Henry the Fifth, or The Life of King Henry the Fifth as it is officially titled, is one of Shakespeare's histories of the English monarchy. Written and first performed in 1599, during a time of strife and unrest, Henry the Fifth is a classic work of patriotic propaganda. Queen Elizabeth I had ruled for forty years without ever taking a husband or getting an heir, and was well beyond child-bearing years;... [click here for more]
Written between 1606 and 1607, Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, rivaled only by Hamlet and King Lear. Set in the tumultuous and somewhat barbaric eleventh century of Scotland, the play tells the story of a heroic warrior, Macbeth, who is driven into a bloody series of murders and horror by his own unbridled ambition and the supernatural forces of darkness, manifested in... [click here for more]
First performed at the court of King James I on November 1st, 1604, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s more unusual works. Set during the war between Venice and Turkey of almost a half-century prier, the play tells a sordid story of lust, hatred, revenge, murder, and suicide. Granted, these elements alone hardly mark the play as different from any of the Bard’s other... [click here for more]
What can be said of the most prolific and archetypal love story in Western culture? That it is full of passion and tragedy, certainly. It has moments of high comedy and skewering philosophical insights, most assuredly. But will it make a good role-playing game scenario? The author submits that it will. After all, it shares several traits with many a good adventure tale: there are the rival families,... [click here for more]