Synopses & Reviews
< b=""> Folger Shakespeare Library < p=""> <> < p=""> The world's leading center for Shakespeare studies< p=""> & #149 Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play< p=""> & #149 Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play< p=""> & #149 Scene-by-scene plot summaries< p=""> & #149 A key to famous lines and phrases< p=""> & #149 An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language< p=""> & #149 An essay by leading Shakespeare scholar, Christy Desmet, providing a modern perspective on the play< p=""> & #149 Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books< p=""> The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs.< p="">
Synopsis
Folger Shakespeare Library The world's leading center for Shakespeare studies
Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
Scene-by-scene plot summaries
A key to famous lines and phrases
An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
An essay by leading Shakespeare scholar, Christy Desmet, providing a modern perspective on the play
Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs.
Synopsis
Measure for Measure is among the most passionately discussed of Shakespeare s plays. In it, a duke temporarily removes himself from governing his city-state, deputizing a member of his administration, Angelo, to enforce the laws more rigorously. Angelo chooses as his first victim Claudio, condemning him to death because he impregnated Juliet before their marriage.
Claudio s sister Isabella, who is entering a convent, pleads for her brother s life. Angelo attempts to extort sex from her, but Isabella preserves her chastity. The duke, in disguise, eavesdrops as she tells her brother about Angelo s behavior, then offers to ally himself with her against Angelo.
Modern responses to the play show how it can be transformed by its reception in present culture to evoke continuing fascination. To some, the duke (the government) seems meddlesome; to others, he is properly imposing moral standards. Angelo and Isabella s encounter exemplifies sexual harassment. Others see a woman s right to control her body in Isabella s choice between her virginity and her brother s life.
The authoritative edition of Measure for Measure from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:
-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the play s famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeare s language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library s vast holdings of rare books
-An annotated guide to further reading
Essay by Christy Desmet
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world s largest collection of Shakespeare s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu."
About the Author
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger Shakespeare Library offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Academic Programs at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, Chair of the Folger Institute, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare's Romances and of essays on Shakespeare's plays and on the editing of the plays.
Paul Werstine is Professor of English at King's College and the Graduate School of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is the author of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare's plays and was Associate Editor of the annual Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England from 1980 to 1989.