The Moral Universe of Shakespeare's Problem PlaysWhat is it that makes Shakespeare’s problem plays problematic? Many critics have sought for the underlying vision or message of these puzzling and disturbing dramas. Originally published in 1987, the key to Viv Thomas’s new synthesis of the plays is the idea of fracture and dissolution in the universe. From the collapse of ‘degree’ in Troilus and Cressida to the corruption at the heart of innocence in Measure for Measure, to the puzzling status of virtue and valour in All’s Well, the most obvious feature of these plays in their capacity to prompt new questions. In a detailed discussion of each play in turn, the author traces the dominant themes that both distinguish and unite them, and provides numerous insights into the sources, background, texture and morality of the plays. |
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... arguments surrounding the grouping of various plays under this heading. Having summarised the views of the most significant contributors to this debate an attempt will be made to isolate the key features of the genuine problem plays and ...
... .20 Thus Schanzer not only discards the previous definitions of the term but creates an entirely new grouping which has nothing to do with earlier perceptions. Whatever arguments can be adduced in favour of the establishment.
Vivian Thomas. Whatever arguments can be adduced in favour of the establishment of this new triumvirate, the grouping ... argument with singular clarity and comprehensiveness: Two of Shakespeare's problem plays, then, are fairly typical ...
... argument for grouping together these three plays as opposed to other possible combinations. The first significant unifying feature of these plays is that we are left pondering the questions raised by the action rather than contemplating ...
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Contents
Wholeness and Division in Troilus and Cressida | |
Virtue and Honour in Alls Well that Ends Well | |
Order and Authority in Measure for Measure | |
Conclusion | |
Bibliography | |