検索キーワード： 古代・古典・中世の文学

Have you ever been to a King Lear performance with the impression of not having understood everything? It's normal. Shakespeare's plays are the most beautiful of the theatrical repertoire, but you cannot go to a Shakespeare play if you do not have a minimum prepared this show: understand the issues, characters, context, cultural or historical references is indispensable. The same is true if you intend to read a play by William Shakespeare: our summaries will help you better understand what you have read.

Antigone, daughter of Jocasta and Oedipus, faces great challenges when she must arrange a formal burial for her brother, Polynices. This rendition of Antigone by Sophocles is of the highest-caliber audio. It's completely unabridged. Enjoy the classic story of Antigone narrated to perfection.

Romantic havoc ensues in the town of Bath when Sir Anthony arrives to arrange the marriage of his son Captain Jack Absolute to the wealthy Lydia Languish. Jack and Lydia are already in love, but because of Lydia’s obsession with romantic novels, Jack has disguised himself as a poor officer named Ensign Beverly – and he is only one of Lydia’s many suitors. i>The Rivals was Sheridan’s first play, and this charming comedy of manners continues to be widely performed today. Includes an interview with Linda Kelly, author of Richard Brinsley Sheridan: A Life.

Beware the gossips! Lady Sneerwell and her hireling, Snake, are certainly up to no good in this timeless send-up of hypocritical manners. Thanks to their scandal-mongering, the comely Lady Teazle must fend off the slanderous barbs that have caught the ear of her elderly husband - as well as every other gossip in London! What follows is a torrent of mistaken identities and sex-crazed scheming in which the upper classes have never looked so low class.

Starring James Marsters, this classic comedy of manners from 1773 is still widely performed and studied. Love, lies, and dysfunctional families. Sound like your last family gathering? Try this one on for laughs. Two randy young gents, Charles and George, set out to woo the alluring and upper-crust Kate and Constance. But inexperienced Charles is shy and clumsy around upper-class ladies, so it’s the barmaid who catches his eye. But is she really who she seems?

Tao Te Ching, attributed to the ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu, is a foundational text of Taoist philosophy and one of the most translated works in world literature. Composed of 81 brief, poetic chapters, the book offers timeless wisdom on living in harmony with the Tao—the natural way or path of the universe.

The Waste Land is a poem by T. S. Eliot, widely regarded as one of the most important poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry. Published in 1922, the 434-line poem first appeared in the United Kingdom in the October issue of Eliot's The Criterion and in the United States in the November issue of The Dial. It was published in book form in December 1922. Eliot's poem loosely follows the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King combined with vignettes of contemporary British society.

The Odyssey by Homer in the Samuel Butler translation, narrated by Michael Bronks. Follow Odysseus through treacherous seas, encounters with gods like Athena and Poseidon, and mythical creatures such as the Cyclops and Sirens. Experience the epic journey of Greek mythology, heroism, and adventure that defines The Odyssey in its full, timeless form.

Dorfrichter Adam muss über den Fall eines zerbrochenen Kruges urteilen – doch wie sich bald zeigt, war er selbst der Täter. Zwischen Ausreden, Verwirrspielen und absurden Ausflüchten entspinnt sich ein meisterhaftes Lustspiel voller sprachlicher Raffinesse und satirischer Tiefe. Der zerbrochne Krug ist Heinrich von Kleists wohl beliebtestes Werk – eine Komödie, die mit feiner Ironie und großem Witz die menschliche Schwäche bloßlegt.

In König Lear inszeniert William Shakespeare ein dramatisches Familienschicksal, das bis heute zu den eindrucksvollsten Tragödien der Weltliteratur zählt. Der greise König Lear will seine Macht abgeben – und löst damit einen zerstörerischen Sturm aus. Was als Prüfung der Tochterliebe beginnt, endet in Verrat, Wahnsinn und einem erbarmungslosen Blick auf die Tiefen der menschlichen Natur. Ein zeitloses Werk über Eitelkeit, Wahrheit, Machtmissbrauch – und den schmalen Grat zwischen Klarsicht und Wahnsinn.

The Iliad is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the Odyssey, the poem is divided into 24 books and was written in dactylic hexameter. It contains 15,693 lines in its most widely accepted version. Set towards the end of the Trojan War, a ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Mycenaean Greek states, the poem depicts significant events in the siege's final weeks.

Acclaimed actress Claire Danes burnishes an epic story of heroes, gods, and monsters in a groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, the first great adventure story in the Western literary tradition. When the wily warrior-king Odysseus sets off for home after the Trojan War, he doesn’t realize this simple undertaking will become a perilous journey of 10 years. Beset at every turn, he encounters obstacles, detours, and temptations—both supernatural and human—while his wife Penelope fends off would-be suitors desperate to take the throne.

Pygmalion remains one of the most popular stories, but mainly in the medium of the musical; the evergreen My Fair Lady. But much of the charm and wit comes from the words and timing in Shaw's original play. Here are the characters of Professor Higgins, his friend Colonel Pickering, and their charge, Eliza Doolittle.

Der Prinz von Guastalla verliebt sich in die tugendhafte Emilia und spinnt ein tödliches Komplott: Er lockt ihren Verlobten, Graf Appiani, in einen Hinterhalt, um selbst an Emilias Seite zu gelangen. Doch er unterschätzt ihre moralische Standhaftigkeit – und die Geschichte nimmt eine dramatische Wendung. Lessings Stück prangert Machtmissbrauch und Willkürherrschaft an, stellt aber auch zeitlose Fragen zu Pflicht, Ehre und Selbstbestimmung.

Im Mittelpunkt steht die berühmte Ringparabel, die für religiöse Toleranz und menschliche Vernunft plädiert. In einem spannenden Drama verhandelt Lessing Grundfragen des friedlichen Zusammenlebens. Ein Plädoyer für Aufklärung, Humanität und gegenseitiges Verständnis – eindrucksvoll gesprochen von Jürgen Fritsche.

Goethe, der wohl größte deutsche Dichter, beherrschte auch die Prosa. In dieser Hörbuch-Box sind zahlreiche Meisterwerke versammelt: Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (Track 1-14), Der Prokurator (Track 15), Die Sängerin Antonelli (Track 16), Die wunderlichen Nachbarskinder (Track 17), Die Geschichte von Mignons Eltern (Track 18), Die neue Melusine (Track 19), Die Wahlverwandtschaften (Track 20-55), Novelle (Track 56), Maximen und Reflexionen (Track 57-61). Von der Novelle über den Roman bis hin zu Aphorismen - es ist alles dabei, nach Erscheinungsdaten sortiert!

A selection of Euripides’ renowned Greek tragedies, adapted for BBC Radio Acclaimed by Aristotle as ‘the most tragic of the poets’, Euripides was one of the pre-eminent playwrights of 5th century Athens. Included here are seven of his masterpieces: powerful, shocking tales of passion...

A rare collection of vintage radio dramas from the renowned Ulster poet, plus bonus documentary Born in Belfast in 1907, Louis MacNeice wrote some of the most beautiful and best-loved poetry of the 20th century. But he was also one of the BBC’s most innovative writers and producers, scripting...

Hedda Gabler, the daughter of a deceased general, marries dull George Tesman and foresees a life of middle-class tedium stretching ahead when they return from their honeymoon. Increasingly she is drawn into the clutches of her admirer, Judge Brack, who seeks to establish a ménage à trois. Then the brilliant but dissolute Eilert Lovborg, a former flame, arrives to rival her husband for an academic post.

Once upon a time in a far-off country, there lived a father and his daughter Beauty, along with his five other daughters and six sons.