English Classics

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a hilarious comedy written in 1595 by the dramatist, actor and poet William Shakespeare (15641616). Making use of dreaming and magic, and involving humans and fairies as characters, it provokes complex situations, poking fun at the fickleness of love. In a funny love triangle, Hermia elopes with Lysander, avoiding Demetrius,…

Spearheaded by pigs, a group of animals in Mr Jones’ Manor Farm rise up in rebellion, aspiring for a life without human control and injustice. However, the ideals of a society that enjoys freedom, equality, and happiness veer to a new form of oppression that is perpetrated by some animals against their barnyard fellow animals. Napoleon, the pig, becomes a tyrant, successfully using propaganda to make the other animals toil more and eat less, and reducing the initial Seven Revolutionary Commandments to a single slogan: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
Published in 1945, Animal Farm is a political satire for which George Orwell uses farm animals as characters. The allegory hints to the Russian revolution of 1917 and the ensuing one-party rule in the Soviet Union. As Lord Acton, the 19thcentury British historian puts it, “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Between the Kent marshes and the intricacies of the London streets and life, Great Expectations brilliantly depicts the vivid recollections of the central character and narrator, Pip, from early childhood and poverty to mature adulthood and prestige, as well as his onesided love story with Estella. Written in the firstperson point of view, and using a retrospective, chronological narration, the novel allows the reader to share not only the protagonist’s physical growth but also his psychological development, from his experience as an orphan taken care of by the goodhearted Joe, his brotherinlaw, to the life of a gentleman. Charles Dickens (18121870) published the novel in its entirety in 1861, highlighting 19th century concerns, namely the Victorian classbased society, class transition, and financial uncertainty, along with the issues of pride, snobbery and loyalty, among others.

Ever since its publication in 1603, William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet has been one of the greatest and most influential artistic works. Even today, the quote from the famous soliloquy “To be, or not to be: that is the question” is memorised by many learners of English worldwide. As a classical tragedy, the play tells the…

The setting is Scotland, where Macbeth, the tragic hero of the play, changes from a brave general in the army, who heroically defeats the Norwegians, to a bloodthirsty tyrant. Back from the battlefield, three witches put temptation in his way, prophesying his future access to the Scottish throne, and Lady Macbeth fuels his blind ambition…

Written in 1949, George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four portrays a dreadful futuristic human condition under a repressive regime. The setting is Oceania, where individual free thought is banned. “Big Brother Is Watching You” becomes the moto of dictatorial policies that aim at controlling not only people’s behaviour but also their unorthodox thoughts.
Winston Smith, the protagonist of the story, works for the Ministry of Truth, and his mission consists in revising the country’s history by rewriting newspaper articles to manipulate the population and further repress individual liberties. However, Winston later engages in writing a secret diary in which he starts expressing his desires and yearning for freedom. This punishable “thoughtcrime” leads him to Room 101, where he endures severe “re-education” to readjust his seditious thoughts in such a way that his love for Julia turns into loyalty to Big Brother.