Ben Jonson was a master of satire who ranks with Jonathan Swift and Voltaire. In Volpone, he tackles greed. The wealthy Venetian gentleman Volpone is as cunning as a fox, and he pretends to be very ill and dying in order to entice legacy-hunters to give him valuable gifts in hopes of being named his heir. This works well for three years, but then This is an easy-to-read retelling of Ben Jonson's satiric masterpiece: "Volpone, or the Fox."

This is an easy-to-read retelling on Ben Jonson's classic comedy "The Alchemist," whose theme is the love of money.

"Dante's Divine Comedy: A Retelling in Prose" by David Bruce offers a modern interpretation of Dante Alighieri's epic poem, presenting the timeless journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise in a clear and accessible prose format. Bruce's retelling preserves the essence and depth of Dante's original work while making it more approachable for contemporary readers. Through vivid descriptions and engaging narrative, readers are guided through Dante's intricate exploration of sin, redemption, and the human condition. As Dante navigates the depths of Hell, climbs the slopes of Purgatory, and ascends through the spheres of Paradise, Bruce skillfully captures the philosophical and theological themes of the Divine Comedy, inviting readers to contemplate their own spiritual journey and the nature of salvation.

This is a retelling in prose of William Shakespeare's comedy ""Twelfth Night."" In it, a pair of twins ? a brother and a sister ? are separated and each thinks that the other dead. Of course, they end up finding each other, and they end up finding romantic partners. A major supporting character is Malvolio, who is guilty of the sin of pride. Other supporting characters are the alcoholic Sir Toby Belch and the foolish Sir Andrew Aguecheek, as well as the wise fool and jester Feste. This retelling is in easy-to-read modern English. Readers may find it useful to read before tackling Shakespeare's early English.

This is an easy-to-read retelling of William Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus." People who read this retelling first will find the original play much easier to understand and read.

This is an easy-to-read version of William Shakespeare's ""Romeo and Juliet."" Prologue The Capulets and the Montagues ? two families, very much alike in most respects ? in the beautiful city of Verona, Italy, battle each other because of a long-standing feud. Because of this feud, the hands of the citizens of Verona become dirty with the blood of other citizens of Verona. The two families have given birth to two children ? a boy named Romeo and a girl named Juliet ? who become ill-fated lovers and commit suicide. The burial of these lovers also buries the quarrel between their two families. These lovers? story is told in this book.

Cressida has a problem. During the Trojan War, she falls in love with the young Trojan warrior Troilus and eventually sleeps with him. Almost immediately, she is sent to the Greek camp in exchange for an important Trojan prisoner because her father, a Trojan seer who has turned traitor and joined the Greeks, wants her with him. In the Greek camp, one Greek leader kisses her, and then another, and then another. The kisses are supposed to be in greeting, but this is a dangerous situation for a young woman to be in. Will Cressida be true to her vow to be faithful to Troilus? Will Cressida find a male Greek protector? Will Cressida fall in love with a Greek warrior? And is Thersites, a Greek who is deformed in body, also deformed in mind? Or is his cynicism fully and completely justified? Is Cressida the slut Thersites thinks she is?

Timon of Athens has a problem. He has been immensely wealthy, and immensely generous, but some of his debts are due, and he has no money. But he is positive that his friends, to whom he has been immensely generous, will be just as generous to him. His steward, Flavius, is not so positive that these friends of Timon will be generous.

This is an easy-to-read retelling of William Shakespeare's romance "Pericles, Prince of Tyre." Pericles wanders the world, marries and has a daughter, loses both his wife and daughter, and regains both in a happy ending.

This is an easy-to-read retelling of William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." In it, Katherina vows before God ? in the marriage ceremony ? to love, honor, and obey her husband, but very quickly she makes it apparent that she is not taking her vow seriously. Her husband, Petruchio, is determined to convince her to take that vow seriously. At the end of this book, Katherina makes a spirited defense of Christian marriage.