This series presents a wide choice of 20th-century drama. The books offer scene-by-scene analysis, structured questions and assignment suggestions for GCSE. This play portrays Sir Thomas More as a hero of selfhood, contrasting this with the assertion that every man has his price.

This tragic historical drama offers a brilliant portrait of Sir Thomas More in his last years as Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of Henry VIII. When Henry fails to obtain Papal approval for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, he mandates his subjects to sign an "Act of Supremacy" making him both spiritual and temporal leader of England. Sir Thomas cannot in good conscience comply. Neither Cromwell, Cardinal Wolsey, his family nor the King himself are able to convince More as he maintains his integrity and belief in silence. Ultimately accused of high treason, this very silence leads the man to his execution and later his canonization in 1935.

The play follows the relationship between Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I, from shortly before the former's return to Scotland, through her marriage to Darnley, Rizzio's death, the scandal over Bothwell, Mary's imprisonment, Catholic plots, until her execution, closing as Spain's Armada is in active preparation.Large cast

A tale of long ago, when dragons were still common. The Duke and his Knights, having slain the last dragon in the Dukedom, are looking forward to a nice period of inactivity. Sir Oblong Fitz Oblong, however, declares they must go elsewhere to do further good works. To avoid this, he is sent on a one man mission to overcome the dragon in the Bolligrew Islands. There he meets the wicked 15th Baron and his blundering Squire Blackheart and others. After passing through many fantastic adventures, he at last encounters the Dragon.21 men

Following 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962), director David Lean continued his epic phase with this adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel. During World War One, Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) studies to become a doctor in Moscow. He marries his childhood sweetheart Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin), but is attracted to dressmaker's daughter Lara (Julie Christie), herself engaged to young revolutionary Pasha (Tom Courtenay). Lara is also conducting an affair with government official Komarovsky (Rod Steiger). Yuri and Lara's paths cross again in the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution, and the two begin a passionate affair.

A Man for All Seasons dramatises the conflict between King Henry VIII and Sir Thomas More. It depicts the confrontation between church and state, theology and politics, absolute power and individual freedom. Throughout the play Sir Thomas More's eloquence and endurance, his purity, saintliness and tenacity in the face of ever-growing threats to his beliefs and family, earn him status as one of modern drama's greatest tragic heroes. The play was first staged in 1960 at the Globe Theatre in London and was voted New York's Best Foreign Play in 1962. In 1966 it was made into an Academy Award-winning film by Fred Zinneman starring Paul Scofield."A Man for All Seasons is a stark play, sparse in its narrative, sinewy in its writing, which confirms Mr Bolt as a genuine and solid playwright, a force in our awakening theatre." (Daily Mail)

The classic play about Sir Thomas More, the Lord chancellor who refused to compromise and was executed by Henry VIII.

The story of the conflict between slave-traders and Jesuits during the colonisation of South America by Spain and Portugal. In 1750 Jesuit priest Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) arrives in the Amazon to build a mission for the Guarani Indians. He comes into conflict with slave trader Mendoza (Robert De Niro), who kills or captures many of the tribe but escapes punishment due to the fact that he is an aristocrat. However, it transpires that even Mendoza has a conscience when he comes to Gabriel asking for penance.

Ireland, 1916. Rosie Ryan (Sarah Miles), a young woman trapped in passionless marriage to an older schoolteacher (Robert Mitchum), begins an affair with a shell-shocked English soldier (Christopher Jones), provoking gossip and gaining a reputation as a traitor to the Nationalist cause. Directed by David Lean, 'Ryan's Daughter' won Oscars for Freddie Young's cinematography and John Mills' memorable performance as the village idiot.

This play charts the dramatic events leading to the execution of Sir Thomas More in 1535 and has been a modern stage classic since its first production in 1960. The author's previous plays include 'Flowering Cherry' and 'State of Revolution'.