Mrs. Warren's Profession is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1894, and first performed in London in 1902. The title refers to prostitution. The story centres on the relationship between Mrs Kitty Warren and her daughter, Vivie. Mrs. Warren, a former prostitute and current brothel owner, is described as "on the whole, a genial and fairly presentable old blackguard of a woman." Vivie, an intelligent and pragmatic young woman who just graduated...

"Candida" is the story of its title character, a woman who is married to the Reverend Morell. Candida is a woman of many talents and her husband has his wife to thank for much of his success. When a young man by the name of Marchbanks professes his love for Candida, Morell must reexamine his relationship with his wife and ultimately discovers a side to her that he never knew existed. "Candida" is a play written during a time of great empowerment of...

The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabeled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics consider it to be one of Shakespeare's "problem plays", because the first three acts are filled with intense psychological drama, while the last two acts are comedic and supply a happy ending. The play has been...

Lord George Gordon Byron was the flamboyant aristocratic poet who is as renowned for his personal life as he is for his poetry. The victim of an untimely death, Lord Byron lived from 1788 to 1824. Despite this relatively short life he still managed to create a volume of poetry that achieved him the status as one of the greatest of all English poets. This representative selection includes such classics as "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage", a sweeping narrative...

This omnibus collection brings Christina Rossetti's best-known works together in one volume. The "Goblin Market" is a cautionary poem about two sisters who are tempted by evil goblins with delicious fruit when they go to draw water from their well. It also features "The Prince's Progress," and works such as "Song" and "Dream Land," as well as devotionals-all filled with rich imagery and deft phrasing.

William Shakespeare's sonnets are some of his most enduring work and a treasure for all time. Mystery surrounds these magical poems. Who was Shakespeare's Dark Lady and who was the Fair Youth that Shakespeare addressed in so many of the sonnets? These Poems are both witty and poignant. Interestingly, Shakespeare chose to break many of the established rules when writing these. They are simply a joy to read. 'My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun,...

In the sphere of poets like Swift, Meredith and Kipling, Thomas Hardy is today becoming recognized as one of the greatest English poets of this century. As a young man with interests in journalism, art, and architecture, Hardy achieved greatness in the fiction genre early on, writing novels for a living until his mid-fifties. He then abandoned fiction entirely in order to devote himself to his true passion-poetry. This ample selection of poems demonstrates...

After James Douglas and his daughter Ellen are banished from their home, they go into hiding with the help of several enemies of the king. The Lady of the Lake is an intricate story filled with political and social intrigue, romance and chivalry. James Douglas is the former Earl of Bothwell, who once mentored King James V of Scotland. He is currently exiled from the realm and living on the outskirts of the kingdom. Douglas and his daughter Ellen...

The Real Thing is one of Tom Stoppard's most enduring and highly acclaimed dramatic works, first performed in 1982 at The Strand Theatre in London, starring Felicity Kendal and Roger Rees. The Real Thing begins with Max and Charlotte, a couple whose marriage is on the verge of collapse. Charlotte is an actress who has been appearing in a play about marriage written by her husband, Henry. Max, her leading man, is also married to an actress, Annie....

Measure for Measure - William Shakespeare - Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. Originally published in the First Folio of 1623, where it was listed as a comedy, the play's first recorded performance occurred in 1604. The play's main themes include justice, "mortality and mercy in Vienna," and the dichotomy between corruption and purity: "some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." Mercy...