Friends, Romans, countrymen… (Julius Caesar Act III Scene II by William Shakespeare)

Mark Antony speaks at the funeral of Caesar, but has been fore-warned that should he be

critical of Brutus’ actions he will be in dire trouble. He nevertheless wishes to get his point across to the populace.

Paradise Lost Book IV (John Milton)

Satan, in the form of a cormorant, perches high on the Tree of Life and observes the tranquility beneath as Adam and Eve tend paradise. Faced with such perfect equilibrium and naked beauty, he ponders his commitment to evil and his fleeting last chance of redemption.

The Godfather (Mario Puzo)

Assembled are the heads of the families. Don Corleone expresses his fears for the future as drug trading impacts on their traditional businesses. He issues a dark threat, should his son come to harm.

To be or not to be? (Hamlet Act III Scene I by William Shakespeare)

Hamlet is beleaguered in a sea of troubles and debates his options. Should he passively accept his fate or take up arms and battle onward? Is he even aware that the fair Ophelia is within earshot?

The Hollow Men (T.S. Eliot)

A depressive dystopian theme describes the worst features of the modern and shallow world which emerges from the darkness and terrors of the first world war.

Is this a dagger I see before me? (Macbeth Act II Scene I by William Shakespeare)

Urged on by prophecy and ambition, Macbeth’s grip on reality starts to unwind as he prepares to do what he knows is terribly wrong. His seething mind is jerked back to reality as the bell tolls. Duncan’s death knell.

When I Was Sixteen... (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee)

During an alcohol-fuelled evening of bitter and abusive verbal sparring, George and Martha are

antagonistic and yet vulnerable. They draw hapless Nick and Honey into their tasteless cat and mouse games.

I have wasted time... (Richard II Act V Scene V by William Shakespeare)

King Richard imprisoned in Pomfret castle, reflects on his actions as monarch and counts the relentless passing of time.

If music be the food of love... (Twelfth Night Act I Scene I by William Shakespeare)

Duke Orsino affects the air of a melancholic lover and persuades himself that hedonistic over-indulgence is the only effective cure for his aching and passionate heart.

Giuseppe Garibaldi encourages his soldiers (1860)

After Garibaldi's many successes in his campaigns, thousands more volunteered, joining his steadily growing army. He then crossed the mainland to march on Naples, where crowds of excited Italians greeted him by singing the national anthem, now known as "Garibaldi's Hymn".

It was here that he turned the city over to Victor Emmanuel II and retired to the island of Caprera, satisfied all had gone well. In a speech to his soldiers in 1860, Garibaldi rallies his men to complete the task for which they had fought so hard.

All the World’s a Stage (As You Like It Act II Scene VII by William Shakespeare)

Jacques describes our journey through life as a play with seven acts. It begins with a mewling infant, progresses through schoolboy, romantic, soldier, justice and pantaloon (old age) ending with dementia and dependency sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything!

Marriage of Tue Minds (sonnet by William Shakespeare)

Shakespeare’s timeless sonnet defines true love and is as powerful and appropriate today as it was when written. In the final couplet Shakespeare embeds the poem’s very formation as proof that true love exists, is unchanging and is eternal.

Love that dare not speak its name (Trial of Oscar Wilde)

The testimony of Oscar Wilde examined by Sir Edward Clarke his counsel at the first trial at the Old Bailey. Irish born Wilde was one of the most famous play-rights and wits of the late 19th century, but his predilection for young men was frowned upon by many and led to his downfall and eventual imprisonment.