LITMIR.BIZ

John Ford (1586-1637) was an English playwright and poet whose interest in aberrant psychology helped him create very unique and very successful works. After collaboration with various playwrights, from about 1621 to 1625, Ford began working independently, writing plays for theatrical companies like the «Kings Men» at the Blackfriars. Following the literary reign of such figures as Jonson, Marlowe, and Shakespeare, Ford felt the need to shock and intrigue audiences with new and exciting material. «The Fancies Chaste and Noble» is a fascinating Caroline era stage play. Treated as a comedy, Ford's subject matter focused on the then-fashionable topic of platonic love. The approach he gave the subject, however, was bluntly condemned for its crudeness and prurience by the public and critics of the day. The strange obsession of English Renaissance drama is displayed in Ford's work as the play heavily relies on the spectra of high merit and morality tested by false accusations, uncertainties and tricks.

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William Butler Yeats was born near Dublin in 1865, and was encouraged from a young age to pursue a life in the arts. He attended art school for a short while, but soon found that his talents and interest lay in poetry rather than painting. He became an instrumental figure in the «Irish Literary Revival» of the 20th Century that redefined Irish writing. Yeats was a complex man, who struggled between beliefs in the strange and supernatural, and scorn for modern science. He was intrigued by the idea of mysticism, yet had little regard for Christianity. In 1899 Yeats helped found the Irish National Theatre Society, which later became the famous Abbey Theatre of Dublin. «Where There is Nothing» was written in collaboration with Lady Augusta Gregory and Douglas Hyde in 1902.

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William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an instrumental figure in the «Irish Literary Revival» of the 20th Century that redefined Irish writing. His father's love of reading aloud exposed Yeats early on to William Shakespeare, the Romantic poets and the pre-Raphaelites, and developed an interest in Irish myths and folklore. He was a complex man, who struggled between beliefs in the strange and supernatural, and scorn for modern science. He was intrigued by the idea of mysticism, yet had little regard for Christianity. He spent much of his life seeking out a philosophical system to resolve the conflict he felt between his nature and life. «The Shadowy Waters» was a play that Yeats began writing as a boy, possibly as early as 1885, and spent years reshaping and revising until its final acting version in 1906, which was performed at the Abbey Theatre.

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Considered one of the greatest short story writers of all-time, Anton Chekhov also wrote several plays that are regarded as true dramatic classics. Collected in this volume are five of Chekhov's most popular dramatic works: «Ivanov», «The Sea-Gull», «Uncle Vanya», «Three Sisters», and «The Cherry Orchard». Translated from the Russian by Marian Fell and Julius West, this collection shows Chekhov at his literary best.

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Aristophanes, the greatest of comic writers in Greek and in the opinion of many, in any language, is the only one of the Attic comedians any of whose works has survived in complete form He was born in Athens about the middle of the fifth century B C, and had his first comedy produced when he was so young that his name was withheld on account of his youth. He is credited with over forty plays, eleven of which survive, along with the names and fragments of some twenty-six others. His satire deal with political, religious, and literary topics, and with all its humor and fancy is evidently the outcome of profound conviction and a genuine patriotism. The Attic comedy was produced at the festivals of Dionysus, which were marked by great license, and to this, rather than to the individual taste of the poet, must be ascribed the undoubted coarseness of many of the jests. Aristophanes seems, indeed, to have been regarded by his contemporaries as a man of noble character. He died shortly after the production of his «Plutus,» in 388 B. C. «The Frogs» was produced the year after the death of Euripides, and laments the decay of Greek tragedy which Aristophanes attributed to that writer. It is an admirable example of the brilliance of his style, and of that mingling of wit and poetry with rollicking humor and keen satirical point which is his chief characteristic. Here, as elsewhere, he stands for tradition against innovation of all kinds, whether in politics, religion, or art. The hostility to Euripides displayed here and in several other plays, like his attacks on Socrates, is a result of this attitude of conservatism. The present play is notable also as a piece of elaborate if not over-serious literary criticism from the pen of a great poet.

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"Lady Windermere's Fan" is Oscar Wilde's classic comedic play set in London in the late 19th century. It is the story of Lady Windermere who becomes jealous of her husband's interest in Mrs. Erlynne. Lady Windermere suspects her husband of infidelity, however unbeknownst to her, Mrs. Erlynne is really Lady Windermere's divorced mother who for the last 20 years was thought to be dead.

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Aristophanes's «The Birds» is one of the great dramatic comedies from all of classical antiquity. It is the story of Euelpides and Pisthetaerus, two old Athenians, who are disgusted with the litigiousness, wrangling and sycophancy of their countrymen, and resolve upon quitting Attica. Having heard of the fame of Epops (the hoopoe), sometime called Tereus, and now King of the Birds, they determine, under the direction of a raven and a jackdaw, to seek from him and his subject birds a city free from all care and strife.

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"Candida" is the story of its title character, a woman who is married to the Reverend Morell. Candida is a woman of many talents and her husband has his wife to thank for much of his success. When a young man by the name of Marchbanks professes his love for Candida, Morell must reexamine his relationship with his wife and ultimately discovers a side to her that he never knew existed. «Candida» is a play written during a time of great empowerment of women and Shaw brilliantly offers up Candida as an example of a strong and intelligent woman.

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Born and educated in Dublin, Ireland, William Butler Yeats discovered early in his literary career a fascination with Irish folklore and the occult. Yeats felt an internal struggle with the contradictions he saw between his nature and life, and spent much of his life seeking out a philosophical system to resolve this conflict. He came to prominence during a tumultuous period in Irish history, and he struggled with the idea of an independent Irish identity. In 1899 Yeats helped found the Irish National Theatre Society, which later became the famous Abbey Theatre of Dublin. He and Lady Augusta Gregory, another of the theatre's founders, collaborated on a few short plays during those first experimental years at the theatre. One such play, «The Pot of Broth», is a «peasant» farce that tells the story of a gullible peasant woman, convinced by a tramp that dropping a magic stone into hot water will make a wonderful soup.

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Thomas Middleton (1580-1627), a bricklayer's son, rose to become one of the most eminent playwrights of the Jacobean period. Along with Ben Johnson he helped shape the dynamic course of drama in Renaissance England. His range is broad, as his work successfully covers comedy, tragedy, and history. Praised during his life as well as today, Middleton remains relevant and influential. This edition collects five of his most treasured dramas, demonstrating the breadth of his abilities. «A Trick to Catch the Old One» (1608) and «A Chaste Maid in Cheapside» (1630) are both delightful comedies of greed and lust. «Women Beware Women» (1637) and «The Revenger's Tragedy» (1607) are both deft tales of the pitfalls of vice, wealth, and sex. Lastly, «The Changeling» (1653) is Middleton's most refined and respected tragedy. It has experienced consistent success both upon its initial release and in modern times, with frequent staging over the past hundred years. «The Changeling» is a dark tale of deception and desire exploring the ways in which these impulses transform human beings, often to tragic ends. All five plays demonstrate Middleton's numerous gifts as a playwright of his time, gifts that helped shape the course of English literature.

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