Tragic plays

Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!For I ne''er saw true beauty till this night.'Arguably the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet continues to touch modern audiences with its passionate depiction of the tragic romance between two young lovers. With a bitter feud between their respective families, Romeo and Juliet's love is troubled from the start, and through their relationship, Shakespeare shows the fine line between love, hatred, comedy and tragedy.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWinner of Best Revival at the Olivier Awards 2024Winner of Best Play Revival at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2024Can you imagine if it was possible to completely change the way you live your life? To look at your life and ask yourself what you would do if it died. If your old life died. It ended. And then take what's left of your real life and live it properly. How can I do that, Michael? Where do I start?Chekhov's classic tale of love, art, sex, and attempted murder in a fresh adaptation by Simon Stephens, written to be performed by a solo actor.Comedic and tragic, Chekhov's examination of our shared humanity our hopes, dreams, regrets is thrust into sharp focus in Vanya. This fresh adaptation explores the kaleidoscope of human emotions, harnessing the power of the intimate bond between actor and audience to delve deeper into the human psyche.This edition was published to coincide with the West End premiere starring Andrew Scott in September 2023.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSet in a city torn apart by feuds and gang warfare, Romeo and Juliet is a dazzling combination of passion and hatred, bawdy comedy and high tragedy.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful hardbacks make perfect gifts for book lovers, or wonderful additions to your own collection. This edition features the classic illustrations by Sir John Gilbert, and includes an introduction by Ned Halley.A young man and woman meet by chance and fall instantly in love. But their families are bitter enemies and, in order to be together, the two lovers must be prepared to risk everything. Undoubtedly the greatest love story ever written, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has spawned a host of imitators on stage and screen and been adapted countless times.Trade ReviewEvery generation continues to be in his debt. Shakespeare’s plots, which are brilliantly polyvalent, continue to inspire ceaseless adaptations and spin-offs. His unforgettable phrase-making recurs on the lips of millions who do not realise they are quoting Shakespeare * Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDark and violent, Macbeth is also the most theatrically spectacular of Shakespeare's tragedies. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated throughout by Sir John Gilbert, and includes an introduction by Dr Robert Mighall.Promised a golden future as ruler of Scotland by three sinister witches, Macbeth murders the king to ensure his ambitions are realized. But he soon learns the meaning of terror - killing once, he must kill again and again, and the dead return to haunt him. A story of war and witchcraft, Macbeth also explores the relationship between husband and wife, and the risks they are prepared to take to achieve their desires.Trade ReviewEvery generation continues to be in his debt. Shakespeare’s plots, which are brilliantly polyvalent, continue to inspire ceaseless adaptations and spin-offs. His unforgettable phrase-making recurs on the lips of millions who do not realise they are quoting Shakespeare * Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisShakespeare’s combination of violence, introspection, dark humour and rich language in Hamlet is intoxicating. It remains the world's most widely studied and performed play, and is a cornerstone of world literature.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated throughout by renowned artist Sir John Gilbert and includes an introduction by Dr Robert Mighall.A young prince meets with his father's ghost, who alleges that his own brother, now married to his widow, murdered him. The prince devises a scheme to test the truth of the ghost's accusation, feigning wild madness while plotting a brutal revenge until his apparent insanity begins to wreak havoc on innocent and guilty alike.Trade ReviewThe most modern of Shakespeare's plays by some margin * Independent *Every generation continues to be in his debt. Shakespeare’s plots, which are brilliantly polyvalent, continue to inspire ceaseless adaptations and spin-offs. His unforgettable phrase-making recurs on the lips of millions who do not realise they are quoting Shakespeare. * Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA drama of ambition, murder, remorse and retribution, Boris Godunov charts the decline of a Russian statesman, whose dynastic aims were foiled by a guilty past and an audacious upstart. Based on history and inspired by Shakespeare, Alexander Pushkin’s daring masterwork is presented here in its rarely published uncensored version of 1825. Set in Vienna, Flanders, Madrid and London, Pushkin’s celebrated Little Tragedies – Mozart and Salieri, The Mean-Spirited Knight, The Stone Guest and A Feast during the Plague – each focus on a protagonist’s driving obsession – with status, money, sex or risk-taking – and its devastating consequences.Table of ContentsThis edition features an appendix containing extra historical material, notes on the play's staging and versions of the text, as well as an extract from John Wilson's The City of the Plague.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare uses the most notorious murder in classical history to tell a tragic tale of friendship, ambition and betrayal. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated throughout by Sir John Gilbert, and includes an introduction by Ned Halley.As the greatest figures of the Roman Republic are swept along on the tide of a terrifying conspiracy, a touchingly human story is revealed in some of the most beautiful poetry ever written.Trade ReviewEvery generation continues to be in his debt. Shakespeare’s plots, which are brilliantly polyvalent, continue to inspire ceaseless adaptations and spin-offs. His unforgettable phrase-making recurs on the lips of millions who do not realise they are quoting Shakespeare * Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHilary Mantel and Ben Miles' exhilarating stage adaptation of The Mirror and the Light, one of 2021's must-see theatrical events, and the long awaited conclusion to the Oliver Award-winning Wolf Hall Trilogy. England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn's fate has been sealed by a hired French executioner. it now befalls Jane Seymour to deliver King Henry VIII the healthy heir he craves. Thomas Cromwell, the blacksmith's son from the gutters of Putney, has knocked down everyone in his path: established at the right hand of the king, he is now the second most powerful man in England. But what will you do, an astute witness asks, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him?Hilary Mantel's twice Booker Prize-winning trilogy is the outstanding literary achievement of recent times. Following Oliver and Tony Award-winning productions of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, hailed as a landmark and must-see theatrical event on both sides of the Atlantic, Mantel and Ben MiTrade Review Praise for Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies on stage: ‘A gripping piece of narrative theatre … history made manifest’ Guardian ‘Enthralling … splendidly entertaining and at times deeply touching’ Daily Telegraph ‘Gripping yet darkly funny … a bold, unforgettable lesson in history and politics’ The Times ‘An impressive feat, a compelling drama played out across the canvas of a nation soaked in rain and mud and blood … accessible and consistently engrossing’ Hollywood Reporter ‘A fast-paced political thriller … fiendishly engaging’ Time Out New York

Read more less

Book SynopsisArthur Miller''s extraordinary masterpiece, Death of a Salesman changed the course of modern theatre, and has lost none of its power as an examination of American life. ''A man is not an orange. You can''t eat the fruit and throw the peel away''Willy Loman is on his last legs. Failing at his job, dismayed at his the failure of his sons, Biff and Happy, to live up to his expectations, and tortured by his jealousy at the success and happiness of his neighbour Charley and his son Bernard, Willy spirals into a well of regret, reminiscence, and A scathing indictment of the ultimate failure of the American dream, and the empty pursuit of wealth and success, is a harrowing journey. In creating Willy Loman, his destructively insecure anti-hero, Miller defined his aim as being ''to set forth what happens when a man does not have a grip on the forces of life''.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThese three plays, diverse in subject but thematically coherent, illuminate one of Sartre''s major philosophical concerns: the struggle to live and act freely in a complex and constricting world. Lucifer and the Lord, Sartre''s favourite among his plays, explores this theme in depth, dealing in the process with fundamental questions of faith and disillusionment; in Huis Clos - arguably Sartre''s most important play - he contends that ''Hell is other people'', and details the afterlife of three souls trapped together in locked room and the torments that they inflict on each other; while The Respectable Prostitute, set in the Deep South of America, is concerned with racism, subjugation and the demands of conscience.

Read more less

Book SynopsisQuentin is a successful lawyer in New York, but inside his head he is struggling with his own sense of guilt and the shadows of his past relationships. One of these an ill-fated marriage to the charming and beautiful Maggie, who went from operating a switchboard to become a self-destructive star - a singer everyone wanted a piece of. With tremendous psychological acuity and depth, and a brilliant, dreamlike structure, After the Fall is a literary masterpiece, drawing on Miller''s own life - the story of a man striving to comprehend his feelings for his friends, family and the women he has loved.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn brand new translations by Ryan Bloom, four theatrical masterpieces from the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Outsider and The Plague are brought together for the first time in English, alongside deleted scenes and alternate lines of dialogueCaligula/The Misunderstanding /State of Emergency/The JustAlthough renowned for his novels, Albert Camus described the theatre as ''one of the only places in the world I''m happy'', and staged the four plays gathered in this collection in Paris between 1944-49. Caligula, his first full-length dramatic work, portrays the monstrous emperor who destroys men, gods and ultimately himself. Here too are The Misunderstanding, a murderous tangle of longing; State of Emergency, where ''The Plague'' appears as a central character; and The Just, which explores the limits of political conviction. This new translation brings together Camus''s final versions of the plays, along with deleted scenes and alternate lines of dialogue.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrojan Women is very much a play for our times. Strongly anti-war, it shows its aftermath through the eyes of the women of the Trojan royal household, whose city has been sacked. The play expresses their protest, grief, and reflection upon the world in which they now find themselves. Greek text with translation, introduction and commentary.Table of ContentsGeneral Editor's ForewordPrefaceGeneral BibliographyINTRODUCTION TO TROJAN WOMENNotes to Introduction to Trojan Women Translator's NoteNote on the Greek textAbbreviationsSiglaText and TranslationCommentary STYLISTIC INDEXGENERAL INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this play, Euripides uses the story of Heracles' murder of his wife and children to explore the contrast between myth and reality, and the boundaries of madness. This edition aims to bring out the play’s human and psychological qualities and to defend its structure and dramatic power. Greek text with facing translation, notes and commentary.Table of ContentsGeneral Editor’s ForewordPrefaceGeneral Bibliography for EuripidesIntroduction to Heracles 1. Heracles 2. Plot and Shaping 3. Structure 4. Themes: The gods Madness and violence The development of arete or heroic valour Friendship5. Plan of Structure6. The Date7. The Text8. Manuscripts and Editorial SymbolsTEXT AND TRANSLATION OF HERACLES Hypothesis. Plot Summary Text and TranslationCOMMENTARYSelect Bibliography to HeraclesIndex to Heracles

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Euripides’ Hippolytus, a young man (Hippolytus) is falsely accused of rape after rejecting a married woman's (Phaedra's) advances. This excellent play is crucial to Euripidean studies, due to its influence, and also as it shows us Euripides’ ‘rewriting’ of his earlier play on the same topic. Greek text with translation and commentary.Table of ContentsGeneral Editor’s ForewordGeneral Introduction to the Series I. The Ancient Theatre II. Greek Tragedy III. EuripidesIntroduction to Hippolytus I. Hippolytus: Mythical Background and Cult II. Hippolytus I III. The Play A Note on the Text and TranslationGeneral BibliographyAbbreviations and Bibliography for HippolytusManuscripts and SiglaHippolytus: Text and Translation CommentaryIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisIon is generally regarded as one of Euripides’ most attractive plays. A skilfully organised plot, charming characters, exciting situations and thought-provoking themes make it an excellent introduction to the study of Greek drama generally and of Euripides in particular. Greek text with facing translation, introduction and commentary.Table of ContentsGeneral Editor’s ForewordPrefaceAbbreviationsAddenda 2007Updated General BibliographyIntroduction to Ion 1. Plot and meaning 2. Structure 3. Characters 4. Themes and Issues 5. Myth 6. Staging 7. Date 8. Text and TranslationManuscripts and Editorial SymbolsText and Translation of Ion CommentaryBibliography for IonIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisProduced in 408 BC, Orestes marks the culmination of Euripides' development, and in antiquity it surpassed all other tragedies in popularity. An exuberant and entertaining melodrama full of varied action, emotion and novel theatrical effects — no study of Greek drama should neglect it. Text with translation, introduction and commentary.Trade Review"West's introduction is full of interest and penetrative insight."London Association of Classical Teachers (LACT)"Strongly recommended."ChoiceTable of ContentsGeneral Editor’s ForewordAuthor’s PrefaceAuthor’s Postscript 2005Updated General BibliographyIntroduction to Orestes I. Orestes in the Development of Tragedy II. The Story III. Literary Sources and Models IV. Characters, Ethics, Contemporary Background V. Production VI. From Euripides’ Text to OursNotes to Introduction to OrestesBibliography to OrestesAbbreviationsSiglaText and TranslationCommentaryIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis edition of Aeschylus' Eumenides presents a newly constituted text that diverges substantially from Page's Oxford Classical Text of 1972. The facing-page translation is in prose, with literary and historical commentary, notes, and an introduction dealing with myth, historical background and suggested staging of the play.Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTSINTRODUCTIONI. The Myth before Aeschylus; cult of the Semnai; early Conceptions of the ErinyesII. Staging a. The Design of the Early Theatreb. The Staging of EumenidesIII. Philosophy and PoliticsIV. Influencea. Ancient Literatureb. Ancient Artc. The Myth in Later Literature and MusicV. The Eumenides and its Place in the Work of Aeschylus; Dike (Justice) in The Oresteia; the Moral of the TrilogyVI. The Text of Eumenides and its TransmissionNOTESTEXT AND TRANSLATIONCOMMENTARYApparatus CriticusAppendicesI. Athenian Judicial Procedure as Reflected in the Trial SceneII. Athena’s Vote at vv. 735 and 752–3 and the so-called “Vote of Athena”III. The Choral MetresGENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHYINDEXIllustrations:Side panel of a Roman sarcophagusRoman marble sarcophagusApulian calyx-krater

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhiloctetes is a tragedy of surpassing human interest, portraying relationships against a background of terrible suffering and mean intrigue. This edition provides the Greek text with facing translation; a commentary elucidating the action; and an Introduction with analysis of the play, and notes on its background and manuscript tradition.Table of ContentsPreface AbbreviationsBibliographyIntroduction Notes SiglaPHILOCTETES – Text and TranslationNote on the HypothesesCommentaryAppendixes: Metre Apparatus CriticusGlossaryIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book offers the first English commentary on Euripides’ play Bacchae since that of E. R. Dodds (1960). It takes account of studies made on the play since then, as well as discussing recent scholarship and new research into the cult of Dionysus. Greek text with facing translation, introduction and commentary. Bibliography updated in 2015.Table of ContentsGeneral Editor’s ForewordPrefaceAbbreviationsIntroduction to Bacchae: I: Tradition and Structure II: The Bacchae and the Dionysiac III: The Bacchae and Cult IV: The Bacchae and the Polis V: The Transmission of the BacchaeManuscriptsApparatus CriticusText and Translation of BacchaeSelected Text from Christus PatiensCommentaryGeneral Bibliography Selected Bibliography for BacchaeIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisAndromache, written in the early years of the Peloponnesian War, shows the effects of war on the conquerors and the conquered. The other main theme is the role and nature of women, explored through the conflict between the contrasting figures of Andromache and Hermione. Greek text with facing translation, introduction and commentary. 2nd ed.Trade Review'A sound and useful edition, with a reliable translation and a sensible commentary.'David Sansone, Exemplaria Classica (January, 2007)Table of ContentsGeneral Editor’s ForewordPrefaceAbbreviationsIntroduction The Myth Structure and Themes Wives and Concubines Locale and Staging Date and Place of Production A Note on the Greek TextManuscripts and Editorial SymbolsText and Translation of AndromacheCommentaryGeneral Bibliography for Euripides Bibliography for AndromacheIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisA group of Argive women beg King Theseus to bring about the burial of their sons who are being denied it by their Theban conquerors. The play explores themes of a just war, the family, the role and behaviour of women, and the education of Theseus, as he is transformed from a great hero into a great man. Text with facing translation and commentary.Trade Review'A very thorough and scholarly account of...an unjustly neglected play.'Neill Croally, JACT, 2007'The many qualities of this volume will enable numerous readers to enjoy the discovery of this magnificent play which, as James Morwood reminds us, has too long been considered as a minor work by Euripides, a play of political propaganda. Each part of the book, the Introduction, Translation and Commentary, aims to facilitate reading and stimulate interest, without drowning the reader in technical details concerning Euripides language or the editing of his work.'Aurelie Wach, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2007Table of ContentsGeneral Editor's ForewordEditor's Preface Introduction: 1. Plot, themes and motifs 2. Politics and character 3a. King Theseus and democratic Athens 3b. Theseus, Herakles and Kimon 4. Athenian funeral encomia and Adrastos' oration 5. The play's geography 5a. Eleusis 5b. Thebes 5c. Argos 6. The myth and its reception 7. Date 8. The text and translationBibliography and Abbreviations for Suppliant WomenMap: The Greece of the playSuppliant Women: Greek text with parallel translationCommentaryAppendix: The Argive women and Athenian mourning legislationGeneral BibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn up-to-date edition of one of the most widely read and performed Greek tragedies. Offers new interpretative suggestions and provides detailed guidance on problems of language and dramaturgy. Ideal for students of Greek at all levels, while also of interest to scholars of Greek literature and cultural history.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Symbols and Sigla; ΕΥΡΙΠΙΔΟΥ ΒΑΚΧΑΙ; Commentary; Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat distinguishes modern tragedy from other forms of drama? How does it relate to contemporary political and social conditions? To what ends have artists employed the tragic form in different locations during the 20th century? Partly motivated by the urgency of our current situation in an age of ecocidal crisis, Modern Tragedy encompasses a variety of drama from throughout the 20th century. James Moran begins this book with John Millington Synge's Riders to the Sea (1904), which shows how environmental awareness might be expressed through tragic drama. Moran also looks at Brecht's reworking of Synge's drama in the 1937 play Señora Carrar's Rifles, and situates Brecht''s script in the light of the theatre practitioner's broader ideas about tragedy. Brecht's tragic thinking informed by Hegel and Marx is contrasted with the Schopenhauerian approach of Samuel Beckett. The volume goes on to examine theatre makers whose ideas were partly motivated by applying an undeTrade ReviewTaking his cue from Raymond Williams' landmark Modern Tragedy (1966), James Moran updates our understanding of 20th-century tragic drama to speak to contemporary concerns about politics, decolonisation and the climate emergency. An admirably clear and engaging argument for the continuing relevance of an age-old theatrical tradition. * Jennifer Wallace, University of Cambridge, UK, and author of Tragedy Since 9/11 *Table of ContentsSeries Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Does Modern Tragedy Exist? 1. From 1904: Synge and the Nature Elegy 2. From 1937: Brecht and Political Engagement 3. From 1954: Walcott, Clark and the Postcolonial Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis accessible edition for students brings the Agamemnon, Aeschylus'' opening play in the Oresteia trilogy, to life for first-time readers. A hugely popular play in antiquity and with a rich reception history to the present day, this is an essential play for students of classics, drama and the canon of western literature. Leah Himmelhoch provides a helpful guide for students and instructors wishing to study and teach the play, building on her over twenty-five years of experience teaching college and university students. A quick introduction sets out Agamemnons historical, literary, and performative context, its use of imagery and themes (especially gender conflict and the perversion of sacrificial ritual), and its subsequent literary and cultural impact while extensive commentary notes guide students through every line of the Greek text. Difficult passages are carefully explained while the power and beauty of the language is brought out at every opportunity. HimmTable of ContentsIntroduction Text Commentary Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe greatest American dramatist of our age. (Evening Standard)In this collected works, five of Arthur Miller''s most-produced and popular plays are brought together in a new edition, alongside an exclusive introduction by Ivo van Hove, the celebrated contemporary director of Miller''s works.All five plays were written by Miller within a ten-year period which began with his first Broadway hit, All My Sons, in 1947 which led Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times to state that ''theatre has acquired a genuine new talent.'' This was followed in 1949 by his exploration of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman, which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.The Crucible followed in 1953, produced during the McCarthy era and becoming a parable of the witch-hunting practices of a government determined to root-out Communists. A View from the Bridge, originally performed in 1955, concerns the lives of longshoremen Table of Contents1. Introduction by Ivo van Hove 2. Introduction by Arthur Miller 3. All My Sons 4. Death of a Salesman 5. The Crucible 6. A Memory of Two Mondays 7. A View from the Bridge

Read more less

Book SynopsisListen to the dialogue: no other American dramatist has this feel for the ordinary talk of ordinary people, or the knowledge of what they do. This is more than a writer''s craft, it is a psychological and moral openness to humanity, an act not of imitating, but of sharing. Sunday TimesThis fourth anthology features Arthur Miller''s two early plays, The Golden Years, a historical tragedy about Montezuma''s destruction at the hands of Cortez, and The Man Who Had All the Luck, a fable about human freedom and individual responsibility, are brought together in this volume. It also features two of his contemporary shorter plays, I Can''t Remember Anything and Clara, first presented on a double bill as Danger! Memory. The latter focus on the importance and dangers of remembering the past, while the early plays, written at the time of the Second World War, mark the emergence of a drama in which public issues are rooted in private anxieties and c

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen her dead brother is decreed a traitor, his body left unburied beyond the city walls, Antigone refuses to accept this most severe of punishments. Defying her uncle who governs, she dares to say No'. Forging ahead with a funeral alone, she places personal allegiance before politics, a tenacious act that will trigger a cycle of destruction. Renowned for the revelatory nature of his work, Ivo van Hove first enthralled London audiences with his ground-breaking Roman Tragediesseen at the Barbican in 2009. Drawing on his 'ability to break open texts calcified by tradition' (Guardian), the director now turns to a classic Greek masterpiece.Trade ReviewA marvellous new translation by Anne Carson that crackles with canny colloquialism and insight * Arts Desk *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to read Greek tragedy in a pandemic, a global crisis? How can Greek tragedy address urgent contemporary troubles? One of the outstanding and most widely read theorists in the discipline, Mario Telò, brings together a deep understanding of Greek tragedy and its most famous icons with contemporary times. In close readings of plays such as Alcestis, Antigone, Bacchae, Hecuba, Oedipus the King, Prometheus Bound, and Trojan Women, our experience is precariously refracted back in the formal worlds of plays named after and, to an extent, epitomized by tragic characters. Structured around four thematic clusters Air Time Faces, Communities, Ruins, and Insurrections this book presents timely interventions in critical theory and in the debates that matter to us as disaster becomes routine in the time-out-of-joint of a (post-)pandemic world. Violently encompassing all pre-existing and future crises (relational, political and ecological), the pandemic coincides with the queer Trade ReviewGreek Tragedy in a Global Crisis is an exciting experiment in thinking with and through ancient theater and contemporary theory. It stimulates, provokes, and consoles, and will be a powerful resource for readers of all kinds. -- Joshua Billings, Professor of Classics, Princeton University, USATable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Reading Greek Tragedy through Pandemic Times I. Air Time Faces 1. Oedipus 2. Teiresias Cadmus Dionysus 3. Iphigenia II. Communities 4. Alcestis 5. The suppliant women III. Ruins 6. Antigone 7. Niobe IV. Insurrections 8. Prometheus 9. Hecuba 10. The Trojan women Epilogue

Read more less

Book SynopsisWelsh playwright Gary Owen makes his Royal Court debut with Violence and Son. He is the winner of the Meyer Whitworth, George Devine and Pearson best play awards. His other plays include Iphigenia in Splott, Love Steals Us from Loneliness, Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco, The Shadow of a Boy, The Drowned World (winner Fringe first), Ghost City, Cancer Time, SK8, Big Hopes, In the Pipeline, Blackthorn, Mary Twice, Amgen, Broken, Bulletproof, The Ugly Truth and Free Folk. His adaptations include Spring Awakening and Ring, Ring, a new version of La Ronde for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Dicken's A Christmas Carol for Sherman Cymru. He is a Creative Associate at Watford Palace Theatre, where his plays We that Are Left, Mrs Reynolds and the Ruffian, and Perfect Match have been produced.Trade Review'Resurgent Welsh playwright Gary Owen has a knack for getting inside the heads of troubled teens...Now he excels himself...the finesse of Owen’s writing ably ranges from the local to the universal...Every teenager – and every recovering ex-teenager – should see this.' * Telegraph ???? *'Gary Owen has written a seriously good play, set in small-town south Wales, about violence, love and loss... What is especially good about the play is its downright condemnation of a bullying male ethos and its acknowledgment that domestic violence has its own complexities... a fine play.' * The Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisEmily Wilson is a Professor of Classical Studies and Chair of the Program in Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Introduction, Emily Wilson (University of Pennsylvania, USA) 1. Forms and Media, Naomi Weiss (Harvard University, USA) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Rosa D'Andújar (King's College London, UK) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, Eirene Visvardi (Wesleyan University, USA) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Austin Busch (College at Brockport, USA) 5. Religion, Ritual and Myth, Isabelle Torrance (Aarhus University, Denmark) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Robert Cowan (University of Sydney, Australia) 7. Society and Family, Marcel Widzicz (Southern Virginia University, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Kirk Ormand (Oberlin College, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisJody Enders is Distinguished Professor of French at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.Theresa Coletti is Professor of English and Distinguished Scholar Teacher Emerita at the University of Maryland, USA.John T. Sebastian is Professor of English at Loyola Marymount University, USA.Carol Symes is Professor of History at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface General Editor’s Acknowledgements Introduction: Miscarriages of Justice, Jody Enders (University of California, USA) 1. Forms and Media, Carol Symes (University of Illinois, USA) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Christopher Swift (City University of New York, USA) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, John T. Sebastian (Loyola Marymount University, USA) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Antonio Donato (City University of New York, USA) and Erith Jaffe-Berg (University of California, USA) 5. Religion, Ritual, and Myth, John Parker (University of Virginia, USA) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Hannah Skoda (University of Oxford, UK) 7. Society and Family, Theresa Coletti (University of Maryland College Park, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Karen Sullivan (Bard College, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisNaomi Conn Liebler is Professor of English and a University Distinguished Scholar at Montclair State University, USA.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Introduction: Defining the Elephant, Naomi Conn Liebler (Montclair State University, USA) 1. Forms and Media, Rebecca Bushnell (University of Pennsylvania, USA) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Bruce R. Smith (University of Southern California, USA) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, András Kiséry (The City College of New York, USA) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Richard Wilson (Kingston University, UK and the University of Oxford, UK) 5. Religion, Ritual and Myth, Paul Innes (University of Gloucestershire, UK) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Ivan Lupic (Stanford University, USA) 7. Society and Family, Coppélia Kahn (Brown University, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Goran Stanivukovic (Saint Mary’s University, Canada) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisMitchell Greenberg is Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Romance Studies at Cornell University, USA.Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors List of Illustrations List of Graphs Series Preface Introduction: Definitions and Understandings, Mitchell Greenberg (Cornell University, USA) 1. Forms and Media, Christian Biet (University of Paris Nanterre and Institut Universitaire de France, France) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Jan Clarke (Durham University, UK) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, Sylvaine Guyot (Harvard University, USA) and Clotilde Thouret (Lorraine University, France) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Jonathan Strauss (Miami University, USA) 5. Religion, Ritual and Myth, Juliette Cherbuliez (University of Minnesota) and Christopher Semk (Independent Scholar) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Julie Stone Peters (Columbia University, USA) 7. Society and Family, John D. Lyons (University of Virginia, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Jennifer Row (University of Minnesota, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisJennifer Wallace is the author of Tragedy Since 9/11: Reading a World Out of Joint (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019) and the Director of Studies in English at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, UK.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Editor's Acknowledgements Introduction: Tragedy Since 1920, Jennifer Wallace (University of Cambridge, UK) 1. Forms and Media, Ramona Mosse (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany) 2. Sites of Performance, Drew Milne (University of Cambridge, UK) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, Olga Taxidou (University of Edinburgh, UK) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, David Kornhaber (The University of Texas at Austin, USA) 5. Religion, Ritual and Myth, Ben Quash (King's College London, UK) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Tony Fisher (The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UK) 7. Society and Family, Kélina Gotman (King's College London, UK) 8. Gender and Sexuality, P.A. Skantze (Roehampton University, UK) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Introduction, Emily Wilson (University of Pennsylvania, USA) 1. Forms and Media, Naomi Weiss (Harvard University, USA) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Rosa D'Andújar (King's College London, UK) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, Eirene Visvardi (Wesleyan University, USA) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Austin Busch (College at Brockport, USA) 5. Religion, Ritual and Myth, Isabelle Torrance (Aarhus University, Denmark) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Robert Cowan (University of Sydney, Australia) 7. Society and Family, Marcel Widzicz (Southern Virginia University, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Kirk Ormand (Oberlin College, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisJody Enders is Distinguished Professor of French at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.Theresa Coletti is Professor of English at the University of Maryland, USA.John T. Sebastian is Professor of English at Loyola Marymount University, USA.Carol Symes is Professor of History at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface General Editor’s Acknowledgements Introduction: Miscarriages of Justice, Jody Enders (University of California, USA) 1. Forms and Media, Carol Symes (University of Illinois, USA) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Christopher Swift (City University of New York, USA) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, John T. Sebastian (Loyola Marymount University, USA) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Antonio Donato (City University of New York, USA) and Erith Jaffe-Berg (University of California, USA) 5. Religion, Ritual, and Myth, John Parker (University of Virginia, USA) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Hannah Skoda (University of Oxford, UK) 7. Society and Family, Theresa Coletti (University of Maryland College Park, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Karen Sullivan (Bard College, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisNaomi Conn Liebler is a Professor of English and a University Distinguished Scholar at Montclair State University, USA.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Introduction: Defining the Elephant, Naomi Conn Liebler (Montclair State University, USA) 1. Forms and Media, Rebecca Bushnell (University of Pennsylvania, USA) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Bruce R. Smith (University of Southern California, USA) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, András Kiséry (The City College of New York, USA) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Richard Wilson (Kingston University, UK and the University of Oxford, UK) 5. Religion, Ritual and Myth, Paul Innes (University of Gloucestershire, UK) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Ivan Lupic (Stanford University, USA) 7. Society and Family, Coppélia Kahn (Brown University, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Goran Stanivukovic (Saint Mary’s University, Canada) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisMitchell Greenberg is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Romance Studies at Cornell University, USA.Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors List of Illustrations List of Graphs Series Preface Introduction: Definitions and Understandings, Mitchell Greenberg (Cornell University, USA) 1. Forms and Media, Christian Biet (University of Paris Nanterre and Institut Universitaire de France, France) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Jan Clarke (Durham University, UK) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, Sylvaine Guyot (Harvard University, USA) and Clotilde Thouret (Lorraine University, France) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Jonathan Strauss (Miami University, USA) 5. Religion, Ritual and Myth, Juliette Cherbuliez (University of Minnesota) and Christopher Semk (Independent Scholar) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Julie Stone Peters (Columbia University, USA) 7. Society and Family, John D. Lyons (University of Virginia, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Jennifer Row (University of Minnesota, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisMichael Gamer is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. Diego Saglia is Professor of English Literature at the University of Parma, Italy.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Introduction: The Nineteenth Century: ‘Tragedy in the World,’ Michael Gamer (University of Pennsylvania, USA) and Diego Saglia (University of Parma, Italy) 1. Forms and Media, Lissette Lopez Szwydky (University of Arkansas, USA) 2. Sites of Performance and Circulation, Katherine Newey (University of Exeter, UK) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, Sharon Aronofsky Weltman (Louisiana State University, USA) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, Jonathan Sachs (Concordia University, Canada) 5. Religion, Ritual, and Myth, Jeffrey Cox (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Michael Meeuwis (University of Warwick, UK) 7. Society and Family, Dana Van Kooy (Michigan Technological University, USA) 8. Gender and Sexuality, Cole Heinowitz (Bard College, USA) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisJennifer Wallace is the author of Tragedy Since 9/11: Reading a World Out of Joint (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019) and the Director of Studies in English at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, UK.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Editor's Acknowledgements Introduction: Tragedy Since 1920, Jennifer Wallace (University of Cambridge, UK) 1. Forms and Media, Ramona Mosse (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany) 2. Sites of Performance, Drew Milne (University of Cambridge, UK) 3. Communities of Production and Consumption, Olga Taxidou (University of Edinburgh, UK) 4. Philosophy and Social Theory, David Kornhaber (The University of Texas at Austin, USA) 5. Religion, Ritual and Myth, Ben Quash (King's College London, UK) 6. Politics of City and Nation, Tony Fisher (The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UK) 7. Society and Family, Kélina Gotman (King's College London, UK) 8. Gender and Sexuality, P.A. Skantze (Roehampton University, UK) Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis‘Tempest has a gift for shattering and transcending convention.’ New York TimesPhiloctetes lives in a cave on a desolate island: the wartime hero is now a wounded outcast. Stranded for ten years, he sees a chance of escape when a young soldier appears with tales of Philoctetes’ past glories. But with hope comes suspicion – and, as an old enemy emerges, he is faced with an even greater temptation: revenge.Kae Tempest is now widely acknowledged as a revolutionary force in contemporary British poetry, music and drama; they continue to expand the range of their work with a new version of Sophocles’ Philoctetes in a bold new translation. Like Brand New Ancients before it, Paradise shows Tempest’s gift for lending the old tales an immediate contemporary relevance – and will find this timeless story a wide new audience.Trade ReviewTempest . . . doesn't just leap off the page, but leaps into your throat and demands to be shouted all the way out. -- Marlon JamesOne of the brightest British talents around. [Tempest's] spoken-word performances have the metre and craft of traditional poetry, the kinetic agitation of hip-hop and the intimacy of a whispered heart-to-heart . . . drawing on ancient mythology and sermonic cadence to tell stories of the everyday * Guardian *Tempest stitches together words with such animate grace that language acquires an almost tactile quality . . . [An] hypnotically persuasive vision * New York Times *Breathe[s] new life into old classic forms . . . I loved its vision, powerful and merciful. -- Ali Smith, on Brand New Ancients

Read more less

Book SynopsisKing Lear is a play for our times. The central characters experience intense suffering in a hostile and unpredictable world. They face domestic cruelty, political defeat, and a stormy external environment that invades them 'to the skin.' They constantly question the meaning of their experiences as we watch their emotions range from despair to rage to unexpected tenderness and desperate hope as they are rejected, even tortured. Lear's daughters, as in a fairy tale, are three strong women. The elder two vie for sexual and political power, while the youngest, Cordelia, is initially banished because of her plain speaking, then returns in a doomed attempt to restore her father to his throne. King Lear has an unusual performance history. It was significantly revised, by Shakespeare or others, between its first two publications, and was then succeeded by an adaptation that softened the ending so that Lear and Cordelia survived. In our own times King Lear is performed around the world in productions that explore its relevance to contemporary political and environmental challenges. This edition offers a distinctive 'extended' text, taking the later Folio as a starting point and adding the lines that appear only in the Quarto, distinguished by a light gray background. Variations in individual words that are of critical interest are recorded in the margin.Trade Review“The Broadview King Lear is an excellent edition for students and readers of all ages. It provides a useful, unobtrusive view of the two early versions of Shakespeare’s play-text, a clear and perceptive introduction to some key aspects of that play and to Shakespeare in general, compact glosses of words that might puzzle modern readers, and a well-chosen array of relevant documents that put the play into its key contexts.” — Robert N. Watson, University of California, Los Angeles“This King Lear stands out for its educationally wise and theatrically astute text. The editors generously supply a cornucopia of supplementary material from historical documents, prior and contemporary historical narratives, and poetic and dramatic sources. The section on past theatrical productions is so well conceived and written that it creates a sense of eye-witnessed events for both new readers and experienced theater buffs. Unlike any previous edition I’ve seen, here the display and explanation of Quarto and Folio variants appear as imaginative invitations rather than as interruptions or confusions to a reader’s movement through the play. Because they are so well presented, these often small-scale but occasionally quite extended textual alternatives from the earliest versions will enlighten new readers and intrigue experienced teachers and players. The variant passages with their notes together reveal themselves as working guides through the practicalities and creative possibilities of staging plays in Shakespeare’s time.” — Steven Urkowitz, Emeritus Professor, English and Theater, City College of New YorkTable of ContentsAppendix A: Shakespeare's Sources 1. 'The Most Indispensable Thing': A Folk Tale from Germany 2. From Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain (c. 1136) 3. From John Higgins, The Mirror for Magistrates (1575) 4. From Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville, Gorboduc (1562) 5. From Raphael Holinshed, Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1587) 6. From Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene (1590) 7. From The History of King Leir (c. 1594) 8. From Sir Philip Sidney, The Arcadia (1590) 9. From Samuel Harsnett, A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures (1603) Appendix B: Literary, Social, and Historical Contexts 1. From Aristotle, Poetics (c. 330 BCE) 2. From Geoffrey Chaucer, 'The Monk's Tale' (c. 1400) 3. From Sir Philip Sidney, The Defense of Poetry (1579) 4. From The Book of Job 5. From John Knox, The First Blast of the Trumpet (1588) 6. From King James, Basilikon Doron (1603) 7. Selections from Jest Books (a) From A Hundred Mery Talys (1526) (b) From Richard Tarlton, Tarlton's Jests (1638) 8. Attitudes to Bastards in Shakespeare's Time (a) A Ballad of the Birth of the Monstrous Child (1562) (b) John Lyly Passes on the Advice of Plutarch (sixteenth century) (c) From Richard Jones, The Book of Honor and Arms (1590) (d) Shakespeare's Bastards 9. Attitudes to Aging in the Renaissance (a) From Youth and Age (fifteenth century) (b) From Psalm 90 (c) Montaigne on Aging Parents (1580) (d) Shakespeare and Old Age Appendix C: Critical ReceptionAppendix D: King Lear's Afterlife1. From Nahum Tate, King Lear (1681)

Read more less

Book SynopsisOthello is one of Shakespeare’s most contemporary and moving plays, with its emphasis on race, revenge, murder, and lost love. Chris Ofili’s new edition highlight’s the tragedy of Othello’s plight in ways no other previous edition of this play has.In twelve etchings Ofili has produced to illustrate this play, Othello is depicted with tears in his eyes, which flow below various scenes visualized in his forehead. Ofili asks us to see in Othello the great injustices that still plague the world today. These images add feeling to Shakespeare’s words, and together they form their own hybrid object—something between a book and a visual retelling of the tragedy. With a foreword by the renowned critic Fred Moten, this edition is the first of its kind and puts Othello’s blackness and interiority front and center, forcing us to confront the complex world that ultimately dooms him.The first play in the Seeing Shakespeare, Othello is illustrated by English contemporary artist Chris Ofili. Future titles in the series include A Midsummer Night’s Dream illustrated by Marcel Dzama, and The Merchant of Venice with images by Jordan Wolfson.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRomeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou.... Oh wait, he's hanging around in the garden again. Will young Romeo and his Juliet ever be able to express their raging hormones? Or will their feuding families make this romance blossom into a poisoned flower? Either way, both their houses are totally plagued!

Read more less

Book SynopsisKing Agamemnon is long dead and his killers rule at Argos. Orestes returns from exile to avenge his father by killing his mother Clytemnestra and her seducer Aegisthus. His vengeance will release his sister Electra from oppression and restore Orestes to his home and kingdom. This is the only episode from Greek legend treated in surviving plays by all three of the great Athenian tragedians of the fifth century B.C. — Aeschylus in his Libation-bearers (part of the Oresteia trilogy), Sophocles and Euripides each in plays named Electra. The three plays provide a unique record of development and divergence in the content and style of Athenian tragic drama. In Euripides' hands the story becomes a tragedy of all too human emotions and illusions. Orestes' revenge is subordinated to Electra's hatred and resentment of her mother and the usurper. Clytemnestra's death brings not joy and restoration but revulsion, separation and renewed exile. Unwarned by the gods, Electra and Orestes recognise too late the human costs of executing Apollo's justice. This edition of Euripides' play was first published in 1988. The second edition is extensively revised to reflect more recent work on the text of the play and its interpretation. Greek text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.Trade Review'A quarter of a century after it was first published, Martin Cropp’s commentary on Euripides’ Electra now appears in a fully revised and updated version. This is a fine book, and everyone interested in Euripides – even if they already own the first edition – should acquire a copy.'P. J. Finglass, University of Nottingham, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2013.09.40Table of ContentsGeneral Editor’s ForewordPreface to the Second EditionIntroduction: A view of the play Dramatic Design: Structure; actors and minor characters; the Chorus; location and staging; thematic motifs Euripides and the Oresteia tradition The date of the play Greek text and critical apparatusText and Translation Commentary Abbreviations and references General Bibliography for EuripidesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Shakespeare's thrilling and hugely influential tragedy, ageing King Lear makes a capricious decision to divide his realm between his three daughters according to the love they express for him. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated throughout by Sir John Gilbert, and includes an introduction by Dr Robert Mighall.When the youngest daughter refuses to take part in this charade, she is banished, leaving the king dependent on her manipulative and untrustworthy sisters. In the scheming and recriminations that follow, not only does the king's own sanity crumble, but the stability of the realm itself is also threatened.Trade ReviewEvery generation continues to be in his debt. Shakespeare’s plots, which are brilliantly polyvalent, continue to inspire ceaseless adaptations and spin-offs. His unforgettable phrase-making recurs on the lips of millions who do not realise they are quoting Shakespeare * Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisShakespeare’s skillful manipulation of events and people makes Richard III a chilling incarnation of the lure of evil and the temptation of power.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated throughout by Sir John Gilbert, and includes an introduction by Ned Halley.Richard, Duke of Gloucester – the bitter, deformed brother of the King – is secretly plotting to seize the throne of England. Charming and duplicitous, powerfully eloquent and viciously cruel, he is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve his goal.Trade ReviewEvery generation continues to be in his debt. Shakespeare’s plots, which are brilliantly polyvalent, continue to inspire ceaseless adaptations and spin-offs. His unforgettable phrase-making recurs on the lips of millions who do not realise they are quoting Shakespeare * Guardian *

Read more less