If you have never watched the "Ring" before, you might be intimidated by the seemingly endless array of performances, recordings, books, and what have you. Luckily for you, I'm going to make the decision on which "Ring" to watch for you. The best "Ring" for beginners, and arguably the best televised "Ring" of all time is the 1978-80 "Jahrhundert" "Ring" directed by Patrice Chéreau and conducted by Pierre Boulez at Bayreuth. This was the first ever "Ring" produced for video and remains the gold standard not only because everyone in the (extremely attractive) cast was at their prime - including the inimitable Donald MacIntyre as Wotan, Gwenyth Jones (whose voice really is a weapon) as Brünnhilde, and the dreamiest Wälsungs ever put on stage (Peter Hofmann as Siegmund and Jeannine Altmeyer as Sieglinde) - but also because Chéreau, perhaps better than any other director, understood, from the perspective of not only a card carrying 70s French leftist but also as a man of the theatre (rather than the opera specifically), what is good dramatically and politically in the "Ring" and what is bad in it, and, as such he does Wagner many favors, some of which are undeserved.
Chéreau's "Ring" is set in its time, which is to say, the "Ring's" time: the late 19th century, a choice which only deepens the continued relevance of the political and social forces that informed the work during the time of its composition. These include but are not limited to: industrialization (the Rhine is dammed, Siegfried forges the sword in an industrial press), and wealth inequality. Wotan is clad in a gilded dressing coat and, later, perhaps visually communicating the historical reaction against the much longed for fantasy of a pristine nature (so widespread in the 19th century) in the form of a total embrace of the brash coldness of modernity, the Gibichungs, when introduced in "Götterdämmerung" are dressed in stiff 1920s formalwear. (Thus, it is subsequently absurd when Siegfried appears at their doorstep in a breastplate.) The sets, which in their day were panned for being cold and harsh compared to the fantasy settings so common in Wagner productions, are among the finest examples of postmodern stage design. Boulez's conducting, also initially frowned upon for being too strict and clinical, which is to say, for favoring precision over power, is now seen in a more appreciative light for its overall balance, accentuated by his ability to bring some of the rarer yet still important textures and timbres to the fore. (Of particular delight is his conducting of the descent into Nibelheim in "Das Rheingold.")
It is relatively easy to find this edition of the "Ring" online with English subtitles if you search for some of the keywords, however I won't be linking to it directly because the last time I did that "Die Walküre" got copyright struck and we still don't have a subtitled replacement.
However, if you are interested in another, more contemporary option (with subtitles), I recommend (on behalf of Fredric Jameson, who was a fan) the Copenhagen Ring, staged by Kasper Bech Holten for the Copenhagen Opera House in 2006. This is among if not the most avowedly feminist (at least of all the "Rings" I've seen) renditions ever put to stage, one in which Sieglinde, not Siegmund pulls the sword Nothung out of the tree. (More viscerally, later on, in a frank and brutal depiction of patriarchal violence, when Wotan disavows Brünnhilde, he visibly breaks the wings off her back.) This has always been my second favorite "Ring" because it makes evident a heteropessimist current that's always been lurking beneath the surface of the work. Even if you're not into feminism, the "eurotrash" aesthetics of the production will feel very vibey in our current aesthetic moment. It can be found on YouTube if you search for "Copenhagen Ring."
That being said, a whole universe of "Ring" Cycles are available to you - on video or recorded - if you simply choose to buy a libretto, which I highly recommend. My favorite is the recent edition by John Deathridge for Penguin, which translates the opera into more contemporary prose while still retaining much of the poetic sentiment. If you can get ahold of the Rudolph Sabor box set of libretti with the leitmotifs listed in the margins, the translations are bad but the cues are very helpful. While reading from a libretto may feel awkward at first, especially without visual cues, it's eventually easy to get used to. It helps to read a few lines ahead and follow stage cues. That way you're not constantly looking back and forth with each line.
As far as the best recordings go, this is a hotly debated topic. Since it's my website, I will say that my favorite recording of all time is the 1964 London Symphony Orchestra rendition conducted by Erich Leinsdorf for Decca. The Solti Ring, also recorded for Decca by the engineer John Crenshaw is another gold standard, especially in terms of recording engineering. Culshaw's book Ring Resounding, about the trials and tribulations of recording the "Ring" in studio is a hallmark text for those of us who study classical recording or the history of recorded sound. The 1967 Herbert von Karajan Ring with the Berlin Phil is another popular choice. At any rate, people end lifelong friendships arguing over this stuff, so my overall advice is to listen around and find what you like.
This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. I just felt like choosing my top five.
For lists of leitmotifs:
This website uses the English translations from the Penguin edition by John Deathridge, with a few starred (**) exceptions which are from the anthology by Rudolph Sabor. Its terminology for the leitmotifs also comes from the Sabor anthology and/or the UofT list. Leitmotifs linked in the text redirect to the YouTube page linked above. This is because not everyone can read music. At some point I will go back and add line references/citations to the quotes used but not right now because this is a hobby not a dissertation. In terms of grammar, Der Ring, Ring "Ring," and Ring (without quotations) are used interchangeably. Even though this may not be correct grammatically it reads better and saves me a huge amount of time.
All that being said, I hope you enjoy my little website!