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The Comedies Volume One: The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William ShakespeareLove, enchantment, and misadventure abound in four timeless comedies by the great Bard of Elizabethan England.The Taming of the Shrew: After a battle of wits, the suitor Petruchio marries the headstrong lady Katherina and brings her to his home in Verona, where he sets about &“taming&” his willful bride into an obedient wife.The Merchant of Venice: In the most dramatic of Shakespeare&’s comedies, a wealthy Venetian merchant is unable to repay a loan from the moneylender Shylock—who demands a pound of the borrower&’s flesh.Twelfth Night: In this comedy of unrequited love and mistaken identity, Viola disguises herself as a man in the service of the lovesick Duke Orsino—whom she adores. The duke sends Viola to woo Countess Olivia who, in turn, falls in love with Viola&’s male persona.A Midsummer Night&’s Dream: The mischievous wood sprite Puck wreaks havoc on the romantic pursuits of four young lovers while a hapless actor is transformed into a fairy queen&’s monstrous consort in this beloved comic fantasia.
The Comedies of Machiavelli: The Woman from Andros the Mandrake Clizia
by Machiavelli NiccoloThe Woman from Andros; The Mandrake; Clizia.
The Comedies of Terence
by Robert GravesTerence achieved in his brief twenty-six years a standard of stylistic perfection and artistic restraint that ranked him, along with Plautus, as the greatest of the Roman comic playwrights. He was, at the very least, a gifted translator and adaptor, having used Greek New Comedies as the basis for all six of his extant plays. How far his own contribution exceeded that of simple translation is difficult to say, but we know that the Latin, undeniably his, was so faultlessly styled that his work served as a textbook for scholars and grammarians for hundreds of years.Terence had a considerable impact on the Revival of Letters; his comedies were studied and were frequently adapted into new works by such men as Steele, Chapman, and, most famously, Moliire. Indeed, had there been no Terence, it is doubtful that the Comedy of Manners could have arisen when it did, and all comic writing for the stage, from Moilire through the Restoration drama to the present day, would be diminished for lack of him. Appropriately, the language of this translation is from the Restoration. Graves has based his version on the one made in 1689 by Laurence Echard; he has corrected inaccuracies, eliminated defects and obscurities, but retained the period tone.Including in this book are the major comedies: The Fair Andrian, The Mother-In-Law, The Self-Tormentor, The Eunuch, The Tricks of Phormio and The Brothers. A close reading of Terence is a fine corrective to any idea that may still be current, about the glory that was Greece and grandeur that was Rome during the Hellenistic period. It is an assurance that in some respects at least, this age is not depraved at all.
The Comedies: Lady Windermere's Fan, An Ideal Husband, A Woman of No Importance, and The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar WildeExperience the wit of Wilde in these four delightfully satiric plays—including his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest. In the late nineteenth century, Oscar Wilde&’s plays were the toast of London, celebrated for the Irish playwright&’s mischievous wit, pointed social satire, and gift for energetic farce. Lady Windermere&’s Fan: Gossip leads Lady Windermere to believe her husband is having an affair, and when the woman in question appears at her party, she makes an impulsive choice that threatens to destroy her reputation. An Ideal Husband: When a femme fatale blackmails prestigious politician Sir Robert Chittern, his wife is forced to re-evaluate her standards for &“an ideal husband.&” A Woman of No Importance: Young Gerald Arbuthnot is honored to be chosen as secretary to the sophisticated—and flirtatious—Lord Illingworth. So why does Gerald&’s mother oppose the appointment? The Importance of Being Earnest: In the playful sendup of Victorian courtship and manners, bachelors Jack and Algernon each woo ladies using the ironic alias of &“Ernest.&”
The Comedy Improv Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to University Improvisational Comedy in Theatre and Performance
by Matt Fotis Siobhan O'HaraThe Comedy Improv Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to University Improvisational Comedy in Theatre and Performance is a one-stop resource for both improv teachers and students, covering improv history, theory, maxims, exercises, games, and structures. You will learn the necessary skills and techniques needed to become a successful improviser, developing a basic understanding of the history of improvisation and its major influences, structures, and theories. This book also addresses issues associated with being a college improviser – like auditions, rehearsals, performances, and the dynamics of improv groups.
The Comedy of Errors
by William Shakespeare Stephen Orgel A. R. Braunmuller Frances E. Dolan"I feel that I have spent half my career with one or another Pelican Shakespeare in my back pocket. Convenience, however, is the least important aspect of the new Pelican Shakespeare series. Here is an elegant and clear text for either the study or the rehearsal room, notes where you need them and the distinguished scholarship of the general editors, Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller who understand that these are plays for performance as well as great texts for contemplation." (Patrick Stewart) The distinguished Pelican Shakespeare series, which has sold more than four million copies, is now completely revised and repackaged. Each volume features: * Authoritative, reliable texts * High quality introductions and notes * New, more readable trade trim size * An essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare and essays on Shakespeare's life and the selection of texts
The Comedy of Errors
by William Shakespeare Paul Werstine Dr Barbara MowatShakespeare's Comedy of Errors is the slapstick farce of his youth. In it, the lost twin sons of the old merchant Egeon--both named Antipholus--find themselves in Ephesus, without either one even knowing of the other's existence. Meanwhile, Egeon has arrived in search of the son he thinks is still alive--and has been sentenced to death for the "crime" of being from Syracuse. To add to the confusion, the two Antipholuses have twin servants, both named Dromio. As the four men unwittingly encounter each other, the play is crammed with wildly escalating misunderstandings before the truth emerges and Egeon is pardoned. Shakespeare bases his story on Plautus's Menaechmi, a play about identical twins who accidentally meet after a lifetime apart. He borrows from another Plautus play by having Adriana, the wife of one Antipholus, entertain the other. The spirited Adriana often gives speeches evoking strong emotions--as do other characters at times. Even here, Shakespeare suggests complexities beyond the farce. The authoritative edition of The Comedy of Errors from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, is now available as an eBook. Features include: · The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference · Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation · Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play · Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play · Scene-by-scene plot summaries · A key to famous lines and phrases · An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language · Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books · An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
The Comedy of Errors
by William ShakespeareBook Description The shortest and probably earliest of Shakespeare's comedies, The Comedy of Errors is the story of identical twin brothers who are raised apart-and then mistaken for each other.
The Comedy of Errors
by William ShakespeareTwo sets of identical twins provide the basis for ongoing incidents of mistaken identity, within a lively plot of quarrels, arrests, and a grand courtroom denouement. One of Shakespeare's earliest dramatic efforts, the play abounds in his trademark conceits, puns, and other forms of fanciful wordplay, foreshadowing his later and greater comedies.
The Comedy of Errors
by William ShakespeareIdentical twins separated at birth provides the foundation for humour in one of Shakespeare's earlier plays. The young twin sons of Egeon, alongside another set of young twin boys, purchased as slaves, are lost to one another during a tempest at sea. As each searches for the other, the stage is set for a romp that revolves around mistaken identity, physical mishaps, and the comedy of errors referenced in the title.
The Comedy of Errors
by William ShakespeareBased on a pair of comic dramas from ancient Rome, The Comedy of Errors presents a spectacle of pure farce in the spirit of utmost fun and -- as the title suggests -- hilarious confusion. Two sets of identical twins provide the basis for ongoing incidents of mistaken identity, within a lively plot of quarrels, arrests, and a grand courtroom denouement. One of Shakespeare's earliest dramatic efforts, the play abounds in his trademark conceits, puns, and other forms of fanciful wordplay. It also foreshadows his later and greater comedies, offering students and scholars a valuable key to the playwright's development.
The Comedy of Errors
by William ShakespeareBook Description The shortest and probably earliest of Shakespeare's comedies, The Comedy of Errors is the story of identical twin brothers who are raised apart-and then mistaken for each other.
The Comedy of Errors (First Avenue Classics ™)
by William ShakespeareThe merchant Egeon is caught crossing the border from Syracuse into the rival city of Ephesus—a crime punishable by death. But Egeon isn't a criminal; he's merely trying to find his wife and one of his twin sons, who were separated from him after a shipwreck twenty-five years ago. The Duke takes pity on Egeon after hearing his story and grants him a day to raise the money necessary to save his life. What Egeon isn't aware of is that both of his twin sons are now in Ephesus, and with two identical sons in one city, strange mix-ups are bound to happen. A tale of mistaken identities, this unabridged version of one of English playwright William Shakespeare's earliest comedic plays was first performed in 1594 and published in Shakespeare's First Folio in 1623.
The Comedy of Errors (The New Cambridge Shakespeare)
by William Shakespeare T. S. DorschRos King provides a completely new Introduction to the existing text and commentary for this updated edition of The Comedy of Errors. She argues that the play cannot be regarded only as a farcical romp based on a classical model, but should be considered part of a critically misunderstood genre of tragi-comedy. Stressing the play's underlying seriousness, the Introduction pays special attention to its religious imagery.
The Comedy of Errors: A Comedy In Five Acts (classic Reprint) (Modern Library Classics)
by William ShakespeareThis is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
The Comedy of Errors: Critical Essays
by William Shakespeare'After God, Shakespeare has created most' Alexandre DumasTwo sets of identical twins, separated at sea as babies, find themselves in the same city for the first time as adults. Soon, their friends mistake the twins for one another and bewilderment abounds. Joyful, mystical and brilliantly farcical, Shakespeare's shortest play is an early romantic comedy of confusion and ultimate reunion.Used and Recommended by the National TheatreGeneral Editor Stanley WellsEdited by Stanley WellsIntroduction by Randall Martin
The Comedy of Errors: The 30-Minute Shakespeare
by Nick NewlinThe Comedy of Errors: The 30-Minute Shakespeare offers five raucous scenes from this extravaganza of mistaken identity.The abridgement begins with a dramatic physical enactment of the twins' separation at sea. The play continues with a series of foibles featuring Antipholus of Ephesus, Dromio of Ephesus, and their identical twin counterparts from Antipholus.Adriana and Luciana receive hysterically misguided attention from the twins. Emilia and Egeon as the long-lost parents, and the riotous conjurer Dr. Pinch round out the cast of characters in Shakespeare's most uproarious comedy.The edition includes a preface by Nick Newlin containing helpful advice on how to put on a Shakespeare performance in a high school class with novice actors, as well as an appendix with suggestions for the specific play and recommendations for further resources.
The Comedy of Errors: Webster's Italian Thesaurus Edition (The Pelican Shakespeare)
by William Shakespeare Stephen Orgel A. R. Braunmuller Frances E. DolanThe acclaimed Pelican Shakespeare series edited by A. R. Braunmuller and Stephen Orgel 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. Updated by general editors Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller, these easy-to-read editions incorporate over thirty years of Shakespeare scholarship undertaken since the original series, edited by Alfred Harbage, appeared between 1956 and 1967. With definitive texts and illuminating essays, the Pelican Shakespeare will remain a valued resource for students, teachers, and theater professionals for many years to come. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
The Comic Everywoman in Irish Popular Theatre: Political Melodrama, 1890-1925 (Palgrave Studies in Comedy)
by Susanne CollearyThis book is a comprehensive study of comic women in performance as Irish Political Melodrama from 1890 to 1925. It maps out the performance contexts of the period, such as Irish “poor” theatre both reflecting and complicating narratives of Irish Identity under British Rule. The study investigates the melodramatic aesthetic within these contexts and goes on to analyse a selection of the melodramas by the playwrights J.W. Whitbread and P.J. Bourke. In doing so, the analyses makes plain the comic structures and intent that work across both character and action, foregrounding comic women at the centre of the discussion. Finally, the book applies a “practice as research” dimension to the study. Working through a series of workshops, rehearsals and a final performance, Colleary investigates comic identity and female performance through a feminist revisionist lens. She ultimately argues that the formulation of the Comic Everywoman as staged “Comic” identity can connect beyond the theatre to her “Everyday” self. This book is intended for those interested in theatre histories, comic women and in popular performance.
The Community Performance Reader
by Petra Kuppers Gwen RobertsonCommunity Performance: A Reader is the first book to provide comprehensive teaching materials for this significant part of the theatre studies curriculum. It brings together core writings and critical approaches to community performance work, presenting practices in the UK, USA, Australia and beyond. Offering a comprehensive anthology of key writings in the vibrant field of community performance, spanning dance, theatre and visual practices, this Reader uniquely combines classic writings from major theorists and practitioners such as Augusto Boal, Paolo Freire, Dwight Conquergood and Jan Cohen Cruz, with newly commissioned essays that bring the anthology right up to date with current practice. This book can be used as a stand-alone text, or together with its companion volume, Community Performance: An Introduction, to offer an accessible and classroom-friendly introduction to the field of community performance.
The Compact Bedford Introduction to Drama (7th Edition)
by Lee A. JacobusOffering a carefully chosen selection of plays from the ancient Greeks to the present--including many new contemporary prize-winners--The Compact Bedford Introduction to Drama has the plays you want to teach and the features students need at a compact size. Twenty-eight chronologically arranged plays are illuminated by insightful commentaries and casebooks that enrich students' contextual understanding and encourage critical thinking.
The Complaisant Lover: A Play
by Graham GreeneA &“delicious . . . champagne cocktail&” of a stage comedy about a sporting British couple&’s marital—and extramarital—propositions (New York Herald Tribune). Victor Rhodes, a hearty and amiable dentist in North London, has what he thinks is a happy marriage. It&’s stable, routine, and comfortably platonic. Five years and counting, his wife, Mary, feels the same way. That&’s why she&’s taken a secret lover—their good friend, Clive Root, an antiquarian bookseller for whom relieving complaisant husbands of their duty is a pleasure. But when Mary and Clive connive a rendezvous in Amsterdam, their getaway takes a surprising turn with a visit from Victor. What&’s now at risk for Mary is more than a marriage to a man she genuinely loves but also a perfectly fulfilling affair with a man she truly desires. In this &“sin-and-tonic work of art,&” Mary isn&’t about to give up either of them (Spectator). &“An expert at badinage full of quiet English verve, Mr. Greene writes with smooth sophistication&” in his last play—a comedy of lies, cheats, and betrayals—produced by Sir John Gielgud at the Globe Theatre, London, in 1959 (The New York Times). Two years later, it debuted on Broadway, with a cast including Sandy Dennis, Michael Redgrave, and Gene Wilder.
The Complete Aeschylus
by AeschylusAeschylus' Oresteia, the only ancient tragic trilogy to survive, is one of the great foundational texts of Western culture. It begins with Agamemnon, which describes Agamemnon's return from the Trojan War and his murder at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra, continues with her murder by their son Orestes in Libation Bearers, and concludes with Orestes' acquittal at a court founded by Athena in Eumenides. The trilogy thus traces the evolution of justice in human society from blood vengeance to the rule of law, Aeschylus' contribution to a Greek legend steeped in murder, adultery, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and endless intrigue.
The Complete Book of Hand Shadows: Instructions for Shadowgraphy
by Louis NikolaGenerations of entertainers have amused audiences of children and adults with the art of hand shadows, using only a light source and their own two hands to form immediately recognizable profiles of people and animals. Lovers of nostalgia and aspiring hand shadow artists will delight in this facsimile of a 1913 book, which features more than 50 hand shadows. These quaint illustrations depict many different types of shadows, from swans, rabbits, and other animals to historic figures and fictional characters. Each hand shadow is accompanied by a description of specific hand positioning and an illustration. Additional helpful tips include instructions on lighting, projection screens, and hand exercises.
The Complete Euripides Volume II
by Alan Shapiro Peter BurianPlays: ELECTRA; IPHIGENIA IN TAURIS; ORESTES; IPHIGENIA AT AULIS