An impoverished, fiercely intelligent, and utterly ruthless orphan. Born to an artist father and a French opera dancer, Becky has no social standing or money, but she possesses immense charm, wit, and a burning ambition to climb to the top of British high society by any means necessary.
The story is set in 1866, when ships across the globe begin reporting encounters with a mysterious, colossal, torpedo-like sea monster that is damaging vessels. The United States government organizes a heavily armed naval expedition aboard the frigate Abraham Lincoln to hunt down and destroy the beast. Among the crew are Professor Pierre Aronnax, a renowned French marine biologist; his faith…
The story begins in Hamburg, Germany, in May 1863. Professor Otto Lidenbrock, an eccentric, hot-tempered geology professor, discovers an ancient, heavily damaged runic manuscript written by Snari Saknussemm, a renowned 16th-century Icelandic alchemist. With the help of his patient and hesitant nephew, Axel (who is also the story's narrator), the professor decodes the cryptic parchment. To th…
Twelfth Night (or What You Will) is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a festive entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. It is celebrated as one of Shakespeare's finest and most harmonious comedies, blending sparkling wit, mistaken identity, melancholic romance, and biting social satire.
The play is set in ancient Athens and begins with preparations for the upcoming wedding of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Amidst the court, an Athenian nobleman named Egeus brings a severe grievance before the Duke: his daughter, Hermia, refuses to marry Demetrius (the man Egeus has chosen for her) because she is deeply in love with Lysander. Under Athenian law, E…
The play opens in Scotland, where the brave Scottish general Macbeth and his loyal companion Banquo encounter three mysterious witches on a lonely heath after a victorious battle. The witches make a startling prophecy: Macbeth will be named Thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland, while Banquo’s descendants will inherit the throne. Shortly after, royal messengers arrive to announce…
Shipwrecked on the high seas, Lemuel Gulliver finds himself washed up on the strange island of Liliput, a land inhabited by quarrelsome miniature people. On his travels he continues to meet others who force him to reflect on human behaviour - the giants of Brobdingnag, the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. In this scathing satire on the politics and moral of the 18th Century, Swift's condemnation of…
The story is set in the 18th century and narrated by Jim Hawkins, a young boy who helps run his parents' coastal inn, the Admiral Benbow, in England. An old, weathered, hard-drinking seafarer named Billy Bones takes up residence at the inn. Bones is terrified of being found by his former pirate associates and warns Jim to watch out for a "seafaring man with one leg"
Inferno is an epic narrative poem written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri in the early 14th century (roughly between 1308 and 1314). It constitutes the first part of Dante's monumental three-part masterwork, the Divine Comedy (followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso). Written in the vernacular Italian rather than Latin, the poem tells the allegorical story of Dante’s journey through the nine …
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and politically charged historical tragedies, written around 1599. Based on true historical events from ancient Rome (primarily drawn from Plutarch’s Parallel Lives), the play explores the fragile nature of political power, the psychology of conspiracy, the conflict between idealism and pragmatism, and the chaotic afte…