William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.

‘Though I am not naturally honest, I am sometimes so by chance.’

Based on Robert Greene’s story Pandosto, The Winter’s Tale play tells the story of Leontes, king of Sicilia, and his childhood friend, Polixenes, king of Bohemia. In a jealous rage, Leontes mistakenly accuses Polixenes and his own his wife, Hermione, of adultery and her newborn daughter as illegitimate, casting her into the wilderness, causing their son to die of grief and Hermione to seemingly follow suit. With his family dead or believed dead, Leontes must face the tragic consequences of his actions. With unbridled honesty and the pain of love, the final act is one of Shakespeare’s most moving reconciliation scenes.

All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.

Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.

The full cast includes: William Squire; Denis McCarthy; Terrence Hardiman; Corin Redgrave; Toby Robertson; Anthony White; George Rylands; John Barton; Michael Bates; Margaretta Scott; Mary Conroy; Joan Hart; Jill Daltry; Janette Richer; Clive Swift; Ian McKellen; Richard Marquand; Donald Beves; Anthony Arlidge.

The Winter's Tale, a masterpiece from the best of Shakespeare's less performed plays, has been brought to life by the Marlowe Dramatic Society, a top performing group in the European theatre scene. Their interpretation of the play, steeped in unbridled honesty and the pain of love, has been hailed as one of the finest of their generation.

For fans of Barbara A. Mowat (The Taming of the Shrew), Paul Werstine (The Two Noble Kinsmen), Sparknotes (Merchant of Venice), and Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman).

The Winter’s Tale (Argo Classics)

The Winter’s Tale (Argo Classics)