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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 59
... sense of the emergence and evolution of the term 'problem play' and the nature of the arguments surrounding the grouping of various plays under this heading. Having summarised the views of the most significant contributors to this ...
... sense of aptness: they shared certain affinities but above all were difficult to classify, so why not problem plays? The term has survived, though with frequent misgivings on the part of scholars. What, then, were the reasons adduced by ...
... sense that the qualities associated with the older generation are not to be found in the young. Again, his observation that 'abnormal conditions of brain and emotion are generated', thereby producing 'cases of conscience' which 'demand ...
... sense of realism. Like other writers on the subject before him, Tillyard makes some perceptive points about the nature of the plays but fails to establish a meaningful framework for analysing them as a group. Almost a decade later ...
... sense of perplexity. Interestingly, although he perceives a need to range more widely in the pursuit of themes and interests which are embodied in these plays, it is precisely the problem plays which leave him with a peculiar sense of ...
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 | |