The Creative Works of John Dryden 6 Audiobooks in 6 MP3 Audio CDs

Description: These discs contain MP3 files to play on your computer (PC or Mac) or compatible player. please check your devices documentation for compatibility. Poetical Works of John Dryden Lot of 6 Audiobooks in 6 MP3 Audio CDs John Dryden (1631 - 1700) John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made Poet Laureate in 1668. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden. Absalom and Achitophel Read by Chymocles Running Time:0:58:09 in 1 MP3 Audio CD A Poem in 1681. It is an elaborate historical allegory using the political situation faced by King David (2 Samuel 14-18) to mirror that faced by Charles II. Each monarch had a son whom a high-ranking minister attempted to use against him. James Scott, first Duke of Monmouth, Charles II's illegitimate son, was detected planning a rebellion late in 1681, supposedly instigated by the Earl of Shaftesbury, who was tried for high treason, and it is believed that Dryden wrote the poem in an effort to sway the jury in his trial. The fates of both Absalom (Monmouth) and Achitophel (Shaftesbury) are left unspecified at the end of the poem (Monmouth did rebel in 1685, after his father's death, and was executed, and Shaftesbury was acquitted), but we are left to surmise that their fates would resemble those of their Biblical counterparts: Absalom was killed against David's instructions and Achitophel hanged himself. The poem can be enjoyed without any special knowledge of either the Bible or seventeenth-century English history, but it is useful to understand why Monmouth (AKA Absalom) was such a useful tool to use against his father: Charles had many illegitimate offspring, but his wife was barren, so at his death the crown would pass (did pass) to his brother, James, who was Catholic, but Monmouth was Protestant as well as well-beloved by both the king and the people. England had good reason to dread a return of officially enforced Catholicism. The narrator's urbane attitude toward David's amatory adventures in the opening of the poem and his burlesque of the supposed Jebusitical plot (the "Popish Plot" of 1678) establish clearly his Tory bias in favor of the Establishment and his disdain of the panic caused by fear of Catholicism (Dryden himself converted to the Catholic faith at some time before 1685). All for Love; or, The World Well Lost ( Dramatic Reading) John Dryden (1631 - 1700) Running Time:02:44:19 in 1 MP3 Audio CD All for Love is widely considered to be John Dryden's finest work, dramatic or otherwise. A tragedy written in blank verse, it retells the story of Roman general Marc Antony's love affair with the alluring Egyptian queen Cleopatra and their eventual double-suicide. Compared to the more famous rendition of the tale by William Shakespeare, however, which is grand and hectic in terms of setting, Dryden chooses instead to focus in on the lovers' last days in Alexandria as the threat of their defeat looms and their legacies are contested. The result is a swelling, elegant, emotional drama that perceptively considers such themes as loyalty and love, fidelity in marriage, the lasting endurance of friendship, and even the tenuous construct of masculinity. In short, it's truly a gem of the Restoration repertoire. Cast List: Mark Antony: Tomas Peter Ventidius: Peter Tucker Dolabella: Phil Schempf Alexas: Dafni Ma Serapion: Alan Mapstone Myris: Chuck Williamson Gentleman 1: Mike Harris Gentleman 2: ToddHW Cleopatra: Beth Thomas Octavia: Sonia Charmion: Leanne Yau Iras: KHand Agrippina: Zoe Trang Antonia: Jenna Eleni Narrator: Rob Board Dryden vs Shadwell - a Poetic Duel John Dryden and Thomas Shadwell Read by Multiple Readers Running Time:1:31:08 in 1 MP3 Audio CD Throughout history there have been many creative artists whose fame depends largely on their association with a much greater artist. Such the case of Thomas Shadwell, poet and prolific writer of low brow comedies, who is today most famous as the butt of satire by one of greatest and most influential English poets, John Dryden. Shadwell and Dryden were at first colleagues and collaborators, but later fell out over some sharp divergences of opinion. In particular, Dryden disagreed with Shadwell's high estimation of Ben Jonson, and even more of the latter's claim to be be Jonson's artistic heir. The most celebrated product of this controversy was Dryden's satirical poem, Mac Flecknoe, in which he presents Shadwell as the apostle of dullness. This elegant satire was first circulated unpublished in pamphlet form and then published in 1682. Shadwell responded with "The Medal of John Bayes" which has as a preface a mocking "Epistle to the Tories." Dryden's reply was a further poem "The Medal" which likewise had a preface: "Epistle to the Whigs." Shadwell is also the subject of harsh reference in Dryden's Absolom and Achitophel (1681). In his lifetime, Shadwell emerged the victor from this dispute. In 1688, James II was deposed, and Dryden, as a Tory and a staunch Catholic, lost both favour at court and the position of Poet Laureate. His successor was Shadwell, a Whig and a convenient rather than a devout Protestant. Forced into retirement, Dryden concentrated on the translations of Latin classics, most notably the Aeneid, which have added further to his stature as poet and dramatist. Shadwell died in 1692, leaving a large body of comedies, which are today considered his best work, but which are rarely performed today. 01 - Epistle to the Whigs - John Dryden 02 - The Medal - John Dryden 03 - Epistle to the Tories - Thomas Shadwel 04 - The Medal of John Bayes - Thomas Shadwel 05 - Mac Flecknoe - John Dryden King Arthur (Dramatic Reading) Running Time: 01:48:01 in 1 MP3 Audio CD King Arthur, or The British Worthy, is a play or Semi-Opera with a libretto by John Dryden and music by Henry Purcell. It was first performed at the Queen's Theatre in London in 1691. In this unusual version of the Arthurian legend Arthur is King of Britain fighting to repel the invading Saxons led by Oswald, King of Kent, and in love with the blind Princess Emmeline, daughter of the Duke of Cornwall. The play has many supernatural elements, Enchanters, Magicians, Spirits, Apparitions and Transformations. The play ends with a Masque for which Purcell wrote some of his finest music including the song "Fairest Isle" in praise of Britain. Cast List: King Arthur: Algy Pug Oswald: iamshawn Osmond: Beeswaxcandle Conan: Greg Giordano Merlin: Larry Wilson Aurelius: Priamedes Albanact: HelloCentral Guillimar: Wayne Cooke Emmeline: Christine Rottger Matilda: oogiesragdoll Philadel: ToddHW Grimbald: Agnes Robert Behr Cupid: Inkell Genius: Alan Mapstone Syrens: dc Aeolus: ToddHW Pan: Elijah Fisher Nereid: Rapuzelina He: David Purdy She: Michelle Purdy Comus: Alan Mapstone Venus: Alan Mapstone Prologue: Alan Mapstone Epilogue: Agnes Robert Behr Narration: Alan Mapstone Audio Editor: Alan Mapstone The Poetical Works of John Dryden, Volume 1 Read by Peter Tucker Running Time:07:39:34 in 1 MP3 Audio CD The first of two volumes of collected poetry by this revered and highly influential English restoration poet and playwright. The poems, many quite long and elaborate, reflect the poet's role in contemporary society, as political and religious commentator (religion, politics and royalty being closely associated at the period). The works include panegyrics to prominent and regal personages, extended allegories (as in "The Hind and the Panther"), and a few biting satires including a lampooning of a fellow playwright in "Mac Flecknoe". "Annus Mirabilis" is a sort of historical roundup. 01 - On the Death of Lord Hastings 02 - Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Oliver Cromwell 03 - Astraea Redux 04 - To His Sacred Majesty 05 - To the Lord Chancellor Hyde 06 - Satire on the Dutch 07 - To Her Royal Highness the Duchess 08 - Annus Mirabilis Stanzas 1-101 09 - Annus Mirabilis Stanzas 102-201 10 - Annus Mirabilis Stanzas 202-304 11 - An Essay upon Satire 12 - Absalom and Achitophel Part 1 13 - Absalom and Achitophel Part 2 14 - The Medal 15 - Religio Laici; or, a Layman's Faith 16 - Threnodia Augustalis 17 - Veni Creator Spiritus, Paraphrased 18 - The Hind and the Panther Part 1 19 - The Hind and the Panther Part 2 20 - The Hind and the Panther Part 3 21 - Mac Flecknoe 22 - Britannia Rediviva The Tempest (Dramatic Reading) John Dryden and William Davenant Running Time:2:48:56 in 1 MP3 Audio CD John Dryden and William D'Avenant's Restoration adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest preserves the main plot and characters of the original. Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, lives on an isolated island with his daughter Miranda, and plans to take revenge on his brother Antonio, who usurped his throne. He is aided by his servant, the airy sprite Ariel, and is hated by his other servant, the monster Caliban. Dryden and D'Avenant added in a number of characters: Dorinda, Prospero's other daughter, Hippolito, a young man who has never seen a woman, Sycorax, Caliban's sister, and more spirits and comic mariners. They also added more song, dance, and spectacle. Their version was considered the definitive Tempest until the 19th century. - Summary by Elizabeth Klett Cast Narrator/Miranda/Stephano: Elizabeth Klett Mustacho/Third Devil/Neptune: Kristin Gjerløw Ventoso/Pride: Frances Brown Trincalo/Fraud: mb Hippolito/Cabin-boy: bala Alonzo: Algy Pug Antonio: Leonard Wilson Gonzalo: Bob Neufeld Ferdinand: Eden Rea-Hedrick Prospero: Bruce Pirie Ariel/Aeolus: Libby Gohn Milcha/First Devil/Amphitrite: Availle Caliban/Second Devil/Tethys: Alan Mapstone Dorinda: Maryanka Sycorax/Murder/Oceanus: Lucy Perry Our Audiobooks are Complete and Unabridged (unless otherwise indicated)Our Audiobooks are always read by real people, never by computers.Please Note: These recorded readings are from the author's original works which are in the public domain. All recordings and artwork are in the public domain and there are no infringements or copyrights. Each track starts with "This is a LibriVox recording...."Although Librivox has graciously made these recordings available to the public domain, they are not associated with the sale of this product. Public domain books A public-domain book is a book with no copyright, a book that was created without a license, or a book where its copyrights expired or have been forfeited. In most countries the of copyright expires on the first day of January, 70 years after the death of the latest living author. The longest copyright term is in Mexico, which has life plus 100 years for all deaths since July 1928. A notable exception is the United States, where every book and tale published before 1926 is in the public domain; American copyrights last for 95 years for books originally published between 1925 and 1978 if the copyright was properly registered and maintained.

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End Time: 2025-01-16T14:02:36.000Z

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