Aristophanes, the greatest of comic writers in Greek and in the opinion of many, in any language, is the only one of the Attic comedians any of whose works has survived in complete form He was born in Athens about the middle of the fifth century B C, and had his first comedy produced when he was so young that his name was withheld on account of his youth. He is credited with over forty plays, eleven of which survive, along with the names and fragments...

The Birds is a comedy by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed in 414 BC at the City Dionysia where it won second place. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy remarkable for its mimicry of birds and for the gaiety of its songs. Unlike the author's other early plays, it includes no direct mention of the Peloponnesian War and there are few references to Athenian politics, and yet it was staged...

The Clouds is a comedy written by the celebrated playwright Aristophanes lampooning intellectual fashions in classical Athens. It was originally produced at the City Dionysia in 423 BC and it was not well received, coming last of the three plays competing at the festival that year. It was revised between 420-417 BC and thereafter it was circulated in manuscript form. No copy of the original production survives, and scholarly analysis indicates that...

This is the first of the series of three Comedies-'The Acharnians,' 'Peace' and 'Lysistrata'-produced at intervals of years, the sixth, tenth and twenty-first of the Peloponnesian War, and impressing on the Athenian people the miseries and disasters due to it and to the scoundrels who by their selfish and reckless policy had provoked it, the consequent ruin of industry and, above all, agriculture, and the urgency of asking Peace.-From the introduction...

"Agamemnon" opferte seine Tochter Iphigenie. Die Mutter von Iphigenie, Klytaimnestra, tötet deshalb ihren Mann Agamemnon nach dessen Rückkehr aus dem Trojanischen Krieg, und ebenso dessen Geliebte Kassandra. Der Sohn Orestes tötet daraufhin seine Mutter Klytaimnestra und deren Geliebten Aigisthos. Orestes - und das ist neu - wird dafür nicht mit dem Tod bestraft; die Rachegeister (Erinyen) können in einem Gerichtsverfahren besänftigt werden....

Chremylus, a poor but just man, accompanied by his servant Cario consults the Delphic Oracle concerning his son, whether he ought not to be instructed in injustice and knavery and the other arts whereby worldly men acquire riches. By way of answer the god only tells him that he is to follow whomsoever he first meets upon leaving the temple, who proves to be a blind and ragged old man. But this turns out to be no other than Plutus himself, the god...

Award-winningpoet-playwrights Robert Bagg and James Scully presenta gripping new translation of Western literature's earliest treasures in TheComplete Plays of Sophocles. In the tradition of Robert Fagles'bestselling translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey, andretaining the textual authenticity of Richmond Lattimore'sAeschylus, Bagg and Scully render Sophocles' dramasaccessible and exciting for the modern reader. Students new to Athenian drama,readers...

"Lorenzaccio" est un drame en cinq actes écrit par Alfred de Musset en 1834. Le livre est basé sur l'histoire vraie de Lorenzino de Médicis, qui a assassiné son cousin Alexandre de Médicis à Florence en 1537. Lorenzaccio est un jeune homme ambitieux qui veut libérer Florence de la tyrannie d'Alexandre de Médicis. Lorenzaccio se rapproche d'Alexandre en devenant son ami et confident, mais il planifie secrètement son assassinat. Le livre explore...

Volpone the Fox by Ben Jonson is a brilliant satire that delves into the themes of greed, deceit, and the corrupting power of wealth. Set in Renaissance Venice, the play centers on the cunning Volpone, who, along with his clever servant Mosca, devises a scheme to swindle the city's wealthy yet gullible citizens. Jonson masterfully crafts a narrative filled with sharp wit, humor, and a deep understanding of human nature, as he exposes the folly and...

One of the greatest of Shakespeare's tragedies, Othello tells the story of a Moorish general in command of the armed forces of Venice who earns the enmity of his ensign Iago by passing him over for a promotion. Partly for revenge and partly out of pure evil, Iago plots to convince Othello that Desdemona, his wife, has been unfaithful to him. Iago succeeds in his evil aims only too well, for the enraged Othello murders Desdemona. When Othello later...