Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theatre of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities. His compelling tale of justice and cruelty, friendhsip and love comes to life in this clear, modern version. Thge stofy of Shylock's deadly cleaim for a pound of Antonio's flesh, of the horror and helplessness of Antonio's friends, and of the mysterious young lawyer...

Along with Sophocles and Euripides, Aristophanes is considered one of the three great Greek playwrights. Only eleven of his nearly forty plays survive in their entirety to this day. Of his extant works Aristophanes's "Lysistrata" is considered one of his finest and one of the truly great comedies from classical antiquity. Central to the work is the vow by the women of Greece to withhold sex from their husbands until they end the brutal war between...

The legendary Pelican Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans. Each book includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare's time, an introduction to the individual play, and a detailed note on the text used.

Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637) was a Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor, known best for his satirical plays and lyric poems. He had a knack for absurdity and hypocrisy, a trait that made him immensely popular in the 17th century Renaissance period. However, his reputation diminished somewhat in the Romantic era, when he began to be unfairly compared to Shakespeare. The Theatre in London had had been denied to "The Admiral's Men" in 1597, but the troupe...

Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin, of Protestant stock, in 1856, and died at Ayot St. Lawrence, Herts., in 1950. After a false start in XIX-century fashion as a novelist, he made a reputation as a journalist-critic of books, pictures, music and the drama. Meanwhile he had plunged into the Socialist revival of the eighteen-eighties and come out as one of the leaders who made the Fabian Society famouns, figuring prominently not only as a pamphleteer...

Leslie Knope takes on new challenges as the newly-elected city councilwoman of Pawnee, Indiana. She stands her ground for what she believes in and puts up a strong fight, all while balancing her personal relationship with Ben and planning for a wedding. Meanwhile, assistant Andy pursues a career in law enforcement, Ann makes a dramatic life decision, and Ron is smitten with a new lady.

Golden Globe winner Amy Poehler returns as Leslie Knope in the hilarious sixth season of Parks and Recreation. The citizens of Pawnee loathe their merger with the neighboring town of Eagleton, and blame all their troubles- both real and imagined- on Councilwoman Knope. The personal lives of those in City Hall are equally as tumultuous: Andy (Chris Pratt) must temporarily say "cheerio" to his wife, April (Aubrey Plaza), when he takes a dream job in...

Basil Fawlty is an inept and manic English hotel owner and manager who isn't cut out for his job. He's intolerant, rude and paranoid. Chaos frequently breaks loose as Basil tries to run the hotel. He is constantly under verbal (and sometime physical) attack from his unhelpful wife Sybil, and hindered by the incompetent, but easy target, Manuel, the Spanish waiter. Fortunately he has an intelligent and attractive maid to help him out of the various...

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...

A new mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. Examines the mundane but necessary ways that people interact with their government, and asks why it's frequently so complicated - standing in line at the DMV, applying for home construction permits, or trying to get the city to fix a pothole.