Man and Superman

Subtitled ‘‘A Comedy and a Philosophy,’’ George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman is a comedy of ideas: its characters discuss ideas such as capitalism, social reform, male and female roles in courtship, and other existential topics in long speeches that resemble arias in an opera. The play’s verbosity makes it unwieldy to produce full scale, so the Epistle in the beginning and the Revolutionist’s Handbook at the end are usually not performed, and the scene in Hell, although containing the bulk of the play’s philosophical musings, is often dropped. (from eNotes)

Download Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw (PDF)

Photo by Thomas Hawk

Ghosts

Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts surprises modern audiences with some of the issues that it discusses, including out-of-wedlock children, venereal disease, incest, infidelity, and euthanasia. It is the story of a woman, Mrs. Alving, who is preparing for the opening of an orphanage in memory of her husband, Captain Alving, on the tenth anniversary of his death. The captain was an important and respected man in his community, and Mrs. Alving plans to raise this one great memorial to him so that she will not have to ever again speak of him. She wants to avoid the awful truth: that he was a cheating, immoral philanderer whose public reputation was a sham. Their son Oswald has come home from Paris with the news that he is dying of syphilis, which he contracted in the womb, and planning to marry the family’s maid. He hopes that she can nurse him as his illness progresses, and Mrs. Alving has to tell him that the maid is actually Captain Alving’s illegitimate daughter. (From eNotes)

Download Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen (PDF)

Photo from Ibsen.net

Julius Caesar

In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius plot to assassinate Rome’s most famous emperor, Julius Caesar. After they accomplish this in perhaps the most famous death scene ever written — “Et tu, Bruté?” — Antony and Octavius pursue the conspirators across Italy, climaxing in one final, epic battle. Julius Caesar is Shakespeare’s fascinating tale of political intrigue, betrayal, and vengeance — set against the rich tapestry of ancient Rome. (From Cliff’s Notes)

Download Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (PDF)

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/findustrip/443356462/

The Three Sisters

Like many of Chekhov’s works, it is about the decay of the privileged class in Russia and the search for meaning in the modern world. In the play, Olga, Masha, and Irina are refined and cultured young women in their twenties who were raised in urban Moscow but have been living in a small, colorless provincial town for eleven years. With their father dead, their anticipated return to Moscow comes to represent their hopes for living a good life, while the ordinariness of day-to-day living tightens its hold. (From eNotes)

Download The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov (PDF)

Photo by Gary H. Spielvogel

Othello

Othello is William Shakespeare’s tragedy of the Moor who “loved not wisely but too well.” In Venice, Othello elopes with Desdemona, the daughter of a Venetian senator. Iago, who hates Othello and who feels he has been passed over for a promotion, plots to bring down Othello. Through Iago’s lies and manipulation, Othello believes that Desdemona has been unfaithful and kills her. When the truth comes out, Othello stands on his honor and kills himself. (From Cliff’s Notes)

Download Othello by William Shakespeare (PDF)

Photo courtesy Azli Jamil