Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Author: William Shakespeare
- Narrator: LibriVox Volunteers
- Length: 02:04:42
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 01/01/2016
- Publisher: LibriVox
- Genre: Drama, Shakespeare
- ISBN13: SABLIB9782556
The first time I heard the opening lines of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” whispered through my headphones, I was sitting under a banyan tree in Goa, the Indian ocean breeze carrying its own kind of magic. It reminded me of those moonlit nights in Oaxaca when abuelita’s stories blurred the line between reality and fantasy – exactly the liminal space Shakespeare creates in this timeless comedy. The LibriVox volunteer narration, with its charming imperfections, feels like listening to a troupe of traveling players at a Renaissance fair rather than a polished studio production.
As someone who’s chased stories from the Atacama to the Amazon, I’m particularly drawn to how Shakespeare’s Athenian forest becomes a character itself – that transformative space where city rules dissolve and magic takes root. The LibriVox ensemble captures this beautifully, their varied voices creating an aural tapestry that mirrors the play’s multiple worlds colliding. When Puck declares ‘what fools these mortals be,’ I can practically smell the crushed thyme underfoot from my own nights camping in Greece, where ancient theater still echoes through olive groves.
The strength of this free audiobook lies in its democratic spirit – much like Bottom and his amateur players, these volunteer narrators embrace the text with delightful earnestness. While you won’t find the technical perfection of paid productions, there’s authenticity in how one narrator’s Titania drips with regal annoyance while another’s Bottom booms with unwitting comedy. The scene where Puck transforms Bottom had me laughing aloud on a crowded bus in Lima, drawing curious glances as the donkey’s braying erupted through my earbuds.
Shakespeare’s exploration of love’s madness resonates deeply with my travel experiences – haven’t we all, like those Athenian lovers, followed someone into unfamiliar territory only to question our own senses? The narrators handle the rapid-fire romantic confusions with clarity, though the audio quality varies between chapters. Listen for the magical moment when Oberon’s ‘I know a bank where the wild thyme blows’ arrives like a fragrant breeze – it transported me straight to the herb-scented hillsides of Crete.
Compared to professional recordings, this version lacks consistent audio engineering, with some sections noticeably quieter than others. Yet there’s charm in these imperfections – it feels like discovering a handwritten manuscript rather than a printed book. The play-within-a-play scene particularly benefits from the multiple voices, creating genuine comedic timing that would make the original ‘rude mechanicals’ proud.
For travelers and daydreamers, this audiobook makes perfect company during long bus rides or sleepless nights in strange cities. I once listened to the fairy quarrels while watching fireflies dance over rice paddies in Vietnam – no production could rival that natural staging. While serious Shakespeare scholars might prefer academic readings, this free version captures the play’s essential magic: its ability to make us question, like Theseus, whether we’re waking or dreaming.
May your own journeys – through forests real and imagined – be equally enchanted, Marcus
Marcus Rivera
