Ancient Classics

'The Old Ancient Ship' is a mysterious and ghostly sea story. A strange old mariner, Bill Blood, has hitched a ride on a boat travelling to a remote set of islands in the Pacific. When they make a forced stop at one island to repair a leak in the ship, the crew are eager to go aboard the deserted island and explore. Bill Blood goes with them and leads them to an ancient ship full of skeletons lying in the middle of the tropical forest and overgrown with creepers and foliage. Blood tells them the peculiar and terrible tale of the ancient vessel and those who died in her....

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" relates the experiences of a sailor who has returned from a long sea voyage. The mariner stops a man who is on the way to a wedding ceremony and begins to narrate a story. The wedding guest's reaction turns from bemusement to impatience to fear to fascination as the mariner's story progresses, as can be seen in the language style: Coleridge uses narrative techniques such as personification and repetition to create a sense of danger, the supernatural, or serenity, depending on the mood in different parts of the poem.

The myth of King Midas is a cautionary tale about the dangers of believing that gold should be coveted above all things, and the foolishness of wishing without thinking. It appeared in Ovid's "Metamorphosis", and has inspired many works of art and literature through the centuries. This is a retelling of the complete tale of "The King with the Golden Touch", from the Gordian knot to the ears of an ass, in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

Phaeton is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman, and his heart's desire is to be seen but once driving his father's chariot, the one used by the god to make the sun travel in the sky. This myth is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Icarus. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

The myth of Echo and Narcissus appears in Ovid's "Metamorphosis", a Latin mythological epic from the Augustan Age. It is one of the most touching stories ever written and has inspired countless works of art through the centuries. The nymph Echo angers Hera, queen of the gods, who curses her: henceforth, Echo will only be able to repeat the last words that struck her ears. One day, the beautiful Narcissus, son of a nymph and a river god, passes through the forest.

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is the ultimate tragic love story. It is perhaps one of the most famous Greek myths, and the greatest artists have composed masterpieces to honour these two great lovers who lost their chance at reunion. The earliest account comes from Ibycus (circa 530 BC), a Greek lyric poet. This short story is a mixture of the various existing versions, presenting the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in all its details, all the way to Orpheus' death at the hands of the Bacchantes.

The myth of Icarus is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Phaeton. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth from 1914, a year in which it was easy to fear for a son who would soar in the sky with metal wings; the story of Icarus and Daedalus is told in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

"The Death of Adonis" is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and one of its most touching stories. Accidentally wounded by one of Eros' arrows, the goddess Aphrodite falls desperately in love with the handsome Adonis, son of a king and a beauty among mortals. Yet his only passion is hunting and he refuses to take her warnings seriously when he hears about a great boar he would love to slay. There is something of the idea of coming of age in this tale, when the moment of realisation brings forth the understanding of what could have been and where the real beauty lays.

"Aesop's Fables" is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece around the fifth century BC. These fables are charming stories, each one leading towards a wise moral. They have been the inspiration for La Fontaine, one of the greatest French writers of all time, and are a perfect tool for educating young children as well as a delight for lovers of elegance and simplicity.

The Iliad of Homer is the earliest work of European literature that we have. Created in the eighth century BC it has continued to arouse interest for over 2000 years. The author intended it to be heard, as delivered by a bard or rhapsode who had made the presentation of Greek epic poetry his profession, and who had command of the vocal resources and the dramatic power to move his audience.

Learn essential lessons in leadership and life from the classic tale of Alexander the Great. This engrossing book also discusses the legacy of this famous man, including the many kingdoms and empires that grew out of his wake. You'll also learn how the Ancient Greek language, ideas, and culture spread across the world - affecting us even today.

Life on the streets of turn-of-the-century London hurls the orphan Oliver Twist into a danger-filled adventure! With him we meet the Artful Dodger and Fagin, and learn the ways of the hard world...

William Shakespeare is widely considered the greatest writer in the history of the English language, so renowned and respected that the time period in which he lived is often known as the Age of Shakespeare. Indeed, his genius is questioned only by those who doubt the authenticity of his authorship of timeless classics like Romeo and Juliet. As Ben Jonson once put it, "He was not of an age, but for all time."

The St. Charles Players present a new and unique telling of this children's classic performed in exciting Radio Theatre style.

Long considered the world's greatest adventure story, The Odyssey is celebration of life in all its infinite variety. The poem has deeply ingrained in us the sense of life as a journey, introducing a gallery of characters and events that have profoundly influenced western literature. Scylla and Charybdis, Circe, the Lotus Eaters, a visit with the dead, and, through it all, Odysseus's determined search for home, are all here in a classic translation.

Los principales personajes de la obra principal de Homero - Alquiles, Paris, Menelao, Agamenón, Héctor - han quedado inmortalizados a través de este grandioso drama épico, uno de los más impresionantes que se han escrito jamás. Aquiles, guerrero formidable de supuesta inmortalidad, se enfada con Agamenón, el rey aqueo, quien le quita una esclava y por eso deja de luchar. Aquiles le ruega a Zeus que los aqueos pierdan y así los troyanos comienzan a hostigarlos.

Ein Drama ist entweder eine Tragödie oder eine Komödie. Und alle anderen allgemein bekannten Genres sind Ableitungen bzw. Variationen der genannten zwei Hauptformen. Die "Poetik" von Aristoteles bildet bis zum heutigen Tag den Muttertext für unser Verständnis von Theater. Obligatorisches Wissen für jeden Theater-Kritiker und der Ausgangspunkt unserer Vorstellung bzw. deren Definitionen über notwendige Formen innerhalb von Geschichten.

Leonato, governor of Messina sun that in Sicily, welcomes in his house Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, who had arrived in the city accompanied by a retinue after the victorious conclusion of the war. Prince thanks for the hospitality and is Leonato two friends, two brave officers, young and noble Florentine Claudio and Signior Benedick of Padua.

The action of this, the most famous play of the great English poet and playwright William Shakespeare, takes place in Elsinore, shortly after the death of the King of Denmark. Heartbroken, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, suffers greatly over the death of his beloved father and the sudden remarriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude. A terrible ghost of his father, in full military dress, tells him a terrible secret: that the king did not die a natural death, but was killed by the hand of his brother Claudius, who became the current king.

Director's Playbook Editions help artists to turn playscripts into their own productions, providing useful supporting information and summaries to the interested listener. A play by master Athenian playwright Sophocles, and the last of his three "Theban plays" to be written. Oedipus, former king of Thebes, finds himself in great danger as a new prophecy comes to light involving him and the fate of the city where he once reigned. Translation by F. Storr.