One of the greatest plays of all time, the compelling tragedy of the tormented young prince of Denmark continues to capture the imaginations of modern audiences worldwide. Confronted with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, and with his mother's infidelity, Hamlet must find a means of reconciling his longing for oblivion with his duty as avenger. The ghost, Hamlet's feigned madness, Ophelia's death and burial, the play within a play, the...

Critical commentary accompanies the story of Antonio, who risks his life to borrow money from his enemy, Shylock, and is saved by Portia, an heiress posing as a lawyer.

Presents Shakespeare's tragedy about Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two young people from noble Veronese houses whose love for one another is doomed by the long-standing feud between their families; and includes textual notes, a scene-by-scene analysis, an overview of Shakespeare's life and career, and more.

Planning a school or amateur Shakespeare production? The best way to experience the plays is to perform them, but getting started can be a challenge: The complete plays are too long and complex, while scene selections or simplified language are too limited. "The 30-Minute Shakespeare" is a new series of abridgements that tell the "story" of each play from start to finish while keeping the beauty of Shakespeare's language intact. Specific stage directions...

Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theater of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities.

"This book presents a historical overview of The Tempest in performance, recommends film versions, takes a detailed look at specific productions and includes interviews with three leading directors - Peter Brook, Sam Mendes and Rupert Goold - so that we may get a sense of the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible, a variety that gives Shakespeare his unique capacity to be reinvented and made 'our contemporary' four centuries after...

The fantastic journey of Belle, a bright and independent young woman who takes her father's place as the prisoner of a beast in his castle. As Belle befriends the castle's enchanted staff, she and the Beast slowly begin to look beyond their initial reactions to each other and see who they truly are. But back in Belle's village, her father's fears for her safety drive him to rally the villagers to free Belle from the castle--a plan that goes awry,...

William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," is a classic comedy of mistaken identities, a device employed in a number of the bard's plays, which is believed to have been written sometime between 1601 and 1602. When Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria she is separated from her twin brother Sebastian, who she mistakenly believes to be dead. With the help of the ship captain who rescues her, she enters into the service of Duke Orsino, who has fallen...

An acerbic, crippled diagnostician who is addicted to painkillers solves impossible medical cases while clashing with friends and colleagues.

When she's fired from her job at an upscale law firm for voicing her stance against the testing of cosmetics on animals, Elle heads to Capitol Hill to fight for her cause before Congress. Once there, she runs into plenty of adversity and red-tape and can't seem to find anyone who will listen to her proposals. She meets and befriends an elderly bellman who's been around long enough to know the ins and outs of the political machine. With his help, Elle...