William Shakespeare, "Measure for Measure" (The New Cambridge Shakespeare, Updated Edition)

Since the rediscovery of Elizabethan stage conditions early in the twentieth century, admiration for Measure for Measure has steadily risen. It is now a favourite with the critics and has attracted widely different styles of performance. At one extreme, the play is seen as a religious allegory; at the other, it has been interpreted as a comedy protesting against power and privilege.

Brian Gibbons focuses on the unique tragi-comic experience of watching the play, the intensity and excitement offered by its dramatic rhythm, the reversals and surprises which shock the audience even to the end. His introduction considers how the play's critical reception and stage history have varied according to prevailing social, moral and religious issues, which were highly sensitive when Measure for Measure was written, and have remained so to the present day.

This updated edition contains a new introductory section by Angela Stock, which describes recent stage, film and critical interpretations, and an updated reading list.

About The New Cambridge Shakespeare Series
The New Cambridge Shakespeare is an edition of Shakespeare's works, consisting of a separate volume for each play, and a volume each for the Sonnets and the narrative poems. The texts have been prepared by an international team of the very best scholars, who provide in each case a freshly-considered and modernised text, a substantial introduction and commentary at the foot of the page. The series pays particular attention to the play in performance, commenting on the stage action and offering a performance history with illustrations. It is aimed at students of Shakespeare from A level or its equivalent, and onwards, including undergraduates, graduates and teachers.

An international team of scholars offers:

• modernized, easily accessible texts
  
• ample commentary and introductions
  
• attention to the theatrical qualities of each play and its stage history
  
• informative illustrations

Contents

“

List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations and Conventions Introduction  Date  Puritanism, political allusion and censorship  The sources and their shaping   Cinthio   Whetstone   Severus   The Phoenix   The Malcontent   The Mode of Tragi-Comedy   Contemporary Allusions   Sejanus  The play   Underworld and Sub-Plots   Carnival and Justice: Word-Play and Self-Defence   Angelo and Isabella: Word-Play and Self-Betrayal   Exchanges   The Question of the Duke   Acting   Playing with Audiences   The Question of Tragi-Comedy  The play on the stage  Recent stage, film and critical interpretations, by Angela Stock   Criticism   Recent Stage and Film Productions Note on the text List of characters Measure for Measure Textual analysis  The nature of the copy   The Compositors and Casting-Off of Copy   The Scribe   Juliet in 1.2   Possible Toning-Down of Oaths   The Justice in 2.1   The Duke's Speech in 4.1   4.3 And 4.5: Lucio and Varrius   The Time Scheme  Summary: the nature of the copy  Lineation   Verse and Prose   Short Lines  Textual cruces and editors Reading list

”

Tags: qShakespeare, qDrama, qLiterature, qLiteraryCriticism

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