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 he laid the foundation for Western theatre. His work sticks out from that of his contemporaries because of his colloquial vocabulary, meter and syntax, distinct from the grandiose language of his predecessors. This edition contains six of...
"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. This deception results in tragedy for all of those...
A tightly constructed drama which is regarded as one of the William Shakespeare’s finest; “Othello” is the story of its titular character, a Moorish general in the Venetian army. Othello secretly marries Desdemona, the daughter of Venetian senator Brabantio, who disapproves of the union. The marriage draws the contempt of Roderigo, a wealthy gentleman of low moral character who is in love with Desdemona and has asked her father for her hand in marriage. Iago is an ensign under the command of...
Perhaps one of Shakespeare's most adventure-filled plays, «Pericles» follows the extended sailing journeys of a young prince. Pericles is forced to flee Antioch when he correctly guesses a riddle that reveals the incestuous activity of King Antiochus. Unable to stay at home in Tyre because of Antiochus' vengeance, he sails away and ends up shipwrecked in Pentapolis, where he fights for and wins a princess named Thaisa. The trials and tribulations of this couple and their daughter...
One of only seven surviving plays written by the great Greek tragedian Sophocles, «Philoctetes» follows the life of a unique and important man through his trials and triumphs. The only man willing to light the funeral pyre of Hercules, Philoctetes is awarded his bow in repayment. Later, as he leaves to fight in the Trojan War, Philoctetes is bitten on the foot by a snake and left behind on the desert island of Lemnos by Odysseus. When the gods reveal the Greeks' need of Philoctetes and his...
In Greek legend, Prometheus was the Titan who, against the will of Zeus, stole fire from the gods for the benefit of man. His terrible punishment by Zeus, and his continuing defiance of Zeus in the face of that punishment, remain universal symbols of man's vulnerability in any struggle with the gods.In the epic drama Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BC), first of the three great Greek tragic poets, re-creates this legendary conflict between rebellious subject and vengeful...
Often recognized as the father of tragedy, this collection of plays by the ancient Greek soldier and playwright Aeschylus is a testament to his skill and enduring legacy in the history of theatre. In «Suppliant Maidens,» the fifty daughters of Danaus flee from marriages to the fifty sons of their uncle, showing an obedience to their father that has tragic consequences. «The Persians», thought to be the oldest surviving play in the history of drama, focuses on the gory defeat of King Xerxes in...
Often recognized as the father of tragedy, this collection of plays by the ancient Greek soldier and playwright Aeschylus is a testament to his skill and enduring legacy in the history of theatre. In «Suppliant Maidens,» the fifty daughters of Danaus flee from marriages to the fifty sons of their uncle, showing an obedience to their father that has tragic consequences. «The Persians» is thought to be the oldest surviving play still in existence today, and is additionally unique because it...
"The very title of Elizabeth Nunez's gripping and richly imagined sixth novel, Prospero's Daughter, distances her work from both the original Tempest (in which the daughter, Miranda, is perhaps the least developed of all Shakespearean heroines) and from the many postcolonial reactions to the play…Nunez, who is a master at pacing and plotting, explores the motivations behind Caliban's outburst, hatching an entirely new story that is inspired by Shakespeare, but not beholden to...
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. 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 plays are often ironic, pessimistic, and...