Cumberbatch Captures Literature Beautifully

Greetings everyone and welcome to a late night Friday version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

This week I revisited some of my favorite YouTube videos involving Benedict Cumberbatch. I’m not talking about the scene where he rescued Irene Adler or his filming of Star Trek, but rather his literary videos.

As a literature lover, I’m drawn to classic works such as Kubla Khan, Metamorphosis, Macbeth, and many others. Cumberbatch has intensified my admiration by reading some pieces of classic literature. While some of you may pass this off or even question how this is even possible, I urge you to listen to some of his audio readings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrAGCJJkNbE – Benedict Cumberbatch reads John Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM8LAbuateI – Benedict Cumberbatch reads Shakespeare’s ‘The Seven Stages of Man’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7mEV9VUgtQ – Benedict Cumberbatch reads Kubla Khan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvz-_vky7mM – Benedict Cumberbatch reads a section of Casanova (prepare your imaginations)

I’m extremely particular with how literature is read. The person must embody the piece using the right tone, the perfect pace, the correct (if any) emphasis, and other factors. Otherwise, they butcher it. But Cumberbatch reads each work with a different voice, taking on the persona of the written word, and dealing with it carefully, bringing out their uniqueness.   

His reading of John Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale is like a tranquil river. So smooth, it penetrates the soul and warms it like fire. With every uttered word, the flames spread throughout the body and brain, and envelope the senses in warmth.  At times, his voice transforms into a soft whisper, filled with a longing for something familiar, and exhausted from reciting these words many times before.

This differs from his reading of Shakespeare’s ‘The Seven Stages of Man’ piece where his voice is bold, as though making a factual observation of the life of man.  He speaks as though he is telling the truths of life, of how we evolve as the parts noted in the section. His voice contributes to the flow of the work, as though his voice itself is growing with every stage of man. His voice is serious at first but winds its way down to something casual, as though man has experienced everything in his life, and is understandable and knowledgeable of everything.

What piece of literature would you love to hear Benedict Cumberbatch read? Feel free to comment and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.