One of the last plays written by Shakespeare, «Henry VIII» is one of his finest historical dramas. Focusing on the life and times of Henry VIII, one of England's most dynamic rulers, the play examines and dramatizes monarchical life of 16th century England. The plot surrounds the events of King Henry VIII's annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon and engagement to Ann Boleyn. The play portrays the suppression of the protestant ...
William Shakespeare's «King Richard III» is one of the playwright's classic English historical dramas. It the story of Richard's murderous and deceitful plans to ascend to the thrown. A classic and popular play for performance, «King Richard III» is one of Shakespeare's great historical dramas. ...
Euripides turned to playwriting at a young age, achieving his first victory in the dramatic competitions of the Athenian City Dionysia in 441 b.c.e. He would be awarded this honor three more times in his life, and once more posthumously. His works are characterized by their moral ambiguity, plots of intrigue, and often a separate character (usually a deity) who introduces the play with an explanatory prologue. «Hecuba» was written around 424 b.c ...
Euripides, along was Sophocles and Aeschylus, is responsible for the great rise of Greek tragedy. It was in the 5th Century BC, during the height of Greece's cultural bloom, that Euripides lived and worked. Of his roughly ninety-two plays, only seventeen tragedies survive. Both ridiculed and lauded during his life, Euripides now stands as an innovator of the Greek drama. Here, in «Heracles and Other Plays», we witness Euripides at the heigh ...
Euripides (480 BC-406 BC) is revered as one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, and produced the largest body of extant work by any ancient playwright. He is considered to be the most modern of the three, and his works laid the foundation for Western theatre. «Ion» interprets the legend of the orphan Ion, who was conceived from the rape of Creusa by the god Apollo. Creusa is determined to keep t ...
Though little is known for certain of his early life, Euripides was probably born around 460 b.c.e. to the farmer Mnesarchus and his wife Clito, and his studious nature quickly led him to a literary life in Athens. His work sticks out from that of his contemporaries for his attention to the political and social problems around him, although he never held public office. His plays are often ironic, pessimistic, and display radical rejection of cla ...
"Othello" is one of Shakespeare's finest dramas and one of the greatest tragedies ever written. It is the story of its title character, Othello, a Moor general who draws the ire of Iago, his ensign, when he passes him over for a promotion. Othello also makes an enemy of Roderigo, a wealthy gentleman, when he marries his love interest, Desdemona. Iago conspires against Othello by making him believe that his wife has been unfaithful. Thi ...
The oldest surviving play of the great Greek tragedian Sophocles, «Aias» or «Ajax» unfolds the destiny of the warrior Aias after the Trojan War. He is infuriated with the Greek leaders for awarding the armor of Achilles to Odysseus, and he vows to kill them in his vengeance. When he attempts to seek his revenge, however, the goddess Athena interferes, leading him into disgrace. Determined to end his own life, Aias disregards the pleading of his ...
"As You Like It", is one of William Shakespeare's most loved and often performed romantic comedies. «As You Like It» is the story of a Duke, who when unjustly deposed by his younger brother, Frederick, flees to the forest of Arden. The Duke's daughter, Rosalind, remains at the court until it is discovered that she has fallen in love with Orlando, the son of the Duke's friend. Rosalind flees with her cousin Celia in the guise ...
