A noble family's descent into madness, mayhem, and murder - the first play in Sophocles' great Theban trilogy. This Enriched Classic edition includes: a concise introduction that gives readers important background information; timelines of significant events in Greek history and theater that provide the book's historical context; an outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations; detailed explanatory notes; and,...

Tennessee Williams's landmark play exposes the emotional lies governing relationships in the family of a wealthy Southern planter of humble origins. The patriarch, Big Daddy, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. His two married sons, Gooper (Brother Man) and Brick, have returned for the occasion, the former with his pregnant wife and five children, the latter with his wife Margaret (Maggie). Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a brutally honest examination...

"Hercule Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, a cadet (nobleman serving as a soldier) in the French Army, is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. In addition to being a remarkable duelist, he is a gifted, joyful poet and is also a musician. However, he has an extremely large nose, which causes him to doubt himself. This doubt prevents him from expressing his love for his distant cousin, the beautiful and intellectual Roxane, as he believes that his...

When the king of Denmark suddenly dies, his brother, Claudius, ascends the throne and marries the king's widow, Gertrude, to solidify his reign. Prince Hamlet, sullen after his father's passing and mother's sudden remarriage, soon learns the treacherous truth about his father's death, and swears to take his revenge on the man responsible.

"Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of life in the mythical village of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire--an allegorical representation of all life--is an American classic. It is the simple story of a love affair that asks timeless questions about the meaning of love, life, and death. Our Town explores the relationship between two young neighbors, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, and then culminates...

"For this updated edition of Twelfth Night, Penny Gay has written a wholly new Introduction to this well-loved Shakespearean comedy. She stresses the play's theatricality, its elaborate linguistic games and its complex use of Ovidian myths. She analyses the play's delicate balance between romance and realism and its exploration of gender, sexuality and identity. In examining the stage history, Professor Gay suggests that contemporary critical theory...

Each edition includes: printed version of the play; full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play; scene-by-scene plot summaries; a key to famous lines and phrases; an introduction to reading Shakespeare's language; an essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play; illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books.

"Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia share a home in Bucks County, PA, where they bicker and complain about the circumstances of their lives. Suddenly, their movie-star sister, Masha, swoops in with her new boy toy, Spike. Old resentments flare up, eventually leading to threats to sell the house. Also on the scene are sassy maid Cassandra, who can predict the future, and a lovely young aspiring actress named Nina, whose prettiness somewhat worries...

"A blistering character study and an examination of the American melting pot and the judicial system that keeps it in check, Twelve Angry Men holds at its core a deeply patriotic belief in the U.S. legal system. The story's focal point, known only as Juror Eight, is at first the sole holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Eight sets his sights not on proving the other jurors wrong but rather on getting them to look at the situation in a clear-eyed way not...

Algernon pretends to be Jack's troublesome younger brother, in Wilde's satirical assault on nineteenth-century fashions, manners, and morality.