Intermediate

Thirteen years ago Prospero, the Duke of Milan, was robbed of his title by his brother Antonio and sent to die at sea with his baby daughter Miranda. They survived and made their home on a remote island. That day a ship carrying some important passengers passes near the island. Prospero, now a powerful magician, creates a big storm and makes it sink. All the passengers, however, manage to get to the island safely. The storm is part of Prospero’s plan for revenge. Among the passengers on the ship is his brother! Another is a handsome young Prince! Prospero has a plan for him too!

Dossiers:
John Dee – an Elizabethan Magus
The Tempest and the New World
Music in Elizabethan Times

After a long civil war between the Houses of Lancaster and York, England is enjoying a period of peace under King Edward IV. But Edward’s younger brother, Richard, resents Edward’s power, Richard begins to aspire secretly to the throne and decides to kill anyone he has to in order to become king.

Dossiers:
The Renaissance: Art of Manners and the ‘Galateo’
Niccolò Machiavelli
Richard III on screen and stage

Playscript

After spending nineteen years in prison, Jean Valjean is a free man at last. But what does the future hold for him? He is insulted and rejected by everyone he meets, until something happens that will change his life forever.

Dossiers:
Paris at the time of King Louis-Philippe
Gardens in Paris
Romantic heroes in 19th century literature

Two men have secret lives. Two women want to marry a man called Earnest. But who is Earnest? Is he a badly behaved brother, the ideal fiancé or Lady Bracknell’s nephew and fun-loving bachelor, Algernon Moncrieff? Follow the incredible events that lead to the discovery of the importance of being Earnest in this adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s witty and highly entertaining play.

Dossiers:
The dandy
Victorian values and morals

Lemuel Gulliver makes one of the most famous journeys in literature. He meets the tiny people of Lilliput, the giants of Brobdingnag, the impractical scientists of Laputa and intelligent horses who rule over stupid, ugly human beings. Enter the fantastic world of Jonathan Swift’s imagination.

Dossiers:
Voyages on the page
Imaginary places
Filmography

The Ghost of Sir Simon has haunted Canterville Chase for hundreds of years and scared away everyone who has lived there. But when an American millionaire buys the house for his family home, the Ghost is in for a shock! There are activities and illustrations to enhance the pleasure of reading and to allow readers to express their own feeling about the story.

Dossiers:
Wilde’s American adventure
Haunted Britain