All's Well That Ends Well (Folger Shakespeare Library)

This version is truley unabridged and the diction is very good. Every word is spoken and enounciated. However, if either you are trying to read along, or listen in the car, the speed of delivery is very fast. Almost too fast to follow reading and when listening, so fast bits get lost to the listener.Never the less, with one exception, the two Dumain brothers, each voice is deserable form the others which is required.

All’s Well That Ends Well is one of the Shakespeare’s problem comedies. There isn’t much humor in it, despite the oft-used plot devices of mistaken identities, fools and sexual innuendo.But there is a memorable message written throughout it. How many men living in times when Catholics and Puritans both suffered state persecution could write that, “young Charbon the puritan and old Poysam the papist, howsome’er their hearts are sever’d in religion, their heads are both one; they may jowl horns together like any deer.”Similarly, how many men recognized, “Our virtues would be proud if our faults whipt them not; and our crimes would despair if they were not cherish’d by our virtues.”In the human comedy we all bare a curious mix of virtues and vices. Though we are divided by confessional and political differences there is no need for these divisions to lead to societal fractures.Odd that Shakespeare could see this in the benighted seventeenth century while so many contemporary writers seem only to want inflame racial and political differences. Truly, a writer for all times and places.

This text is an 1815 book that was created personally for a patron of the theater, John Miller, 25 Bow-Street, Covent-Gardens. (The address is printed on the second page along with year). It was crafted by J.P. Kemble who has a Wikipedia page if you wish to verify any information that I supply. It was published by "The Theaters Royal." The text is identical with "All's Well That Ends Well" from the Arden Shakespeare collection. In today's world productions such as Kenneth Branagh-(AS You Like It) or Baz Luhrmann's Portrayal of "Romeo & Juliet can deviate from the original text's but almost never in text form therefore a 200 year old book is meant to collect dust so keep any collectable text in plastic with a dehumidifier pouch. Just for the record, I was asked to review this unique item which should be obvious since I am a student of Shakespeare, a published writer of music but I am not a reviewer-especially any deviation in book text of Shakespeare. In short, look for this one of a kind item which you can find by painstakingly scanning the 1000's of Shakespeare text on Amazon. Then contact the seller to make sure that the text is not a reprint. Good luck, Craig Barr.

I have brought or will buy this series from Arkangel. There was one exception where most of the reviews were negative. This one was of very good quality and I recommend purchase of it.

I needed to digest this play before seeing a performance of it. As there are not too many options for this work available, I ordered this after reading the posted reviews of this series. Listening to it reminded me of radio drama (when that medium had such fare) and of how powerful just the spoken word can be. I followed along with a downloaded text and it was a virtually 'effortless' experience. The reviews are of a mind on this and I with them. Looking forward to hearing some others.

Disappointed with author. Will not be following her in the future.

physician's daughter wagers her life to cure king of france of terminal illness in exchange for the hand in marriage of a young count, a member of the king's court, to which the count responds poorly

Another excellent production in the Arkangel series ofShakespeare plays. Clear verse speaking through-outmakes the language come alive and maintains the interest to the end. Highly recommended .

Great notes on the text and activities to help students get into the meanings and significances of Shakespeare's language and structure. One of the best Cambridge School's editions of a Shakespeare play, in my view. I am an English teacher and I have found it extremely illuminating. I love it.

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