Nick Hern Books

Classic Drama

This section contains titles labelled Classic Drama (pre-1945) and Ancient Classic Drama.

Showing 169-192 of 265 items.
Machinal

Machinal

By Sophie Treadwell

A powerful expressionist drama from the 1920s about the dependent status of women in an increasingly mechanised society, based on the true story of Ruth Snyder.

A Mad World, My Masters

A Mad World, My Masters

By Thomas Middleton

A masterly satire of London society at the turn of the 17th century, abounding with Middleton's craft and wit.

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The Custom of the Country

The Custom of the Country

By John Fletcher and Philip Massinger

A 17th-century play tracing the fortunes of two brothers shipwrecked in a foreign land.

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The Merry Devil of Edmonton

The Merry Devil of Edmonton

By Anonymous

A popular comedy from the early-17th century, combining romance, magic, deer poaching and abduction from a nunnery. Part of the Nick Hern Books Globe Quartos series.

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The Mayor of Queenborough, or Hengist, King of Kent

The Mayor of Queenborough, or Hengist, King of Kent

By Thomas Middleton

Middleton's only surviving historical play, published in the Nick Hern Books Globe Quartos series.

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The Island Princess

The Island Princess

By John Fletcher

A lyrical and poetic Discovery Play about Princess Quisara of the Indonesian island of Tidore, who vows to marry the man who can free her imprisoned brother.

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Three Sisters

Three Sisters

By Anton Chekhov Translated by Nicholas Wright

Nicholas Wright's version of Chekhov's masterpiece, in which four young people are left stranded in a provincial backwater following the death of their father.

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Nathan the Wise

Nathan the Wise

By Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Translated by Edward Kemp

Lessing's 18th-century masterpiece, a passionate plea for religious tolerance.

The Poor Man's Comfort

The Poor Man's Comfort

By Robert Daborne

A Jacobean tragicomedy from 1617, about a shepherd who seeks redress for a miscarriage of justice.

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The Mandate

The Mandate

By Nikolai Erdman Adapted by Declan Donnellan

A chillingly grotesque farce set in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution.

Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler (Almeida Theatre version)

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Richard Eyre

Richard Eyre's high-profile adaptation of Ibsen's famous 'problem play' about a headstrong woman's determination to control those around her.

Greek Tragedy: Three Plays

Greek Tragedy: Three Plays

By Euripides and Sophocles

Three of the most famous tragedies from Ancient Greece - Antigone, Bacchae and Medea - all featuring female protagonists.

Miss Julie & Creditors

Miss Julie & Creditors

Two plays by August Strindberg

By August Strindberg Translated by Howard Brenton

August Strindberg's classic portrayals of secrets and lies, seduction and power – both written in the summer of 1888 – in brilliant new versions by Howard Brenton.

Three Sisters

Three Sisters

By Anton Chekhov Adapted by Cordelia Lynn

Cordelia Lynn's version of Chekhov's play, about three sisters trapped in a provincial town, waiting for their lives to begin.

Uncle Vanya

Uncle Vanya

By Anton Chekhov Adapted by Conor McPherson

Conor McPherson's stunning adaptation of the Anton Chekhov masterpiece, a portrayal of life at the turn of the twentieth century, full of tumultuous frustration, dark humour and hidden passions.

Medea

Medea (National Theatre of Scotland version)

By Euripides Adapted by Liz Lochhead

Euripides' classic story of the woman who murders her own children in revenge for her husband's infidelity, here given a distinctive Scots flavour by the poet and playwright Liz Lochhead.

Othello

Othello (Frantic Assembly version)

By William Shakespeare Adapted by Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett

Frantic Assembly's electrifying take on Shakespeare's tragedy of paranoia, sex and murder, firmly rooted in a volatile twenty-first century.

An Enemy of the People

An Enemy of the People

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Thomas Ostermeier and Florian Borchmeyer

Ibsen's provocative play about truth in a society driven by power and money, given a startling contemporary spin in Thomas Ostermeier and Florian Borchmeyer's acclaimed version, here in an English translation by Duncan Macmillan.

A Doll's House

A Doll's House (Sheffield Theatres version)

By Henrik Ibsen Adapted by Chris Bush

A taut and gripping adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's powerful drama, premiered at the Crucible, Sheffield Theatres, in 2024.

Oedipus

Oedipus

By Sophocles Adapted by Ella Hickson

An intimate and revelatory version of Sophocles' transcendent tragedy, premiered at the Old Vic, London, in 2025, starring Rami Malek and Indira Varma.

Elektra

Elektra (West End edition)

By Sophokles Translated by Anne Carson

The timeless Greek tragedy, in a magisterial translation by award-winning poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson. Published alongside the West End production in 2025.

Peribanez

Peribanez

By Lope de Vega Adapted by Tanya Ronder

A gripping drama of sex, power and passion from the Spanish Golden Age.

Machinal

Machinal (2018 edition)

By Sophie Treadwell

A powerful expressionist drama from the 1920s about the dependent status of women in an increasingly mechanised society, based on the true story of Ruth Snyder.

Salome

Salome

By Oscar Wilde

The savage power of ancient myth collides with twentieth-century decadence in Oscar Wilde's astonishing tragedy.