Shakespeares English

King Ferdinand's plan to ban ladies from his court to focus on his studies seems like a great one—until the Princess of France and her friends arrive and he falls in love! Can Ferdinand and his friends break their own law?

Prince Hamlet's father is dead. Hamlet believes he was murdered, and that he knows the culprit. The only problem is it's his uncle, the new king—and Hamlet has no proof.

General Othello is the best soldier in Venice. But when he marries the beautiful Desdemona, one of the senator's daughters, he begins to discover that he is surrounded by enemies.

Helena, a low-born girl, is desperately in love with Bertram, a nobleman. When she is allowed to choose anyone in the kingdom to marry, she chooses Bertram. He swears he will never be her husband. Can Helena ever convince Bertram to love her back?

King Leonte's jealousy causes his sweet wife, Hermione to die and their baby daughter, Perdita to be exiled. Can the king learn the error of his ways? Will he ever get to meet Perdita again?

Four young lovers escape into the woods outside Athens, each hoping to find true love and happiness. Instead, they find fairy mischief and love potions! Everyone is confused about who likes who—and has the Queen of the Fairies fallen in love with a donkey?

A young man named Antonio borrows money from a merchant of Venice named Shylock, so that he can court a fine lady he wishes to marry. When Antonio is late to repay his debt, Shylock has him arrested and demands that a terrible price must be paid...

Richard Burton reads Shakespeare's narrative poem about the legendary Lucretia (or 'Lucrece'). The poem tells the story of the Roman leader Tarquin's rape of Lucrece and her subsequent suicide.

William Shakespeare, long hailed as the history's greatest dramatic writer, has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters. These skills are perhaps best encapsulated in the monologues he gives his various protagonists, villains, and bit players.

William Shakespeare, long hailed as history's greatest dramatic writer, has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition, and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters.

William Shakespeare has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition, and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters. Shakespeare's monologues are short distillations of his larger themes—love and loss, fairness and inequity, power and envy, lust and purity. Here are the best of Shakespeare's greatest monologues, each of which captures a shining, brilliant moment from his plays that gives us a deeper understanding of each character, whether flattering, damning, or inspiring.

Whether it's friendship, beauty, love, or something more saucy, the Bard of Avon has a sonnet for every occasion. Learn what the sonnets mean and hear fun facts about the poet, witches, Elizabethan life, and the unfortunate hygiene habits of the 16th century. Despite being written 400 years ago, the sonnets speak to the eternal ups and downs of anyone in love and the struggle to fight our mortality with art. Many centuries later, we have something else in common with Elizabethans: We find kittens to be utterly adorable.

The secret of their identities has fueled debate for hundreds of years: Who are the nameless nobleman and the dark-haired mistress? And what did they do to inspire the creation of more than 150 deeply intimate poems? Whether William Shakespeare's sonnets are pure fiction or the lingering echo of an autobiographical account, this exquisitely written collection defied traditional love poem conventions to explore the many layers of romance, the dangers of lust, and the nuances of beauty.

Many of the greatest lovers, and the greatest love scenes in Western literature, are to be found in Shakespeare. The fresh but impassioned Romeo and Juliet, the resilient wit of Petruchio and Kate, the ardent exchanges of Lorenzo and Jessica ,and the anguished tragedies of Othello and Desdemona and Antony and Cleopatra - they all show love and courtship in its many forms.

Angels are undeniably associated with religion and more usually Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Often they are seen as supernatural beings, benevolent celestial intermediaries interposed between God, Heaven and humanity. Obviously there are complications, a fact that our classic poets through the centuries, including Alexander Pope, Edmund Spenser, Radclyffe Hall and Hafiz, use as they write verse to explain, to reveal and to help us understand exactly why Angels are so prevalent amongst our thoughts.

"Macbeth" is a play written by William Shakespeare. Set mainly in Scotland, the play illustrates the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. It was most likely written during the reign of James I, who had been James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was a patron of Shakespeare's acting company, and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote during James's reign, "Macbeth" most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with the sovereign.

Shakespeare in the Time of Plague is a play that takes place in England during a period of frequent episodes of bubonic plague, which greatly affected London for long stretches of time. No one was immune to the misery and death the plague produced, particularly in the poorer parishes of London. Daniel Defoe described the great plague in London of 1665 from survivor accounts, but much of the response to that plague was based upon laws and regulations laid down by King James I during the plague visitation of 1603-1609.

Shakespeare's sonnets have long been considered some of the greatest poetry ever written. It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t heard the phrase, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?" Marvel at the use of syllables, or simply sit back and enjoy all Shakespeare’s sonnets in one handy volume.

At the center of each of the four great Shakespearean tragedies - Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and Othello - is a powerful figure who is led to destruction by a fatal character flaw. In the case of Macbeth it is ambition. Initially a valiant warrior, and staunch servant of his regal overlord Duncan, Macbeth succumbs to the lure of absolute political domination, which leads to murder, revolt, and comprehensive defeat.

Embark on a magical journey into "Twelfth Night," a place where the serene coastlines of Illyria become the backdrop for a whimsical tale of love, disguise, and festive revelry. This isn't just another comedy; it's an intricate dance of affection, identity, and the pursuit of true happiness, masterfully adapted for young listeners.