he a saint or just naïve, an idealist or, as many in General Yepanchin’s society feel, an ‘idiot’? Certainly, his return to St Petersburg after years in a Swiss clinic has a dramatic effect on the beautiful Aglaya, youngest of the Yepanchin daughters and on the charismatic but wilful Nastasio Phillipovna. As he paints a vivid picture of Russian society, Dostoyevsky shows how principles conflict with emotions – with tragic results.

The Idiot

Here are the stories of ten key Shakespeare plays: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, King Lear, Richard III, Othello, Macbeth, The Tempest, Henry V, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. David Timson presents the complex plots in a clear, entertaining and informal style, presenting the main characters in the context of the famous lines. The stories contain important passages from the plays themselves, taken from the award-winning Naxos AudioBooks recordings. This is a 3 CD set which not only entertains but acts as an ideal ‘starter pack’ for children going to see the plays of Shakespeare.

Stories from Shakespeare

This new translation of the great classic of Ancient Greece starts a cycle of drama recordings by Naxos AudioBooks. The anguished tale of Oedipus, who having solved the riddle of the Sphinx and become King of Thebes, gradually realises the crimes he has, unwittingly, committed, remains a drama of unremitting power 2,500 years after it was written. With full drama values, Naxos AudioBooks the atmosphere of the Greek amphitheatre to the soundworld of CD, with the outstanding young actor Michael Sheen – recently seen as Henry V (RSC) and Amadeus (West End) and on film and TV.

Oedipus

A collection of poetry and music expressing the romantic feelings of poets, writers and composers through the ages, including Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Puccini, Grieg, Faure, and Elgar.

A Lover’s Gift: From Him to Her

Here are the greatest and best-loved stories from the Old Testament of the Bible, stories which can be read as much for their human, literary and historical appeal as for their religious meaning. The selection ranges from childhood favourites like David and Goliath, to key moments in Jewish history such as the Exodus, and also includes some of the finest poetry in the Old Testament – the Song of Solomon, for example. Until the invention of the printing press and the coming of the Reformation, the Bible was effectively the preserve of the clergy. Now you can enjoy on CD some of the most important and compelling writings known to man.

The Old Testament

"Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in collaboration with his friend William Wordsworth, revolutionised English poetry; in 1798 they produced their Lyrical Ballads, poems of imagination and reflection using ‘the language of men’. They pointed the way forward for a generation of Romantic poets. Coleridge’s addiction to opium affected his poetic output, and yet the handful of poems he did produce were innovative. These ranged from the quietly conversational to the wildly imagined, and include two of the greatest in English literature: Kubla Khan and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

The Great Poets – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The Tyger… I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud… Ode to the West Wind… The Rime of the Ancient Mariner… Ode to a Nightingale… We’ll go no more a-roving… The Peasant Poet ‘All good poetry,’ wrote Wordsworth, ‘is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings’ and this was to be one of the hallmarks of the Romantic poets. With a dynamic spirit, these great English poets made a conscious return to nostalgia and spiritual depth. Each chose a different path, but they are united in a love of moods, impressions, scenes, stories, sights and sounds. In this collection of more than forty poems are some of the finest and most memorable works in the English language.

Great Poets of the Romantic Age

A century after it first appeared, Crime and Punishment remains one of the most gripping psychological thrillers. A poverty-striken young man, seeing his family making sacrifices for him, is faced with an opportunity to solve his financial problems with one simple but horrifying act: the murder of a pawnbroker. She is, he feels, just a parasite on society. But does the end justify the means? Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov makes his decision and then has to live with it. Dostoyevsky, in masterly fashion, contrasts the comedy and tragedy of life in St Petersburg with the anguish and turmoil of Raskolnikov’s inner life.

Crime and Punishment : Abridged

The beautiful young Dorian Gray has his portrait painted by society artist Basil Hallward. Admired by all, the dazzling, wealthy, handsome young man has everything anyone could wish for – or so it appears. Oscar Wilde’s novel is a masterly study of moral corruption, a tour de force of suspense and surprise.

The Picture of Dorian Gray : Abridged

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