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Phaedra and other Poems and Ballads

Gelesen von LibriVox Volunteers

Phædra was the wife of Theseus, the King of Athens, but she developed a passion for her step-son Hippolytus. His rejection of her declaration of love leads to tragedy and death.

The Poems read here are from Swinburne's Poems and Ballads (First series) published in 1866. The poems were popular on publication but also controversial as Swinburne wrote about topics which were considered taboo at the time such as Lesbianism (or Sapphism), Sado-masochism and Anti-theism. Many of the poems have the common themes of love and death and there are several references to the Greek poet Sappho whose work Swinburne admired. - Summary by Alan Mapstone

Cast List for the Phædra play:
Phædra: laurakgibbs
Hippolytus: Alan Mapstone
Chorus of Trœzenian Women: ShrimpPhish
(2 hr 4 min)

Chapters

PHÆDRA

14:13

Read by LibriVox Volunteers

A Ballad of Life

6:07

Read by Alan Mapstone

A Ballad of Death

8:45

Read by Alan Mapstone

A Leave-Taking

3:21

Read by Bruce Kachuk

Rondel

1:26

Read by Barty Begley

Satia te Sanguine

4:26

Read by Alan Mapstone

Anima Anceps

1:48

Read by Algy Pug

In the Orchard

4:07

Read by Larry Wilson

A Match

2:07

Read by Arnav Darnal

A Cameo

1:15

Read by David Lawrence

Song before Death

1:13

Read by Douglas Wood

Stage Love

1:46

Read by Bruce Kachuk

Rondel

1:05

Read by David Lawrence

Before the Mirror

3:01

Read by dc

Erotion

3:12

Read by dc

In Memory of Walter Savage Landor

2:18

Read by dc

A Song in Time of Order, 1852

3:30

Read by Bruce Kachuk

A Song in Time of Revolution, 1860

5:26

Read by Alan Mapstone

Before Dawn

3:24

Read by Larry Wilson

The Garden of Proserpine

5:36

Read by Alan Mapstone

Love at Sea

1:36

Read by ShrimpPhish

April

3:03

Read by Adrian Stephens

Before Parting

2:27

Read by Adrian Stephens

The Sundew

2:37

Read by Adrian Stephens

An Interlude

2:52

Read by Adrian Stephens

Hendecasyllabics

2:28

Read by Adrian Stephens

Sapphics

5:58

Read by Alan Mapstone

August

2:58

Read by ShrimpPhish

A Christmas Carol

3:03

Read by Larry Wilson

Love and Sleep

1:05

Read by Arnav Darnal

Madonna Mia

3:03

Read by Larry Wilson

The King's Daughter

3:01

Read by ShrimpPhish

After Death

2:26

Read by Douglas Wood

May Janet

2:45

Read by Alan Mapstone

The Sea-Swallows

3:36

Read by Dave Silva

The Year of Love

3:07

Read by Alan Mapstone