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The Merchant of Venice (Unabridged)
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare - is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known for the character Shylock and his famous demand for a 'pound of flesh' in retribution. The play contains two famous speeches, that of Shylock, 'Hath not a Jew eyes?' on the subject of humanity, and that of Portia on 'the quality of mercy'. Debate exists on whether the play is anti-Semitic, with Shylock's insistence on his legal right to the pound of flesh being in opposition to Shylock's seemingly universal plea for the rights of all people suffering discrimination. Plot summary Bassanio, a young Venetian of noble rank, wishes to woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia of Belmont. Having squandered his estate, he needs 3,000 ducats to subsidise his expenditures as a suitor. Bassanio approaches his friend Antonio, a wealthy merchant of Venice, who has previously and repeatedly bailed him out. Antonio agrees, but since he is cash-poor - his ships and merchandise are busy at sea to Tripolis, the Indies, Mexico and England - he promises to cover a bond if Bassanio can find a lender, so Bassanio turns to the Jewish moneylender Shylock and names Antonio as the loan's guarantor. Antonio has already antagonized Shylock through his outspoken antisemitism and because Antonio's habit of lending money without interest forces Shylock to charge lower rates. Shylock is at first reluctant to grant the loan, citing abuse he has suffered at Antonio's hand. He finally agrees to lend the sum to Bassanio without interest upon one condition: if Antonio were unable to repay it at the specified date, Shylock may take a pound of Antonio's flesh. Bassanio does not want Antonio to accept such a risky condition; Antonio is surprised by what he sees as the moneylender's generosity (no 'usance' - interest - is asked for), and he signs the contract. With money in hand, Bassanio leaves for Belmont with his friend Gratiano, who has asked to accompany him. Gratiano is a likeable young man, but he is often flippant, overly talkative, and tactless. Bassanio warns his companion to exercise self-control, and the two leave for Belmont. Meanwhile, in Belmont, Portia is awash with suitors. Her father left a will stipulating that each of her suitors must choose correctly from one of three caskets, made of gold, silver and lead respectively. Whoever picks the right casket wins Portia's hand. The first suitor, the Prince of Morocco, chooses the gold casket, interpreting its slogan, 'Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire', as referring to Portia.
William Shakespeare (Author), Aaron Elliott, Arielle Lipshaw, David Lawrence, David Leeson, David Nicol, David O'connell, Elizabeth Klett, Filippo Gioachin, Laurie Anne Walden, Mark F. Smith, Megan Kunkel, Rosalind Wills (Narrator)
Audiobook
De Profundis by Oscar Wilde Audiobook is a letter written by Oscar Wilde during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol, to 'Bosie' (Lord Alfred Douglas). In its first half, Wilde recounts their previous relationship and extravagant lifestyle which eventually led to Wilde's conviction and imprisonment for gross indecency. He indicts both Lord Alfred's vanity and his own weakness in acceding to those wishes. In the second half, Wilde charts his spiritual development in prison and identification with Jesus Christ, whom he characterises as a romantic, individualist artist. The letter begins 'Dear Bosie' and ends 'Your Affectionate Friend'. This short work of Wilde's was written during his two year incarceration for 'gross indecency'. This work is a letter which sorts out his life, and his love toward Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde wrote this as a farewell letter to Douglas. NOTE: 'Transcribed from the 1913 Methuen & Co. edition. Note that later editions of De Profundis contained more material. The most complete editions are still in copyright in the U.S.A.'
Oscar Wilde (Author), Aaron Elliott (Narrator)
Audiobook
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