The Man Shakespeare and His Tragic Life Story

audiobook

The Man Shakespeare and His Tragic Life Story

by Frank Harris

EN·~11 hours·28 chapters

Chapters

28 total
1

THE MAN SHAKESPEARE - AND - HIS TRAGIC LIFE STORY

0:03
2

By Frank Harris - I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO MY FRIEND, ERNEST BECKETT (NOW LORD GRIMTHORPE), A MAN OF MOST EXCELLENT DIFFERENCES, WHO UNITES TO A GENIUS FOR PRACTICAL THINGS A PASSIONATE SYMPATHY FOR ALL HIGH ENDEAVOUR IN LITERATURE AND ART

0:15
3

INTRODUCTION

18:05
4

BOOK I. SHAKESPEARE PAINTED BY HIMSELF

0:02
5

CHAPTER I. HAMLET: ROMEO—JAQUES

21:44
6

CHAPTER II. HAMLET—MACBETH

27:22
7

CHAPTER III. DUKE VINCENTIO—POSTHUMUS

31:18
8

CHAPTER IV. SHAKESPEARE'S MEN OF ACTION: THE BASTARD, ARTHUR, AND KING RICHARD II.

36:07
9

CHAPTER V. SHAKESPEARE'S MEN OF ACTION (continued). HOT-SPUR, HENRY V., RICHARD III.

51:15
10

CHAPTER VI. SHAKESPEARE'S MEN OF ACTION (concluded): KING HENRY VI. AND RICHARD III.

24:20

Description

The author invites listeners into a personal quest that began in childhood, when the plays were read simply as stories, and later returned to as a grown man uncovering deeper layers. As each re‑reading revealed new nuances, a single, resonant voice began to emerge from the chorus of characters, suggesting that Shakespeare himself was subtly painting his own portrait across his works. This discovery fuels the narrative, guiding us through the playwright’s evolution from eager youth to seasoned master and, finally, to his waning years.

Using the chronological order of the plays, the book sketches how Shakespeare’s changing outlook and experiences are reflected in his drama, offering a rare, almost autobiographical map of his life. It also contrasts this approach with traditional scholarship, pointing out where earlier critics missed the man behind the legend and highlighting the insights of contemporaries like Ben Jonson, whose observations still ring true. Listeners will come away with a richer sense of the man whose words continue to shape literature.

Details

Language

en

Duration

~11 hours (642K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Jon Ingram, Juliet Sutherland and Distributed Proofreaders HTML file produced by David Widger

Release date

2005-10-01

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Frank Harris

Frank Harris

1856–1931

A larger-than-life literary adventurer, he moved from Ireland to America, studied law, and went on to become one of the most controversial editors and memoirists of his era. His writing mixed sharp observation, celebrity friendships, and a taste for scandal that still makes his life story hard to ignore.

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