King Henry V is new to the throne and declares war on France, England's old enemy, to prove his military strength. As the country prepares for battle, will the young king accomplish the unthinkable - victory on French soil, against an army that outnumbers his troops ten to one? A thrilling retelling of this fantastic historical play. With Notes on Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre and Patrio…
Foolish and bad-tempered, King Lear divides the kingdom between his two wicked daughters, disowns his honest youngest daughter and banishes his friends. As the kingdom falls apart and Lear's humiliation turns him mad, will he finally realise what he has done?
In Venice, the merchant Antonio borrows money so his friend can woo a beautiful lady. He agrees that if he doesn't repay Shylock the moneylender, Shylock can take a pound of his flesh. When Antonio's ships sink and he loses his fortune, Shylock insists on the gruesome payment...
After surviving fourteen long years with her horrible aunt, and nothing but a doll and an old handkerchief for company, Esther Summerson's life is finally looking a little brighter. She's going to school and making friends, real friends! The only thing Esther's missing now is a mother. But long-lost parents don't just turn up out of the blue. Do they?
David's life isn't easy. His father is dead and his mother is getting married to the meanest man in the country. To top things off, when he is sent to school, David discovers punishments more terrible than he can imagine. Surely life can't get any worse! The only happy ever afters David knows are in the pages of his favourite books. Can he rewrite his own ending?
Amy Dorrit's father has been in prison for as long as she can remember. That s totally normal, right? Just like doing chores for horrid Mrs Clennam, fixing her sister's dresses (without getting any thanks) and saving her own dinner to feed her father. But when Mrs Clennam's son returns from abroad, he brings with him a host of family secrets and turns Amy's normal life on its head.
Coketown is no place for imagination. There are facts and figures and absolutely nothing else, or so Thomas Gradgrind thinks. When the circus appears in town, it brings Sissy Jupe with it. A young girl who has been abandoned by her father and is taken in by Thomas Gradgrind. Full of fun and energy, will Sissy save the Gradgrind children from a miserable life of facts and figures before it's too…