Audiobooks narrated by Chuck Williamson

Coriolanus by William Shakespeare - is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same years he wrote Antony and Cleopatra, making them his last two tragedies. Synopsis The play opens in Rome shortly after the expulsion of the Tarquin kings. There are riots in progress after stores of grain have been withheld from ordinary citizens. The rioters are particularly angry at Caius Marcius,[2] a brilliant Roman general whom they blame for the loss of their grain. The rioters encounter a patrician named Menenius Agrippa, as well as Caius Marcius himself. Menenius tries to calm the rioters, while Marcius is openly contemptuous, and says that the plebeians are not worthy of the grain because of their lack of military service. Two of the tribunes of Rome, Brutus and Sicinius, privately denounce Marcius. Marcius leaves Rome after news arrives that a Volscian army is in the field. The commander of the Volscian army, Tullus Aufidius, has fought Marcius on several occasions and considers him a blood enemy. The Roman army is commanded by Cominius, with Marcius as his deputy. While Cominius takes his soldiers to meet Aufidius's army, Marcius leads a rally against the Volscian city of Corioli. The siege of Corioli is initially unsuccessful, but the Romans conquer it when Marcius is able to force open the gates of the city. Even though he is exhausted from the fighting, Marcius marches quickly to join Cominius and fight the other Volscian forces. Marcius and Aufidius meet in single combat, fighting until Aufidius's own soldiers drag him away from the battle. In recognition of his great courage, Cominius gives Caius Marcius the agnomen, or 'official nickname', of Coriolanus. When they return to Rome, Coriolanus's mother Volumnia encourages her son to run for consul. Coriolanus is hesitant to do this, but he bows to his mother's wishes. He effortlessly wins the support of the Roman Senate, and seems at first to have won over the plebeians as well. However, Brutus and Sicinius scheme to defeat Coriolanus and instigate another plebeian riot in opposition to his becoming consul. Faced with this opposition, Coriolanus flies into a rage and rails against the concept of popular rule. He compares allowing plebeians to have power over the patricians to allowing 'crows to peck the eagles'. The two tribunes condemn Coriolanus as a traitor for his words and order him to be banished. Coriolanus retorts that it is he who banishes Rome from his presence.

William Shakespeare (Author), Abby Pugh, Bob Gonzalez, Chuck Williamson, John Fricker, Leonard Wilson, Martin Geeson, Patti Cunningham, Peter Makus, Ron Altman, Tricia G (Narrator)

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Tis Pity She's a Whore (Unabridged)

Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford - (original spelling: 'Tis Pitty Shee's a Who[o]re) is a tragedy written by John Ford. It was first performed c._1626 or between 1629 and 1633, by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre. The play was first published in 1633, in a quarto printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Richard Collins. Ford dedicated the play to John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough and Baron of Turvey. Plot Giovanni, recently returned to Parma from university in Bologna, has developed an incestuous passion for his sister Annabella and the play opens with his discussing this ethical problem with Friar Bonaventura. Bonaventura tries to convince Giovanni that his desires are evil despite Giovanni's passionate reasoning and eventually persuades him to try to rid himself of his feelings through repentance. Annabella, meanwhile, is being approached by a number of suitors including Bergetto, Grimaldi, and Soranzo. She is not interested in any of them. Giovanni finally tells her how he feels (obviously having failed in his attempts to repent) and finally wins her over. Annabella's tutoress Putana (literally, 'Whore') encourages the relationship. The siblings consummate their relationship. Hippolita, a past lover of Soranzo, verbally attacks him, furious with him for letting her send her husband Richardetto on a dangerous journey she believed would result in his death so that they could be together, then declining his vows and abandoning her. Soranzo leaves and his servant Vasques promises to help Hippolita get revenge on Soranzo and the pair agree to marry after they murder him. Richardetto is not dead but also in Parma in disguise with his niece Philotis. Richardetto is also desperate for revenge against Soranzo and convinces Grimaldi that to win Annabella, he should stab Soranzo with a poisoned sword. Bergetto and Philotis, now betrothed, are planning to marry secretly in the place Richardetto orders Grimaldi to wait. Grimaldi mistakenly stabs and kills Bergetto instead, leaving Philotis, Poggio (Bergetto's servant), and Donado (Bergetto's uncle) distraught. Annabella resigns herself to marrying Soranzo, knowing she has to marry someone other than her brother. She subsequently falls ill and it is revealed that she is pregnant. Friar Bonaventura then persuades her to marry Soranzo before her pregnancy becomes apparent. Donado and Florio (father of Annabella and Giovanni) go to the cardinal's house, where Grimaldi has been in hiding, to beg for justice. The cardinal refuses due to Grimaldi's high status and instead sends him back to Rome. Florio tells Donado to wait for God to bring them justice.

John Ford (Author), Abby Pugh, Anna Stone, Arnie Horton, Charlotte Duckett, Chris Marcellus, Chuck Williamson, Denny Sayers, Elizabeth Barr, Elizabeth Klett, Rick F (Narrator)

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Hollywood: Its Morals and Manners

The motion picture industry is an enigma for many people. While, in the open, everything seems "clean," legitimate and in good order, the seedier, lesser known side of Hollywood has always been somewhat of a legend that everyone seemed to know about, but no one could truly describe in any detailed manner. Theodore Dresier, famous American author and journalist, wanted to get in behind the scenes of Los Angeles' then still new, yet highly successful movie making industry, to find out about all the less commonly advertised goings-on that one may find here. Sure enough, he was not disappointed with what he discovered, and Hollywood, Its Morals and Mannerisms has quickly become one of the most famous account about what lies beneath the surface of LA's awe-inspiring movie studios, as well as a warning for all young artists and actors who might want to venture forth with their talents, to become cinema's next great stars. Dresier's main concern had to do with the recruitment of new talent. Young actors and actresses were often forced into unflattering circumstances either by unscrupulous hiring agents, or by their own desperation and drive to become famous. Whether it was about employers seeking to exploit new talent for high profits at a low cost, or young women attempting to be seen in public with celebrities in the hopes of catching the eye of a famous Hollywood producer, Dresier's extensive work, divided in four distinct parts, is just about everything you would (or wouldn't) want to know about Hollywood

Theodore Dreiser (Author), Chuck Williamson (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Chuck Williamson