So I saw this tweet from YA author Arthur Slade:

New app features Jean-Luc Picard, Dr. Who reading Shakespeare’s sonnets | Quillblog | Quill & Quire ow.ly/cymFt

— Arthur Slade (@arthurslade) July 27, 2012

Seriously — Patrick Stewart reads Shakespeare? I’m definitely interested! I’ve watched him perform in a TV production of Hamlet, and that was probably the first time I’ve actually felt sorry for Claudius.

The iPad app was created by Touch Press, and the great news (especially for non-iPad users like myself who can’t download the app) is that you can view videos of the sonnet performances on their website. I browsed the site searching for Patrick Stewart’s performances, just because he’s amazing, but the app also features other really good actors. Take for example David Tennant’s reading of Sonnet 18, made quite a bit more romantic in my view by his Scottish accent:

Just a sampling of a couple of Patrick Stewart’s performances that I especially loved…

This to me is one of the most romantic Shakespearean sonnets:

I also really love this one:

Watching Patrick Stewart read these beautiful poems is just a beautiful experience in itself. I admit: I gave a happy sigh with each final couplet. Shakespeare’s words are magical.

Finally, one of my favourite Shakespeare sonnets ever, read by Stephen Fry, yet another great actor:

In some ways, I think that’s the most romantic of Shakespeare’s sonnets, and Stephen Fry’s somewhat cheeky delivery is just perfect.

Hope you enjoy exploring the site as much as I did! And thanks to Arthur Slade and Quill and Quire for the heads up!