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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... and my wife, who completed the task and contributed greatly to clarifying expression and removing errors. The mistakes and blemishes that remain are my own. A Note on the Text All references are to the Acknowledgements.
... References to Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde are from Nevill Coghill's Penguin edition. All other quotations and references to Shakespeare's source materials are drawn from Geoffrey Bullough's invaluable Narrative and Dramatic Sources ...
... reference to the intermingling of fantastic tales with realistic characters applies much more accurately to Shakespeare's romances and applies not at all to Troilus and Cressida. And Ure is no more convincing in his attempt to establish ...
... references to the hopes, beliefs and expectations he had held when younger and surrounded by such men as Bertram's father. Isabella yearns for the nunnery, and an austere regime, presumably to live in a world that is pure. Her encounter ...
... reference and these have been delineated and developed during the preceding discussion. Moreover, additional parallels and comparisons have been made in order to suggest the relevance of the term problem plays when attached to Troilus ...
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 | |