Hamlet Act 1 Scene 5 read by Charles Bryant

Hamlet by William Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 5

Read by Charles Bryant

Hamlet and the ghost of his murdered father.

The poetry is, of course, sublime. In order to understand the nature of the sublime, it is helpful to read the treatise on the subject penned by Longinus, an obscure Greek writer of the first century AD, as translated by William Smith in his second revised edition of 1743:

"....the sublime is a certain eminence or perfection of language, and the greatest writers, both in verse and prose, have by this alone obtained the prize of glory. For the sublime not only persuades but throws the audience into transport. The marvellous always works with more surprising force than that which barely persuades or delights. In most cases it is wholly in our own power either to resist or yield to persuasion. But the sublime, imbued with strength irresistible, strikes home and triumphs over every hearer. The sublime with the rapid force of lightning has borne down all before it and shown at one stroke the compacted might of genius....

"For the mind is naturally elevated by the true sublime and so sensibly affected with its lively strokes that it swells in transport and an inward pride, as if what was only heard had been the production of its own invention.....

"Whatever pierces no deeper than the ears can never be the true sublime. That, on the contrary, is grand and lofty, which the more we consider, the greater ideas we conceive of it; whose force we cannot possibly withstand; which immediately sinks deep, and makes such impressions on the mind as cannot easily be worn out or effaced. In a word, you may pronounce that sublime which always pleases and takes equally with all sorts of men."

In his Dictionary, Johnson quotes Addison: "The sublime rises from the nobleness of thoughts, the magnificence of the words, or the harmonious and lively turn of the phrase; the perfect sublime arises from all three together."

(These quotations are taken from Chapter Two of 'David Garrick' by Jean Benedetti.)

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[OscarBodden]

You are indeed a fabulous reader i'v never heard hamlet read with such depth and feeling. Bravo Sr.Charles. Bravo.I'm inspired by the way you bring the characters to life. You make the characters jump right off the page it's beautiful .

[brychar66]

@OscarBodden Thanks so much Oscar :)

[XaveJamesGrey]

Bravo! Marvellous. I was looking to listen to some Shakespeare before bed and am pleased to find your reading Charles.

[1zangelique]

It's marvelous to hear this read in your voice, Charles! Thanks so much! Love, Gare

[Idlinfarm]

Awesome!  Your reading is divine.

[sfkcbf]

Sublime. Each time that I read or hear Shakespeare, I am impressed anew with the high quality and thoughtfulness of his language. Do most people today read Shakespeare? Or read at all? Or speak even with one poor percentage of his quality?

I find the highest quality music also to be sublime, and I am profoundly moved by it. Thank you, Charles.