Worcs Shakespeare expert’s hit book on controversial play
Added: (Tue Feb 09 2021)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
It has taken 400 years, but a respected academic has finally come out fighting in defence of Shakespeare’s most contentious play.
Ever since the first performance of Measure for Measure in 1604, it has courted controversy.
The Bard’s dark comedy has been heavily criticised and, until recently, rarely performed without some degree of censorship.
But now, retired English lecturer Dr Paul Miller has not only produced a remarkable in-depth study of the ‘problem play’, but also highlighted the continuous misinterpretations of Shakespeare’s exploration of morality and mercy.
Measure for Measure: Redressing the Balance has already reached number one in the Literary Criticism charts as well as attracting entirely five-star reviews.
The 71-year-old from Bredon in Worcestershire said: “Measure for Measure has proved unusually controversial since its earliest recorded performance.
“Adverse critical judgements and heavily-censored performances established a deep-seated and unjustified prejudice against the play.
“By redressing the balance, however, we can establish the full value of so much that was unappreciated or underrated for centuries.
“Measure for Measure: Redressing the Balance deploys thorough, impartial analysis of texts and contexts to explore possibilities and to suggest alternative interpretations.
“It concludes that no play in the Shakespearian canon reflects the socio-political conundrums of the 21st Century more comprehensively.”
Paul, whose mother was a headmistress specialising in English, won a scholarship to Oxford in his youth.
After graduating, he went on to become a highly respected teacher, first as a lecturer in Old and Middle English in universities, and subsequently as a Head of English at secondary level.
Paul, who has experience of performing Measure for Measure on stage, has directed many dramas, including plays by Shakespeare, during his decades in academia.
He hopes that Measure for Measure: Redressing the Balance will encourage students, academics, and theatre-practitioners to explore Shakespeare’s Viennese ‘problem play’ in a new light.
Paul added: “Readers eager to approach Measure for Measure with an open mind, thoroughly exploring its subtleties, challenges, and delights, will encounter plentiful materials here more fully to develop their own conclusions about the play.
“The eight chapters offer a comprehensive endorsement of Shakespeare’s most frequently—and unfairly—maligned play.
“I hope that Measure for Measure: Redressing the Balance shows that depth and breadth of appreciation are more important in critical writing than sensational but superficial theories.”
Reviewers have described Measure for Measure: Redressing the Balance as ‘approachably written’, ‘an exceptional and comprehensive analysis’, and ‘invaluable to any student’.
Professor Tadeusz Bradecki has directed 16 different Shakespeare plays, including Measure for Measure (twice), during his 40 years in international theatre.
He stated: “Paul Miller has presented the most detailed account of the play’s historical background and a broad panorama of its quite complicated events and characters.
“It was the greatest pleasure for me to read it.”
For more details, visit Amazon and search for P S Miller, where the paperback and Kindle formats of Measure for Measure: Redressing the Balance are both available.
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