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24 books with the same feel
Include books by the same authorMurder in the Cathedral
T.S. Eliot · 88 pages
A dramatization in free verse and with features derived from ancient and medieval theatre of the killing of Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury under King Henry II. Eliot used the device of a chorus, an ancient Greek invention, to express certain concerns and observations, and the killers take their turn to justify their action. When I read this play as a grammar school student in England, I
Becket
Jean Anouilh · 128 pages
Portrays the conflict of loyalties to church and state as they influenced the lives of two powerful men in English history.
Richard II
William Shakespeare, Barbara A. Mowat, Paul Werstine · 130 pages
Written in 1595, "Richard II" occupies a significant place in the Shakespeare canon. It marks the transition from the earlier history plays dominated by civil war and stark power to a more nuanced representation of the political conflicts of England's past where character and politics are inextricably intertwined. Deftly combining history with tragedy, its tale of bad government and usurpation had
Boris Godunov
Alexander Pushkin · 125 pages
Boris Godunov is a closet play by Alexander Pushkin. It was written in 1825, published in 1831, but not approved for performance by the censor until 1866. Its subject is the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar from 1598 to 1605. It consists of 25 scenes and is written predominantly in blank verse.
The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex/Oedipus at Colonus/Antigone
Sophocles · 272 pages
The Spanish Tragedy
Thomas Kyd · 138 pages
A revenge play or revenge tragedy. Its plot contains several violent murders and includes as one of its characters a personification of Revenge. Contains the play-within-a-play used to trap a murderer and a ghost intent on vengeance, which became popular motifs in plays that followed.
Amadeus
Peter Shaffer · 128 pages
0riginating at the National Theatre of Great Britain, Amadeus was the recipient of both the Evening Standard Drama Award and the Theatre Critics Award. In the United States, the play won the coveted Tony Award and went on to become a critically acclaimed major motion picture winning eight Oscars, including Best Picture. Now, this extraordinary work about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is avai
The Oresteia
Aeschylus · 195 pages
The Oresteia -- Agamemnon, Choephori, and The Eumenides -- depicts the downfall of the house of Atreus: after King Agamemnon is murdered by Clytemnestra, their son, Orestes, is commanded by Apollo to avenge the crime by killing his mother, and he does so, bringing on himself the wrath of the Furies and the judgment of Athens. Together, the three plays are one of the major achievements of Greek ant
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
August Wilson · 111 pages
Presents the script for a two-act play set in a Chicago recording studio in 1927 where African-American band members and blues singer Ma Rainey reveal the conflicted feelings they have about their status in the white man's world.
Cyrano de Bergerac
Edmond Rostand · 225 pages
Cyrano de Bergerac, verse drama in five acts by Edmond Rostand, performed in 1897 and published the following year. It was based only nominally on the 17th-century nobleman of the same name, known for his bold adventures and large nose. Set in 17th-century Paris, the action revolves around the emotional problems of the noble, swashbuckling Cyrano, who, despite his many gifts, feels that no woma
Saint Joan
George Bernard Shaw · 161 pages
This classic traces the life of Joan of Arc from the time she appears to her regional governor, her visit to the Dauphin (where she is undeceived by his disguise) to the siege of Orleans, coronation at Rheims, trial and recantation, and culminating with her death at the stake. Followed by the famous epilogue regarding her canonization, Shaw explores the themes of faith, nationalism and Protestanti
The Revenger's Tragedy
Thomas Middleton, Cyril Tourneur · 130 pages
A vivid and often violent portrayal of lust and ambition in an Italian court, the play typifies the satiric tone and cynicism of much Jacobean tragedy. The play fell out of favour at some point before the restoration of the theaters in 1660; however, it experienced a revival in the twentieth century among directors and playgoers who appreciated its affinity with the temper of modern times.
'Tis Pity She's a Whore and Other Plays
John Ford · 416 pages
King John
William Shakespeare, Paul Werstine · 176 pages
Complexities of power and loyalty in King John, a historical play by William Shakespeare. Set against the backdrop of England’s turbulent politics, this gripping narrative explores the reign of King John, who faces internal betrayal and external threats. As he grapples with his own legitimacy and the loyalty of his nobles, the play delves into themes of authority, identity, and human frailty.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Tom Stoppard · 126 pages
Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm’s-eve view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play. In Tom Stoppard’s best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of
Henry VI: Parts I, II and III
William Shakespeare, Jonathan Bate, Eric Rasmussen · 428 pages