Play Studies

This annotated edition includes: • A 16,000-word critical study of Aeschylus and the birth of tragedy • The complete Oresteia — the only surviving Greek trilogy • All seven surviving plays, including Prometheus Bound • A life of Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BCE), the soldier of Marathon • The Plumptre verse translation, public domain worldwide Before Aeschylus, there was no drama. One actor faced a chorus, and nothing could happen. He added a second — and with two figures who could disagree, tragedy, and the whole of theatre after it, was born. Aeschylus is the oldest of the great ...

This annotated edition includes: • A 16,000-word critical study of Sophocles and tragedy • All seven surviving plays — everything that came down to us • The complete Theban cycle: Oedipus the King, Colonus, Antigone • A life of Sophocles (c. 497–406 BCE) • The Campbell verse translation, public domain worldwide A king hunts the murderer whose crime has plagued his city, swearing to bring him to justice — and discovers, scene by scene, that the man he is hunting is himself. Oedipus the King is the play on which Aristotle built the theory of tragedy, the play Freud reached for...

For decades women have been playing competitive sports thanks in large part to the protective cover of Title IX. Since passage of that law, the number of women participating in sports and the level of competition in high school, college, and professionally, has risen dramatically. In Fair Play, award-winning journalist Katie Barnes traces the evolution of women’s sports as a pastime and a political arena, where equality and fairness have been fought over for generations.

In this classic evaluation of play that has become a “must-listen” for those in game design, Dutch philosopher Johan Huizinga defines play as the central activity in flourishing societies. Like civilization, play requires structure and participants willing to create within limits. Starting with Plato, Huizinga traces the contribution of Homo Ludens, or “man the player” through medieval times, the Renaissance, and into our modern civilization.

In Stupid Black Men, he takes on the mindset of those people who always capture the most media attention—as well as masses of public money—people who say that racism is the root of all problems and who end up hurting precisely those they claim to be helping.

"As a former Sunday School Teacher and a Bible Study participant, I really appreciate this book! I think every Christian or even questioning Christian would really enjoy this book and and give you ideas of your own. Read this book; you won’t regret it!" -- Lila J. Who Are the “Rest of Us”? The “rest of us” don’t usually read Bible study books. We might not attend church every Sunday, but we try to live with quiet integrity and faith. We may know the words to old hymns but aren’t that much into singing them. We’re not especially drawn to organized religion—we’re more ...

Why This Book Exists There is a growing problem in history classrooms—and it isn’t the students. It’s disengagement. Today’s learners are surrounded by stories, visuals, and instant information, yet history is often delivered as if curiosity were optional. Dates are memorized. Names are tested. And the most powerful stories humanity has ever lived through are reduced to bullet points and worksheets. This book exists to change that. When History Walks Into the Classroom was written for educators who know that learning happens best when students feel connected—when history becomes ...

According to the Leisure Studies Department at the University of Iowa, true leisure is “that place in which we realize our humanity.” If that’s true, argues Brigid Schulte, then we're doing dangerously little realizing of our humanity. In Overwhelmed, Schulte, a staff writer for The Washington Post, asks: Are our brains, our partners, our culture, and our bosses making it impossible for us to experience anything but “contaminated time”?

Everything Agatha Christie would become begins in these thirteen books. This annotated collection includes: • A 15,000-word critical study of the author's first decade • A full life of the author, from wartime dispenser to Queen of Crime • An introduction: how to read the early work • A Note on the Texts and their United States public-domain status • Thirteen complete works, 1920–1930, in one volume Everything the world's best-selling novelist would become begins in these thirteen books. Between 1920 and 1930 an unknown Englishwoman published the novels that invented modern ...

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is one of the most powerful plays ever written about fear, power, and mass hysteria. Set during the Salem witch trials of 1692, the story shows how paranoia and accusation can destroy entire communities when truth becomes secondary to reputation and survival. This fast study guide breaks down the play in a clear and practical way so readers can understand the major ideas without getting lost in the language or historical context. Inside you will find a structured explanation of the story, characters, themes, and the deeper meaning behind the events in Salem. ...

Dive into the world of design and innovation with a twist in the groundbreaking eBook "Fun, Play, Innovate"! This book is a treasure trove of knowledge for all innovators, designers, thinkers, and creators who believe in the power of fun, and its role in sparking creativity and innovation. This engaging book is not your usual deep dive into design and innovation. It substantiates the science of fun and playfulness, and underlines their significance in the process of Design and Innovation (DI). Starting with the 'Fun Theory in Design', this book provides a fascinating insight into how fun ...

This annotated edition of Romeo and Juliet includes: • A 15,000-word critical study, "A Lightning Before Death" • A full life of Shakespeare — and the thin record behind the legend • A Note on the Text: collated word-by-word against the 1599 Quarto • The complete, unabridged play: Prologue, Chorus, all five acts • On Queen Mab, the Nurse, and a heroine aged thirteen There is no reading Romeo and Juliet for the first time. The play arrives pre-digested, pre-quoted, pre-parodied — a balcony, a vial, two names that stopped being names long ago and became a unit of measurement. It...

This dramatic retelling of the gospel illuminates the unique role we can play in the amazing story God is telling. Sure, good things happen, sometimes beautiful things. But tragic things happen too. What does it mean? We find ourselves in the middle of a story that is sometimes wonderful...

Why do Shakespeare's plays continue to be read, studied, and performed more than four hundred years after they were written? Because the world changes—but human nature does not. The ambition that destroys Macbeth, the jealousy that consumes Othello, the love that unites and divides Romeo and Juliet, the pride that ruins King Lear, and the political intrigue that shapes Julius Caesar are not merely stories from a distant age. They are reflections of the same emotions, conflicts, desires, and struggles that continue to define human life today. Shakespeare's genius lies in his extraordinary ...

Melanie is the kind of girl who looks out for herself. When she's not mooching off boyfriends, she makes her money by scamming her way into high-value medical studies. But when she turns up for a mysterious study involving a hypnotic TV set and a seductive but sadistic vixen, she'll learn that she hasn't yet begun to learn just how pleasurable it can be to submit to science!

This program includes material read by the authors. In User Friendly, Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant reveal the untold story of a paradigm that quietly rules our modern lives: the assumption that machines should anticipate what we need. Spanning over a century of sweeping changes, from...

Enter the fascinating world of nature spirits, as seen by a celebrated clairvoyant. Meet entrancingly beautiful water undines, delicate fairies, ancient and hardworking brownies, and comical gnomes. Geoffrey Hodson describes the vast variety of etheric forms in cooperation with nature, as they invigorate and enliven plants, trees, wind, and bodies of water. Often lighthearted and joyful, nature spirits also show a love for unrestrained frolic, dance, and play.

As a kid in the 1970s and 80s, Carina Chocano was confused by the mixed messages all around her; messages that told her who she could be - and who she couldn’t. Dutifully absorbing all the conflicting information the culture has to offer on how to be a woman, Chocano grappled with sexed up sidekicks, princesses waiting to be saved, and morally infallible angels who seemed to have no opinions of their own. She learned that "the girl" is not a person, but a man's idea of what a woman should be - she’s whatever the hero needs her to be in order to become himself.

The multi award-winning SmartPass study guide with and without commentary options. This is a full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play. Universally accepted as Shakespeare's finest play, we peel back the layers of Hamlet to discover how and why it deserves such a place of honour in world literature.

This annotated edition of King Lear includes: • A 16,000-word critical study, "An O Without a Figure" • A Note on the Text: the two Lears, and why this is neither • On the mock trial and the scenes that exist in only one text • A full life of Shakespeare — and the thin record behind it • The complete received tragedy, all five acts An old king asks his three daughters how much they love him, believes the two who lie, and banishes the one who tells the truth. Everything after is the ruin. King Lear is the bleakest and largest of the tragedies — a play that strips a king to ...