Regarded as a problem play, Measure for Measure dramatizes King James’s view that justice should be tempered with mercy. Its themes of sex and the death penalty are treated with an ambiguity that pleased the king, while allowing Shakespeare’s own response to differ.
John Hardy
John Hardy completed his doctorate at the University of Oxford, UK, after being elected a “Prize Fellow” of Magdalen College in Oxford. A Queensland Rhodes Scholar, he retired from Bond University (Australia) as Emeritus Professor, where he had been Professor of Humanities, and Foundation Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Previously he had been Assistant Professor of English at the University of Toronto, Canada, and held chairs at the University of New England, Australia, and the Australian National University. During the 1980s he was Secretary of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He has contributed to or edited more than a dozen books including major works of literary criticism: Reinterpretations: Essays on Poems by Milton, Pope and Johnson; Jane Austen's Heroines: Intimacy in Human Relationships; Shakespeare's Great Tragedies: Experiencing their Impact; Rereading Shakespeare’s Prince Hal and Falstaff; and Duke Vincentio, Sex and the Law.
Author's books
In Praise of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
This work of literary criticism offers a detailed study of Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” demonstrating his imaginative insights into the drama of human life. It reveals his continuing relevance by exploring themes of domestic violence, trust, and the need for new perspectives.
Rereading Shakespeare’s Prince Hal and Falstaff
This book analyzes the unlikely friendship of Prince Hal and Falstaff in Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays. Though the future king rejects Falstaff, arguably the world’s greatest comic character, his voice, representing a more human side of existence, cannot ultimately be denied.
What Can be Learnt about Shakespeare from His Plays
In an age of sectarianism, Shakespeare sought tolerance for freedom of conscience. His histories show conflict results from human ambition, not Providence. His tragedies invite us to cope with life’s worst, and his insight into women’s suffering and need for freedom is vital.