Drama

Embrace the intensity and beauty of life with our Drama collection. From timeless classics to contemporary masterpieces, explore plays that move the heart. Delve into works that examine human emotions, conflicts, and transformations.

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The Merchant of Venice: Intermediate - Thryft
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William Shakespeare | Macmillan

The Merchant of Venice: Intermediate

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Goodreads rating: 3.78

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Recommendation: "The Merchant of Venice" is highly recommended for readers seeking thought-provoking dramas that explore complex themes of justice, revenge and betrayal. Written in a playscript format, this book provides original extracts and an immersive experience for the reader. Shakespeare masterfully weaves together the lives of a vengeful loan shark, a debt-laden merchant and star-crossed lovers to create a play that is both gripping and tragic. The play raises compelling questions about the nature of justice, mercy, and humanity that will surely leave readers spellbound.
Moving on Up - Thryft
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Sue Welfare | Harpercollins Publishers

Moving on Up

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Goodreads rating: 3.04

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Moving On Up is an engaging read that explores the consequences of a single mistake that can uproot an entire life. Sue Welfare's witty writing captures the guilt and temptations that come with the story's decisions. This book is a great read for anyone who enjoys page-turning stories of personal crisis and growth.
Uncle Vanya - Thryft
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Anton Chekhov, David Mamet  | Grove Press

Uncle Vanya

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Goodreads rating: 3.85

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Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet’s Uncle Vanya is a sparkling restoration of a masterpiece of the modern stage, marked by Mamet’s finely tuned ear for dialogue and memorable poetic imagery.In "Uncle Vanya," a retired professor and his beautiful young wife return to the country estate left by his deceased first wife to find themselves overwhelmed by the stagnant inevitability of the rituals of their life and class, and mercilessly taxed by the encroachment of age at the expense of youth. All of the play’s characters are plunged into that precarious state where, in Beckett’s words, “the boredom of living is replaced by the suffering of being.”Working from a literal translation by Vlada Chernomordik, Mamet, who has also adapted Chekhov’s Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, opens the way for a contemporary audience to establish immediate contact with a classic, infusing the power of Chekhov’s play with the potent precision of his own modern voice.
Pygmalion - Thryft
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George Bernard Shaw | Pearson Education

Pygmalion

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Goodreads rating: 3.89

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“You see this creature with her kerbstone English… Well sir, in three months I could pass that girl off as a duchess…” So begins Henry Higgins’ linguistic project to transform Eliza Dolittle’s speech. But he hadn’t bargained on Eliza’s feisty character or falling in love with her…(back cover)
A Doll's House and Other Plays - Thryft
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Delivering three distinct and powerful visions of characters who choose to defy convention in the pursuit of happiness, Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House and Other Plays is translated with an introduction by Peter Watts in Penguin Classics. The League of Youth was Ibsen's first venture into realistic social drama and marks a turning-point in his style. By 1879 Ibsen was convinced that women suffer an inevitable violation of their personalities within the context of marriage. In A Doll's House, Ibsen caused a sensation with the his portrayal of Nora Helmer, a woman who, gradually arriving at an understanding of her own misery, struggles to break free from the stifling confines of her marriage. Continuing the theme of tensions within the family in The Lady from the Sea, Ibsen put forward the view that freedom with responsibility might at least be a step in the right direction. Peter Watts's lively modern translation is accompanied by an introduction examining Ibsen's life and times, with individual discussions of each of the three plays. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
A View from the Bridge - Thryft
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Arthur Miller | Penguin Books

A View from the Bridge

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Goodreads rating: 3.7

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Arthur Miller's play A View from the Bridge is a tragic masterpiece of the inexorable unravelling of a man, set in a close-knit Italian-American community in 1950s New York.Eddie Carbone is a longshoreman and a straightforward man, with a strong sense of decency and of honour. For Eddie, it's a privilege to take in his wife's cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, straight off the boat from Italy. But, as his niece Catherine begins to fall for one of them, it's clear that it's not just, as Eddie claims, that he's too strange, too sissy, too careless for her, but that something bigger, deeper is wrong - and wrong inside Eddie, in a way he can't face. Something which threatens the happiness of their whole family.
Romeo And Juliet - Thryft
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This classic tale of Romeo and Juliet captures the essence of tragic love. From its iconic balcony scene to the heart-wrenching ending, Shakespeare's eloquent language and passionate storytelling will immerse you in the captivating world of forbidden love. Experience the beauty and complexity of this timeless masterpiece that continues to resonate with readers of all ages.
Twelfth Night : or, What You Will - Thryft
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William Shakespeare | Signet

Twelfth Night : or, What You Will

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Goodreads rating: 3.97

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Twelfth Night: Or,what You Will (Penguin Popular Classics) Shakespeare, William
The House of Bernarda Alba : La Casa de Bernarda Alba - Thryft
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Bernarda Alba is a widow, and her five daughters are incarcerated in mourning along with her. One by one they make a bid for freedom, with tragic consequences. Lorca's tale depicts the repression of women within Catholic Spain in the years before the war. The House of Bernarda Alba is Lorca's last and possibly finest play, completed shortly before he was murdered by Nationalist sympathisers at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Inspired by real characters and described by the author as 'a true record of village life', it is a tragic tale of frustration and explosive passions in a household of women rulled by a tyrannical mother. Edited with invaluable student notes - a must for students of Spanish drama.
"Othello" - Thryft
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E.A.J. Honigmann, William Shakespeare  | Bloomsbury Arden

"Othello"

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Goodreads rating: 3.89

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Notes concerning the text and its literary sources accompany this edition of Shakespearce's play about jealousy, malice, and deceit
"Troilus and Cressida" - Thryft
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William Shakespeare | Arden Shakespeare

"Troilus and Cressida"

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Goodreads rating: 3.41

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Book by Shakespeare, William
"Love's Labour's Lost" - Thryft
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William Shakespeare | Arden Shakespeare

"Love's Labour's Lost"

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Goodreads rating: 3.53

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This edition of Love''s Labour''s lost provide s a clear and authoritative text, detailed notes and comment ary on the same pages as the text and an in-depth survey of critical approaches to the play. '
"The Two Noble Kinsmen" - Thryft
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Largely ignored for centuries because of doubts about its authorship and its subject matter, once considered distasteful, "The Two Noble Kinsmen" is surprisingly relevant to many current interests. Lois Potter supplies new information on sources and contexts, and drawing on extensive experience as a theatre critic, compares a number of late-20th century stagings of the play.
"Timon of Athens" - Thryft
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H.J. Oliver, William Shakespeare  | Arden Shakespeare

"Timon of Athens"

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Goodreads rating: 3.44

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"The New Penguin Shakespeare" offers a complete edition of the plays and poems. Each volume has been newly prepared from the original texts and includes an introduction, a list of further reading, a commentary, and a short account of the textual problems of the play.
"All's Well That Ends Well" - Thryft
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A poor physician's daughter cures the King of France, and in return is promised the hand of any nobleman she wishes. But the man she chooses, the proud young Count of Rosillion, refuses to consummate the forced marriage and flees to Florence. Depicting the triumph of trickery over youthful arrogance, All's Well that Ends Well is among Shakespeare's darkest romantic comedies, yet it remains a powerful tribute to the strength of love.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Thryft
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William Shakespeare | Arden Shakespeare

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

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Goodreads rating: 3.4

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Professor Schlueter approaches this early Shakespearean comedy as a parody of two types of Renaissance educational the love-quest story and the test-of-friendship story, which by their combination show the pitfalls of high-flown human ideals. A thoroughly researched, illustrated stage history reveals changing conceptions of the play, which has tempted many nineteenth- and twentieth-century directors and actors, who often fail, nevertheless, to come to terms with the play's subversive impetus.
Othello - Thryft
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William Shakespeare | The Penguin Group

Othello

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Goodreads rating: 3.89

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If anything, Othello has increased its stature as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies ever since it was first written, between 1603 and 1604, due to the victimisation suffered by its tragic hero, Othello, as a result of his skin colour. Othello is a "noble Moor", a North African Muslim who has converted to Christianity and is deemed one of the Venetian state's most reliable soldiers. However, his ensign Iago harbours an obscure hatred against his general, and when Othello secretly marries the beautiful daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio, Iago begins his subtle campaign of vilification, which will inevitably lead to the deaths of more than just Othello and Desdemona. An extraordinary play, both for its dramatic economy and power as well as its remarkable language, from Othello's bombastic "traveller's history" to Desdemona's elegiac "willow song", the play raises uncomfortable questions about ongoing questions of not only racial identity but also sexuality, as Othello and Desdemona's sexual relationship becomes the voyeuristic site of Iago's attempt to destroy them. Particularly fascinated with the question of what it means to "see", Othello also contains one of the greatest tragic death scenes in all of Shakespeare, with Othello's final identification with "a malignant and a turbaned Turk". --Jerry Brotton
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
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Edward Albee | Vintage Classics

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

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Goodreads rating: 4.06

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If you're intrigued by the raw and unfiltered exploration of human relationships, this play is for you. Albee’s dialogue crackles with life, serving up a slice of drama that's as thought-provoking as it is discomforting. The characters are compellingly flawed, and their journey throughout the night will keep you hooked until the last page turns.
The five plays collected here offer a unique insight into the role of theatre in a situation of oppression. They were produced in close collaboration with their original black amateur casts, drawing on their lives and everyday experiences in the townships. They range from the early apprentice work of the brash but vital Sophiatown plays, No-Good Friday and Nongogo, to the freer, more urgent, and profound New Brighton plays, including the most famous Sizwe Bansi is Dead and IThe Island, and the previously unavailable The Coat.
Hamlet - Thryft
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William Shakespeare | Barron's

Hamlet

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Goodreads rating: 4.02

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At Last - HamletIn language everyone can understand.Here, at last, is a modern version of one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. Written in today's English, this poerful tale of ghosts, murder and revenge takes on new meaning and dramatic impact. Now, everyone can be enthralled by the tragic story of the young prince, Hamlet, his beloved Ophelia, and the quest for vengence that destroyed them both.The complete original text is laid out side-by-side with the full modern version. ideal for instant reference and understanding. A must-have Shakespeare companion, whether you are reading Hamlet for the first time or studying for an exam.(back cover)
Romeo and Juliet Paper - Thryft
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Book by Shakespeare, William
This volume contains four of the most important and famous plays of the American theatre. All were written by Arthur Miller within a ten-year period which began with his first Broadway hit in 1947: 'With the production of All My Sons,' wrote Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times, 'the theatre has acquired a genuine new talent.' This hit was followed by an even greater Death of a Salesman. 'A great play of our day', wrote the New York Herald Tribune and the play has gone on to become the classic American tragedy of Willy Loman, a salesman who becomes disillusioned with the American dream. The Crucible(1953) was produced during the McCarthy era and became a parable of the witch-hunting practises of a government rooting out Communists. A View from the Bridge(1955) concerns the lives of longshoremen in the Brooklyn waterfront and has remained one of Miller's most produced plays. A Memory of Two Mondays, a one-act play, was written as a companion piece to A View from the Bridge. "The greatest American dramatist of our age" (Evening Standard)
The Winslow Boy - Thryft
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This book is a must-read for fans of compelling courtroom dramas. Set in the early 20th century, "The Winslow Boy" brings to life a riveting court case that captures the attention of both the characters and the readers. But what sets this book apart is its ability to go beyond the legal proceedings and shed light on the social attitudes of the time. Terrance Rattigan's masterful storytelling paints a vivid picture of a society that values honor and justice above all else. Prepare to be engrossed in a thought-provoking tale that explores the complex nuances of morality and family loyalty.
"Mother Courage and Her Children" - Thryft
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This Student Edition of Brecht's anti-war masterpiece features an extensiveintroduction and commentary that includes a plot summary, discussion ofthe context, themes, characters, style and language as well asquestions for further study and notes on words and phrases in the text.It is the perfect edition for students of theatre and literature.In this chronicle of the Thirty Years War of the seventeenth century, Mother Courage follows the armies back and forth across Europe, selling provisions and liquor from her canteen wagon. As the action of the play progresses between the years 1624 and 1646 she loses her children to the war but remains indomitable, refusing to part with her livelihood - the wagon. The play is one of the most celebrated examples of Epic Theatre and of Brecht's use of alienation effect to focus attention on the issues of the play above the individual characters. It remains regarded as one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century and one of the great anti-war plays of all time. The Berlin production of 1949, with Helene Weigel as Mother Courage, marked the foundation of the Berliner Ensemble.This volume contains expert notes on the author's life and work, historical and political background to the play, photographs from stage productions and a glossary of difficult words and phrases. The play is translated by Brecht scholar John Willett who did more than anyone else to make Brecht's work available in the English language.
Much Ado About Nothing - Thryft
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Shakespeare's sharp comedy about mistaken identities, false suspicions, and a very “merry war” between the lovers Beatrice and Benedick is presented in a gorgeous volume with paper-cut illustrations by Kevin Stanton and contextualizing essays and timelines by scholar Robert Miola.
Waiting for Godot : A Tragicomedy in Two Acts - Thryft
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Subtitled 'A tragicomedy in two Acts', and famously described by the Irish critic Vivien Mercier as a play in which 'nothing happens, twice', En attendant Godot was first performed at the Theatre de Babylone in Paris in 1953. It was translated into English by Samuel Beckett, and Waiting for Godot opened at the Arts Theatre in London in 1955.'Go and see Waiting for Godot. At the worst you will discover a curiosity, a four-leaved clover, a black tulip; at the best something that will securely lodge in a corner of your mind for as long as you live.' Harold Hobson, 7 August 1955'I told him that if by Godot I had meant God I would have said God, and not Godot. This seemed to disappoint him greatly.' Samuel Beckett, 1955
The Threepenny Opera: v.2 - Thryft
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Based on John Gay's eighteenth century Beggar's Opera, The Threepenny Opera, first staged in 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, is a vicious satire on the bourgeois capitalist society of the Weimar Republic, but set in a mock-Victorian Soho. With Kurt Weill's unforgettable music - one of the earliest and most successful attempts to introduce jazz to the theatre - it became a popular hit throughout the western world. Published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, this edition features extensive notes and commentary including an introduction to the play, Brecht's own notes on the play, a full appendix of textual variants, a note by composer Kurt Weill, a transcript of a discussion about the play between Brecht and a theatre director, plus editorial notes on the genesis of the play.
Romeo and Juliet - Thryft
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William Shakespeare | Penguin Books

Romeo and Juliet

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Goodreads rating: 3.74

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Recommended for those who enjoy classic tragedies with themes of love and conflict. This book is known for its timeless story that still resonates with audiences today, as well as its poetic language, memorable characters, and exploration of the dangers of intense emotion.
A View from the Bridge and All My Sons : All My Sons - Thryft
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Set on the gritty Brooklyn waterfront, "A View from the Bridge" follows the cataclysmic downfall of Eddie Carbone, who spends his days as a hardworking longshoreman and his nights at home with his wife, Beatrice, and niece, Catherine. But the routine of his life is interrupted when Beatrice's cousins, illegal immigrants from Italy, arrive in New York. As one of them embarks on a romance with Catherine, Eddie's envy and delusion plays out with devastating consequences.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Other Plays - Thryft
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Tennessee Williams | Penguin

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Other Plays

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Goodreads rating: 4.06

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As mirrors of his emotional and imaginative life, the plays of Tennessee Williams explore the darker side of human nature and are haunted by the pervasive theme of loneliness that is humanity's inescapable destiny.Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, one of his masterpieces, seethes with the family tensions, suppressed sexuality and the less-than-secret whisper of scandal that lie beneath the civilized veneer of the American South. The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore is a passionate examination of a woman's life as she recounts her memoirs in the face of death. In The Night of the Iguana a group of diverse people are thrown together in an isolated Mexican hotel, all imprisoned in their own way.
Hamlet - Thryft
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Sylvan Barnet, William Shakespeare  | Signet Classic

Hamlet

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Goodreads rating: 4.02

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The Signet Classics edition of William Shakespeare’s incomparable tragic play.“To be, or not to be: that is the question”There is arguably no work of fiction quoted as often as William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This haunting tragedy of a troubled Danish prince devoted to avenging his father’s death has captivated audiences for centuries. This revised Signet Classics edition includes unique features such as:• An overview of Shakespeare’s life, world, and theater• A special introduction to the play by the editor, Sylvan Barnet• Sources from which Shakespeare derived Hamlet• Dramatic criticism from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, A. C. Bradley, Maynard Mack, and others• A comprehensive stage and screen history of notable actors, directors, and productions• Text, notes, and commentaries printed in the clearest, most readable text• And more…
Blue Room : Freely Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde - Thryft
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Arthur Schnitzler described Reigen, his loose series of sexual sketches, as "completely unprintable, " and indeed its premiere in 1921 spurred an obscenity suit. It was only when Max Ophuls made his famous film in 1950 that the work became better known as La Ronde. Now David Hare has reset these circular scenes of love and betrayal in the present day, with a cast of two actors playing a succession of characters whose sexual lives enmesh like a daisy chain. The Blue Room is a meditation on men and women, sex and social class, actors and the theater. With deft insight about the gap between the sexes, The Blue Room takes the treacherous Freudian subject of projection and desire and reinvents it in a bittersweet landscape that is both eternal and completely up-to-date.
Rhinoceros, and Other Plays - Thryft
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Eugène Ionesco | Grove Press

Rhinoceros, and Other Plays

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Goodreads rating: 4.0

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In Rhinoceros, as in his early plays, Ionesco startles audiences with a world that invariably erupts in explosive laughter and nightmare anxiety. A rhinoceros suddely apears in a small town, tramping through its peaceful streets. Soon there are two, then three, until the "movement" is universal: a transformation of average citizens into beasts, as they learn to "move with the times." Finally, only one man remains. "I'm the last man left, and I'm staying that way until the end. I'm not capitulating!" Rhinoceros is a commentary on the absurdity of the human condition made tolerable only by self-delusion. It shows us the struggle of the individual to maintain integrity and identity alone in a world where all others have succumbed to the "beauty" of brute force, natural energy and mindlessness.
Pygmalion - Thryft
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Pygmalion both delighted and scandalized its first audiences in 1914. A brilliantly witty reworking of the classical tale of the sculptor Pygmalion, who falls in love with his perfect female statue, it is also a barbed attack on the British class system and a statement of Shaw's feminist views. In Shaw's hands, the phoneticist Henry Higgins is the Pygmalion figure who believes he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl, into a duchess at ease in polite society. The one thing he overlooks is that his 'creation' has a mind of her own. It was adapted into the Oscar-winning musical film My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison in 1964.This is the definitive text produced under the editorial supervision of Dan H. Laurence, with an illuminating introduction by Nicholas Grene, discussing the language and politics of the play. Also included in this volume is Shaw's preface, as well as his 'sequel' written for the first publication in 1916, to rebut public demand for a more conventionally romantic ending.
A Streetcar Named Desire - Thryft
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Tennessee Williams | New Directions,

A Streetcar Named Desire

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Goodreads rating: 3.98

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The Pulitzer Prize and Drama Critics Circle Award winning play—reissued with an introduction by Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman and The Crucible), and Williams’ essay “The World I Live In.”It is a very short list of 20th-century American plays that continue to have the same power and impact as when they first appeared—57 years after its Broadway premiere, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desireis one of those plays. The story famously recounts how the faded and promiscuous Blanche DuBois is pushed over the edge by her sexy and brutal brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. Streetcar launched the careers of Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden, and solidified the position of Tennessee Williams as one of the most important young playwrights of his generation, as well as that of Elia Kazan as the greatest American stage director of the ’40s and ’50s.
Plays: Three
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Harold Pinter | Faber And Faber

Plays: Three

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Goodreads rating: 3.93

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If Pinter's mastery of dialogue intrigues you, "Plays: Three" by Harold Pinter is an enriching exploration into themes of power, memory, and existential dread, all cloaked in everyday chatter. His plays challenge perceptions, inviting you into a realm where language is both weapon and refuge. Pinter's unique ability to craft dense, emotionally charged moments from what isn't said, as much as from the dialogue, makes this a thought-provoking read for anyone fascinated by the complexities of human interaction.
The Taming of the Shrew - Thryft
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Ann Thompson, Edited by Ann Thompson  | C.u.p.

The Taming of the Shrew

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Goodreads rating: 3.75

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The Taming of the Shrew is a classic Shakespearean play that is popular worldwide. This revised edition by Ann Thompson provides line-by-line commentaries and textual notes, making it an ideal choice for students and enthusiasts wanting to understand the deeper meaning and controversy surrounding the play. The editor's emphasis on the problematic nature of debates about the play and its reception in the twenty-first century is a particularly unique feature that makes this edition highly recommended.
The Merchant of Venice - Thryft
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Critical commentary accompanies the story of Antonio, who risks his life to borrow money from his enemy, Shylock, and is saved by Portia, an heiress posing as a lawyer.

Dive into the World of Drama

At Thryft, our Drama collection showcases literature that unravels the complexities of human nature. We offer a curated selection of dramatic works from celebrated playwrights around the globe. Whether you're a seasoned dramatist or a curious newcomer, there's something here to ignite your passion for theatre. Discover the power of stories that reflect on the human condition and fuel the dialogue on society and self.