Various Artists

Basil Hallward's is infatuated and impressed by Englishman Dorian Gray's beauty, and therefore Dorian has been the subject of most of Hallward's oil paintings. While Dorian is posing for a full-length portrait, he meets Lord Henry Wotton, a materialistic man who shares his hedonistic world view, stating that beauty is the only truly important thing in life. Dorian is persuaded to this point and through a course of events sells his soul so that his...

Mercy and Justice-- Measure for Measure is a play that balances Mercy against Justice and pride against humility. Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna, tells his people that he is leaving on a diplomatic mission and will leave the city in the care of a judge, Angelo. But the Duke does not leave, he disguises himself and see how his fair city is run in his absence. No ceremony that to great ones 'longs, Not the king's crown, nor the deputed sword, The marshal's...

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.

First published in 1898, "The War of the Worlds" terri¬fied and entertained many generations of readers. The audacious portrayal of aliens landing on Earth alongside the themes of interplanetary imperialism, technological holocaust, and, finally, chaos itself provoked a collective hysteria when it was adapted for radio show by Orson Welles in 1938 and it is now an indispensable book for any science fiction fan. Brilliantly imagined, visionary, and...

The Cherry Orchard (1903) is Russian playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov's final play. It was first performed at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1904, directed by acclaimed actor Konstantin Stanislavski-who also played the role of Leonid Gayev, the bizarre and uninspired brother of Madame Ranevskaya. It has since become one of twentieth century theater's most important-and most frequently staged-dramatic works. After five years of living in...

Based on Plutarch's account of the lives of Brutus, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony, Julius Caesar was the first of Shakespeare's Roman history plays. Presented for the first time in 1599, the play reveals the great dramatist's consummate ability to explore and express the most profound human emotions and instincts. So clearly and urgently does it impact its insights into history and human behavior, Julius Caesar is traditionally among the first of...

A translation of nineteenth-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel in which the four sons of Fyodor Karamazov, a man of immoral character, must contend with a criminal investigation and with their own inner questions about justice and the existence of God after they are involved in their father's murder.

The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge libreka classics — These are classics of literary history, reissued and made available to a wide audience. Immerse yourself in well-known and popular titles!

This Pulitzer Prize winning play is the tale of a baby-boomer's long, hard road from 60's confusion to 1990's self-assured woman...or so she hopes. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Lisa Akey, Kosha Engler, Kaitlin Hopkins, Barbara Klein, Lisa Pelikan, Martha Plimpton, Scot Reese, Raphael Sbarge and Grant Shaud.