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  Poets & Their Inner Demons –...

  John Keats, Percy Bysshe...

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  The stereotypical image of a poet is one of unknown talent starving in a garret and who’s faithfulness and legacy to the art is discovered only after their death. 
  In some cases this is undoubtedly true, but Poets being human and with the same building blocks of physical and mental health as the rest of us, also had the same afflictions and problems as the rest of us.   
  The long roll call of names and the truncated legacies that were left behind is filled with these lost talents. 
  In this volume we bring together those writers of verse and poetry who sadly died so young that their works may be small in number but glint with such brave, revealing and inventive verse that one can only imagine what heights poetry with their full lives could have been taken to.

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  A King and No King

  Beaumont and Fletcher

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  A King and No King by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher is a compelling Jacobean tragicomedy that masterfully blends themes of power, identity, love, and moral conflict. Renowned for its dramatic intensity and emotional complexity, the play explores the fragile boundaries between authority and vulnerability, as well as the consequences of desire when it challenges social and ethical norms.
  
  Set in an imagined ancient kingdom, the story centers on Arbaces, a victorious ruler celebrated for his strength and military success. Despite his outward confidence, Arbaces is internally conflicted, struggling with an overwhelming and forbidden passion that threatens both his sense of honor and the stability of his rule. His emotional turmoil forms the heart of the narrative, revealing the tension between personal impulses and public responsibility.
  
  As the plot unfolds, questions of legitimacy, lineage, and identity come sharply into focus. The uncertainty surrounding Arbaces' origins complicates his claim to authority and deepens the psychological stakes of his inner conflict. Alongside this central storyline, the play introduces a range of characters whose interactions add layers of intrigue, loyalty, and deception.
  
  Beaumont and Fletcher skillfully weave together elements of romance, political drama, and philosophical reflection. Their language is rich and expressive, capturing both the grandeur of royal life and the intimacy of personal struggle. The interplay between serious themes and moments of wit reflects the distinctive style of Jacobean theatre.
  
  A King and No King remains a powerful exploration of human desire, ethical boundaries, and the nature of true authority. Its enduring appeal lies in its ability to present complex emotional and moral dilemmas within a vivid and engaging dramatic framework, offering readers a timeless reflection on the challenges of power and identity.

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  The Importance of being earnest

  Oscar Wilde

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  The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde that mocks the culture and manners of Victorian society. It is a farcical comedy that relies on satire and a comic resolution to make that mockery more palatable to viewers. The play is about friends Jack and Algernon's double-lives interfering with their romantic pursuits. It is considered Wilde’s greatest dramatic achievement and a satire of Victorian social hypocrisy.Robin

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  USEFULNESS of HIPPOPOTAMUS THE -...

  Vincent J. Tomeo

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  I am staring at a blank piece of paper, wondering what to write. Where do I begin? My mind begins to wander-pleasant thoughts of Disney's Fantasia dance in my head. The dancing hippopotamus comes to mind, and this made me laugh. The result: I penned a poem on the hippopotamus from which a chapbook was born: The Usefulness of Hippopotamus: A Humorous Chapbook for Trying Times. 
  One cannot imagine a world without humor. Without humor, the world will be dark, cold, and a sad place, tragically lacking joy, cheerfulness, and laughter. 
  Humor is medicine. During rough times, humor will help lighten and lessen physical and mental anxiety. 
  In challenging times, I chose humor. During the Pandemic, I had to deal with my bladder cancer. In my struggle not to get depressed or dwell in negativity, to find solace, contentment, and peace, I chose to seek out beauty and laugh. 
  In search of happiness, the humor worked its charm, resulting in a treasure chest of joy. So, I wrote my chapbook, The Usefulness of Hippopotamus: A Humorous Chapbook for Trying Times and discovered humor even among the hippopotami! 
  You can, too. 
  Peace & flowers. Love & light. 
  Vincent J. Tomeo, Author/Poet

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  King Lear

  William Shakespeare

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  We rely on your support to help us keep producing beautiful, free, and unrestricted editions of literature for the digital age. Will you support our efforts with a donation ? King Lear is a tragedy by Shakespeare , written about 1605 or 1606. Shakespeare based it on the legendary King Leir of the Britons, whose story is outlined in Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical History of the Kings of Britain (written in about 1136). The play tells the tale of the aged King Lear who is passing on the control of his kingdom to his three daughters. He asks each of them to express their love for him, and the first two, Goneril and Regan do so effusively, saying they love him above all things. But his youngest daughter, Cordelia, is compelled to be truthful and says that she must reserve some love for her future husband. Lear, enraged, cuts her off without any inheritance. The secondary plot deals with the machinations of Edmund, the bastard son of the Earl of Gloucester, who manages to convince his father that his legitimate son Edgar is plotting against him. After Lear steps down from power, he finds that his elder daughters have no real respect or love for him, and treat him and his followers as a nuisance. They allow the raging Lear to wander out into a storm, hoping to be rid of him, and conspire with Edmund to overthrow the Earl of Gloucester. The play is a moving study of the perils of old age and the true meaning of filial love. It ends tragically with the deaths of both Cordelia and Lear—so tragically, in fact, that performances during the Restoration period sometimes substituted a happy ending. In modern times, though, King Lear is performed as written and generally regarded as one of Shakespeare's best plays.

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  Fairies and Fusiliers

  Robert Graves

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  Fairies and FusiliersBy Robert GravesNarrated by Denis DalyPoet, soldier, novelist, translator and critic Robert Graves (1895 - 1985) was deeply familiar with both war and death.  Three times during his life Graves was considered to be on the point of death due to serious illness.  One of these was after his participation in the Battle of the Somme, after which he had been actually pronounced dead due to severe wounding.Graves enlisted as soon as the First World War was declared, and was rapidly promoted to lieutenant and later to captain.  Among his fellow soldiers was another poet, Siegfried Sassoon.  Together with Wilfred Owen, who did not survive, Graves and Sassoon represented the new generation of war poets - perceptive critical surveyors of the horrific and wasteful futility of modern warfare, drawing their judgements from bitter personal experience. Fairies and Fusiliers is a collection of 47 short poems and was dedicated to Graves' former regiment, the Royal Fusiliers.Production copyright 2024 Voices of Today

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