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  • Oedipus the King

  • By: Sophocles
  • Narrated by: full cast
  • Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (353 ratings)

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Oedipus the King  By  cover art

Oedipus the King

By: Sophocles
Narrated by: full cast
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Publisher's summary

In Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus discovers that he has been caught in his terrible destiny, unknowingly murdering his father and marrying his mother.

This perfomance features a new translation from the original Greek by director Nicholas Rudall.

Starring (in alphabetical order):

Spencer Garrett as Shepard, Chorus
Francis Guinan as Messenger, Chorus
Gregory Itzin as Creon
Charles Kimbrough as Priest of Zeus, Chorus
Harry J. Lennis as Oedipus
Rod McLachlan as Second Messenger, Chorus
Carolyn Seymour as Jocasta
W. Morgan Sheppard as Teiresias, Chorus
(P)2003 L.A. Theatre Works

What listeners say about Oedipus the King

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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achapparo

still to this day... an extremely intriguing story of irony... and well performed. love the second chapter review and interview

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exquisite Performance

This is probably one of the greatest performances of Oedipus the King on record. Professional actors, spectacular mood music, and riveting performances. Harry Lennix as Oedipus leaves you shaken at the end with his marvelous rendition.

I only wish Audible had the rest of the Theban plays with this cast and caliber of direction.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

perfect teaching tool

I needed to quickly re-read this to help out a college student who works for me (I often use this as an excuse to re-read great works! lol) and this version is wonderful. Great voices and performances, easy to understand - as the work is a play - listening really brings it to life in a way that reading just cannot. BUT - the absolute best part of this production is the incredibly in depth discussion at the end - the discussion covered every question my worker had asked me to clarify and so much more.
I, myself, love a good brit accent - in truth....makes my knees go weak, but I know many Americans can't decipher them - so this is done by American actors - very good ones, so if that is a concern for you - you will enjoy this production.

"Count no may happy 'til he's dead...." Sophocles.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great story

could care less about the questions they ask at the end but other then that no complaints

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellence.

Excellent drama... perfect audio I would highly recommend this audio book to every one. I truly enjoyed this audio book.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Mankind masterpiece presented by excellent cast

The play is an absolute masterpiece about the human experience. Perennial, short, compact and riveting. The cast is excellent and "invisible": the listener will focus on the story rather than idiosyncrasies of actors. The translation is great, as poetic as any work from that era but modern enough to sound natural.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

awesome

I was just inspired by everyone's performance, and the story, brought down from the long words.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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AMAZING

The translation, performance, and director/translator Q&A at the end made this an incredible experience. 10000% recommend this audio version!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow. Accessible

Unlike many Greek or other “classics” which are difficult to follow or literally boring, this is easy to understand, extremely well acted with passion, and as accessible as any modern theater movie. Really good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous cast & translation

Highly recommend. Talented voices acting out this timeless drama which is well interpreted. Money and time well spent.

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