One of the most powerful and enduring of Greek tragedies, Medea centers on the myth of Jason, leader of the Argonauts, who has won the dragon-guarded treasure of the Golden Fleece with the help of the sorceress Medea. Having married Media and fathered her two children, Jason abandons her for a more favorable match, never suspecting the terrible revenge she will take. -- Back cover.

"Antigone," the first Theban play written by Sophocles yet chronologically last in the cycle, is a masterpiece of classical antiquity which examines the conflict between public duty and personal loyalty. Following the banishment of Oedipus, his two sons Eteocles and Polyneices have died leading opposite sides in Thebes's civil war, fighting each other for the throne. Queen Jocasta's brother Creon, now the ruler of Thebes, declares that Eteocles will...

One of the last tragedies written by William Shakespeare, "Coriolanus" is the story of the legendary 5th century BC Roman general Caius Martius, later given the honorary name Coriolanus. Based largely on the biographical accounts of Plutarch and Livy, the play opens amongst riots over grain in which Coriolanus' contempt for the plebeians of Rome is exhibited. The general is drawn away from the riots to battle with the Volscian army. Following the...

Romeo and Juliet was the first drama in English to confer full tragic dignity on the agonies of youthful love. The lyricism that enshrines their death-marked devotion has made the lovers legendary in every language that possesses a literature.

Presents the original text of Shakespeare's play side by side with a modern version, discusses the author and the theater of his time, and provides quizzes and other study activities.

Presents Shakespeare's tragedy in which an English king foolishly splits his kingdom between the two daughters plotting his doom and disinherits his favorite for speaking out against him.

Rome has become the mightiest empire the world has even known and Julius Caesar holds absolute dominion over the conquered world. But his jealous rivals in the Roman senate want his power. Led by Cassius and reluctantly joined by Brutus, the conspirators secretly plot to assassinate Caesar. Appalled by the murder of his mentor, Mark Antony declares war on Caesar's assassins and the empire is divided as the ruling forces ignite an epic war for honor,...

Aristotle called "Oedipus The King," the second-written of the three Theban plays written by Sophocles, the masterpiece of the whole of Greek theater. Today, nearly 2,500 years after Sophocles wrote, scholars and audiences still consider it one of the most powerful dramatic works ever made. Freud sure did. The three plays --"Antigone," "Oedipus the King," and "Oedipus at Colonus" -- are not strictly a trilogy, but all are based on the Theban myths...