"In the single setting of a prison cell and its outside corridor, four young men, prisoners, and a middle-aged guard live out the Christmas season in an atmosphere of anger, violence and desire. Two characters, Queenie and Mona, are openly homosexual and the other two prisoners, Rocky and Smitty, fight to preserve their masculinity within a system that encourages homosexuality by its very nature. The guard, called Holy-Face by the prisoners, detests all convicts and is a racist and sexist bigot who exploits prisoners for money. Before the play is over, we see the first-time offender, Smitty, changed forever by a corrupting experience"--Http://www.npconsultants.com/johnherbert.

'The Phoenix and the Turtle' is an allegorical poem about the death of ideal love by William Shakespeare. It is widely considered to be one of his most obscure works and has led to many conflicting interpretations. The poem describes a funeral arranged for the deceased Phoenix and Turtledove, respectively emblems of perfection and of devoted love. Some birds are invited, but others excluded. It goes on to state that the love of the birds created a perfect unity which transcended all logic and material fact. It concludes with a prayer for the dead lovers.

Usages of the Past in Roman Historiography contains 11 articles on how the Ancient Roman historians used, and manipulated, the past. Key themes include the impact of autocracy, the nature of intertextuality, and the frontiers between history and other genres.