In order to win the wealthy Portia's hand in marriage, Bassanio thinks he needs money to impress her. He goes to his friend Antonio for help, but Antonio's money is tied up in ships. Antonio brings him to Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. Shylock despises Antonio but agrees to lend Bassanio 3,000 ducats without interest ... on one condition: that Antonio surrender a pound of flesh if Bassanio can't repay the loan. Set in Venice, this play addresses the...

A comedy of Petruchio's determination to subdue the irascible Katherine and to make her his wife.

Three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death.

An abridged version of Black Beauty's experiences with both good and bad masters in nineteenth-century England.

Unjustly deposed by his younger brother, the rightful duke retreats to the Forest of Arden and forms a utopia with his loyal followers while his daughter remains at court as a companion to her cousin. When forbidden romance enters their lives, the girls assume disguises and flee to the forest, where they encounter a magical world of friendly outlaws and wise fools. Both a lighthearted comedy and a deeper exploration of social and literary issues,...

Frodo and his companions of the ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the ruling ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They lost the wizard Gandalf in a battle in the Mines of Moria, and Boromir, seduced by the power of the ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs. Now they continue the journey alone...

Richard of Gloucester crosses and double-crosses friends and foes alike in a no-holds-barred effort to solidify control of the throne once occupied by his brother, Edward IV. His antics prove fruitful until one final battle with Henry, Earl of Richmond.

"Ovid's sensuous and witty poem brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales, ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation, often as a result of love or lust, where men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings. Beginning with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Augustus, Ovid interweaves many of the best-known myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome, including...

Count Claudio falls in love with Hero, the daughter of his host. Hero's cousin Beatrice (a confirmed spinster) and Benedict (an eternal bachelor) are each duped into believing the other is in love with them. Claudio is deceived by a malicious plot and denounces Hero as unchaste before they marry. She faints and is believed dead, but recovers to be proved innocent by a chance discovery. Benedict wins Beatrice?s love defending her cousin?s honour, and...