The Crucible is a powerful indictment of McCarthyism and the 'frontier mentality' of Cold War America, published in Penguin Modern Classics.Arthur Miller's classic parable of mass hysteria draws a chilling parallel between the Salem witch-hunt of 1692 - 'one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history' - and the American anti-communist purges led by Senator McCarthy in the 1950s. The story of how the small community of Salem is stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia and malice, culminating in a violent climax, is a savage attack on the evils of mindless persecution and th... View More...
In a small tight-knit community gossip and rumour spread like wildfire inflaming personal grievances until no-one is safe from accusation and vengeance. Seen as a chilling parallel to the McCarthyism and repressive culture of fear that gripped America in the 1950s, The Crucible's timeless appeal and universal themes remain as strong today as when the play opened on Broadway in 1953.
This Student Edition features an extensive introduction by Susan Abbotson which includes a chronology of Miller's life and times, a summary of the plot, commentary on the characters, themes, language, context and ... View More...
Postmodernism verses liberal humanism—can an older male academic convert a young female student to a post-structural, post-patriarchal view of literature and seduce her at the same time? About the Author: DAVID WILLIAMSON’s first full-length play, The Coming of Stork, premiered at Melbourne's La Mama Theatre in 1970. He went on to pen over thirty plays and become Australia’s most successful playwright. His plays have been produced throughout Australia and internationally. A number of his stage works have been adapted for the screen, including The Removalists, Don’s Party, The Club, Tr... View More...
The three plays in this volume, each written a decade apart, demonstrate different sides of Henrik Ibsen's genius, but all deal with themes of alienation from society and the breaking down of convention. A Doll's House (1879) portrays a woman questioning her duty to her husband and seeking to escape the stifling confines of her marriage - a theme that shocked contemporary audiences and established Ibsen's name outside Scandinavia. In The League of Youth (1869), his first prose drama, Ibsen created a vivid comedy about a hypocritical politician, and in The Lady from the Sea (1888), he depicts a... View More...
IIn these three unforgettably intense plays, Henrik Ibsen explores the problems of personal and social morality that he perceived in the world around him and, in particular, the complex nature of truth. The Pillars of the Community (1877) depicts a corrupt shipowner's struggle to hide the sins of his past at the expense of another man's reputation, while in The Wild Duck (1884) an idealist, believing he must tell the truth at any cost, destroys a family by exposing the lie behind his friend's marriage. And Hedda Gabler (1890) portrays an unhappily married woman who is unable to break free from... View More...
‘Away was a revelation. For here was an Australian play set in the summer of 1967 68 that was truthful, fantastical, satirical and deeply touching. The characters were immediately recognisable and grounded in reality yet Gow’s quest opened up its claustrophobic, flawed, bittersweet domestic terrain to wider horizons enabling change and self awareness.’ — Bryce Hallett, Sydney Morning Herald One of the great Australian classics, Away opens with a school performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the timeless Shakespearean themes of suffering, regeneration and reconciliation persist... View More...
A young delinquent is on trial for the murder of his aggressive father. The judge has directed the jury to find the boy guilty if there is no reasonable doubt. Eleven of the jurors declare there is no reasonable doubt, but one of them, while far from convinced of the boy's innocence, feels that some of the evidence against him has been ambiguous. At the end of a long afternoon he wins, all the others round to his view. View More...
The Methuen Drama Student Edition of Twelve Angry Men is the first critical edition of Reginald Rose's play, providing the play text alongside commentary and notes geared towards student readers.
In New York, 1954, a man is dead and the life of another is at stake. A 'guilty' verdict seems a foregone conclusion, but one member of the jury has the will to probe more deeply into the evidence and the courage to confront the ignorance and prejudice of some of his fellow jurors. The conflict that follows is fierce and passionate, cutting straight to the heart of the issues of civil liberties and s... View More...
'One of the hottest, sultriest plays ever written' Guardian 'Big Daddy' Pollitt, the richest cotton planter in the Mississippi Delta, is about to celebrate his sixty-fifth birthday. His two sons have returned home for the occasion- Gooper, his wife and children, Brick, an ageing football hero who has turned to drink, and his feisty wife Maggie. As the hot summer evening unfolds, the veneer of happy family life and Southern gentility gradually slips away as unpleasant truths emerge and greed, lies, jealousy and suppressed sexuality threaten to reach boiling point. Made into a film starring Eliz... View More...
In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof a Southern family meet to celebrate 'Big Daddy' Pollit's birthday- Gooper with his wife and children, his brother Brick - an ageing, broken football star - and his wife Maggie. But as the party unfolds the facade of a happy family gathering is fractured by sexual frustration, repressed love, and greed in the light of their father's impending death.
This Student Edition provides an extensive introduction and notes by Philip C. Kolin, a world authority on Williams. The introduction includes- a chronology of Williams' life and times; a summary of the plot, commentary... View More...
A Student Handbook to the Plays of Tennessee Williams provides the essential guide to Williams' most studied and revived dramas. Authored by a team of leading scholars, it offers students a clear analysis and detailed commentary on four of Williams' plays- The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth. A consistent framework of analysis ensures that whether readers are wanting a summary of the play, a commentary on the themes or characters, or a discussion of the work in performance, they can readily find what they need to develop their understand... View More...
Oxford School Shakespeare is an acclaimed edition especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. The Merchant of Venice is a popular text for study by secondary students the world over. This edition includes illustrations, preliminary notes, reading lists (including websites) and classroom notes. View More...
No Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of A Midsummer Night's Dream on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right. Each No Fear Shakespeare contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary. Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia, but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns for Demetrius. H... View More...
No Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of Hamlet on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right. Each No Fear Shakespeare contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary. William Shakespeare's Hamlet follows the young prince home to Denmark to attend his father's funeral, where Hamlet is shocked to find his mother already remarried to his Uncle Claudius. And Hamlet is even more surprised when his... View More...
No Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of Macbeth on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right. Each No Fear Shakespeare contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary. Shakespeare's classic tale of witches, murder, and madness. "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and... View More...
Oxford School Shakespeare is an acclaimed edition especially designed for students, with accessible on-page notes and explanatory illustrations, clear background information, and rigorous but accessible scholarly credentials. Much Ado About Nothing is a popular text for study by secondary students the world over. This edition includes illustrations, preliminary notes, reading lists (including websites) and classroom notes. Full accessible notes ideal for students. Additional information and reading lists. A range of illustrations, both decorative and explanatory. A school edition that is bo... View More...
An improved, larger-format edition of the Cambridge School Shakespeare plays, extensively rewritten, expanded and produced in an attractive new design. An active approach to classroom Shakespeare enables students to inhabit Shakespeare's imaginative world in accessible and creative ways. Students are encouraged to share Shakespeare's love of language, interest in character and sense of theatre. Substantially revised and extended in full colour, classroom activities are thematically organised in distinctive 'Stagecraft', 'Write about it', 'Language in the play', 'Characters' and 'Themes' featur... View More...
No Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of Othello on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right. Each No Fear Shakespeare contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary. A tragic tale of jealousy and human frailty. View More...
The Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare series specifically focuses on preparing students for their exams. Teachers find that the accessible notes and end-of-act activities really help students understand the text and encourage them to develop their own insights. The Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare series offers: Clear and accessible notes on opposite pages to the text help students to understand the text and encourage them to develop their own insights. There is a generous amount of annotation space, helping students to make extra revision notes. Activities and assignments appear after each act. Th... View More...
No Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of Romeo and Juliet on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right. Each No Fear Shakespeare contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary. The famous tale of star-crossed lovers. View More...
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