Works and Days, The Theogony, and The Shield of Heracles by Hesiod

MAS works_days_1509

Works and Days provides advice on agrarian matters and personal conduct. The Theogony explains the ancestry of the gods. The Shield of Heracles is the adventure of Heracles accepting an enemy’s challenge to fight. – Summary by Arthur Krolman for Librivox

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Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

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Works and Days

The Theogony

The Shield of Heracles

Gorgias by Plato

MAS gorgias_1211

This dialogue brings Socrates face to face with the famous sophist Gorgias and his followers. It is a work likely completed around the time of “Republic” and illuminates many of the spiritual ideas of Plato. The spirituality, as Jowett points out in his wonderful introduction, has many ideas akin to Christianity, but is more generous as it reserves damnation only for the tyrants of the world. Some of the truths of Socrates, as presented by Plato, shine forth in this wonderful work on sophistry and other forms of persuasion or cookery. (Summary by Kevin Johnson for Librivox)

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Run time: 7 hours, 6 minutes

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Introduction Part 1

Introduction Part 2

Introduction Part 3

Introduction Part 4

Gorgias Part 1

Gorgias Part 2

Gorgias Part 3

Gorgias Part 4

Gorgias Part 5

Gorgias Part 6

Gorgias Part 7

Meno by Plato, translated by Benjamin Jowett

MAS meno_1303

Meno (Ancient Greek: ?????) is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato. Written in the Socratic dialectic style, it attempts to determine the definition of virtue, or arete, meaning in this case virtue in general, rather than particular virtues, such as justice or temperance. The goal is a common definition that applies equally to all particular virtues. Socrates moves the discussion past the philosophical confusion, or aporia, created by Meno’s paradox (aka the learner’s paradox) with the introduction of new Platonic ideas: the theory of knowledge as recollection, anamnesis, and in the final lines a movement towards Platonic idealism.. (Introduction by Wikipedia)

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Run time: 2 hours, 24 minutes

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1 – Meno

2 – On the Ideas of Plato

3 – Part 1 of the Dialogs of Meno

4 – Part 2 of the Dialogs of Meno

Henry V by William Shakespeare

Queen Katherine of France by Laura T. Alma-Tadema
Queen Katherine of France by Laura T. Alma-Tadema

After the turmoil and uncertainty of Henry IV a new era appears to dawn for England with the accession of the eponymous Henry V. In this sunny pageant Chorus guides us along Henry’s glittering carpet ride of success as the new king completes his transformation from rebellious wastrel to a truly regal potentate. Of course, there is an underlying feeling that the good times won’t last, and this is all the more reason to enjoy the Indian summer before the protracted and bitter fall of the house of Lancaster. (Introduction by Algy Pug for Librivox)

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Run time: 3 hours, 4 minutes

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Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Act 5

The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare

MAS Macbeth_by_Thomas_Beach
Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corroding psychological and political effects produced when its protagonist, the Scottish lord Macbeth, chooses evil as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. He commits regicide to become king and then furthers his moral descent with a reign of murderous terror to stay in power, eventually plunging the country into civil war. In the end, he loses everything that gives meaning and purpose to his life before losing his life itself. (Summary by Wikipedia)
Lady Macbeth by Cattermole
Lady Macbeth by Cattermole

Hamlet by Shakespeare, simplified for school children and baffled adults

Benjamin_West_-_Hamlet-_Act_IV,_Scene_V_(Ophelia_Before_the_King_and_Queen)_-_Google_Art_Project

Hamlet by Shakespeare, simplified for school children?by Shakespeare Lynch Multimedia is performed by Michael Matus.

Description from iTunes:

Shakespeare made easier for schoolchildren and baffled adults with an easy to understand narrative adaptation and parallel text with the original. Why adapt Shakespeare? Well, it’s hard! A lot of actors in Shakespeare productions can act it, confusing audiences. A lot of teachers can’t teach it, confusing pupils. A lot of parents lack confidence helping with homework. This is for students of all ages and parents, too. The purpose is to make Shakespeare comprehensible and accessible. Shakespeare is the greatest of writers, for that reason everyone must attempt to grasp his genius. Read the original first and then consult this adaptation to help you. Use this as an aid. The poetry of the original cannot be matched. The action of Book One, Chapter 1 corresponds with Act One, Scene 1, (for the podcasts Episode 1 is 1-1) and so on This recording of Hamlet is read by Michael Matus, who has acted extensively with the RSC and will be appearing at the Globe in London during the Summer 2008 season.

The Aeneid by Virgil

Summary: 

The Aeneid

VIRGIL (70 BC – 19 BC), translated by John DRYDEN (1631 – 1700)

The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The first six of the poem’s twelve books tell the story of Aeneas’ wanderings from Troy to Italy, and the poem’s second half treats the Trojans’ ultimately victorious war upon the Latins, under whose name Aeneas and his Trojan followers are destined to be subsumed. The poem was commissioned from Vergil by the Emperor Augustus to glorify Rome. Several critics think that the hero Aeneas’ abandonment of the Cartheginian Queen Dido, is meant as a statement of how Augustus’ enemy, Mark Anthony, should have behaved with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. (Summary by Wikipedia and Karen Merline)

Running time: 13 hours, 40 minutes

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To hear this book, click play in the box below or click on the chapter links.

Book 1: A Fateful Haven, part 1

Book 1: A Fateful Haven, part 2

Book 2: How they took the City, part 1

Book 2: How they took the City, part 2

Book 3: Sea Wanderings and Strange Meetings, part 1

 

Book 3: Sea Wanderings and Strange Meetings, part 2

Book 4: The Passion of the Queen, part 1

 

Book 4: The Passion of the Queen, part 2

Book 5: Games and a Conflagration, part 1

 

Book 5: Games and a Conflagration, part 2

Book 6: The World Below, part 1

Book 6: The World Below, part 2

Book 7: Juno Served by a Fury, part 1

Book 7: Juno Served by a Fury, part 2

Book 8: Arcadian Allies, part 1

Book 8: Arcadian Allies, part 2

Bk 09: A Night Sortie, a Day Assault, pt 1

Bk 09: A Night Sortie, a Day Assault, pt 2

Bk 10: The Death of Princes, pt 1

Bk 10: The Death of Princes, pt 2

Bk 11: Debaters and a Warrior Girl, pt 1

Bk 11: Debaters and a Warrior Girl, pt 2

Bk 12: The Fortunes of War, pt 1

Bk 12: The Fortunes of War, pt 2

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Summary: Written around the middle of his career, Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s great festive comedies. The men are back from the war, and everyone is ready for romance. The dashing young Claudio falls for Hero, the daughter of Leonato, governor of Messina, and his friend Don Pedro helps him secure her affection. These youthful lovers are contrasted with the more experienced (and more cynical) Benedick and Beatrice, who have to be tricked into falling in love. Don Pedro’s brother, Don John, provides the intrigue, and the dimwitted constable Dogberry provides the laughs. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett for Librivox)

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Click here to see downloadable CurrClick materials which could be used in a study of Shakespeare. Clicking this link will take you away from My Audio School.

Total running time: 2 hours, 17 minutes

Dramatis Personae

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Act 5


The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Brutus and the Ghost of Caesar, copperplate engraving by Edward Scriven from a painting by Richard Westall, 1802, public domain image

Summary: William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, based on true events, concerns the conspiracy against Julius Caesar, his assassination in 44 BC, and its immediate aftermath. Probably written in 1599 and among the first of Shakespeare’s plays to be performed at the Globe Theater, Julius Caesar is one of his best-known dramas and has received innumerable performances throughout the centuries. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden after Wikipedia)

Read this play yourself

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Click here to see downloadable CurrClick materials which could be used in a study of Shakespeare. Clicking this link will take you away from My Audio School.

To hear this drama, click play in the box below or click on the chapter links.

Total running time:  2 hours, 30 minutes

Dramatis Personae

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Act 5

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, unknown author, translated by W. A. Neilson

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Total running time: 1 hour, 18 minutes

Published in 1903, Gawayne and the Green Knight is a modern-language retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a 14th-century verse romance following a young knight of the Round Table. During Christmas celebrations, a mysterious, entirely green knight presents a challenge to King Arthur’s court: that any may strike the stranger a single blow with his green axe, provided he assent to receiving the same a year later. Gawayne accepts the challenge, and its unexpected outcome leads to a great test of his courage and knighthood. A significant addition to this version is the Lady Elfinhart, whose back-story and romance with Gawayne are tightly interwoven with the plot. (Summary by Jerome Lawsen for Librivox)

01 – Canto I – The Green Knight

02 – Canto II – Elfinhart

03 – Canto III – Gawayne

04 – Canto IV – Conclusion

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