The Bible and Western Culture - Part 3 - Shakespeare: Measure for Measure

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Dr. Michael Sugrue earned his BA at the University of Chicago and PhD at Columbia University.

[WafflesTaster]

I was on the edge of my seat as if I watching an action thriller. This lecture is amazing.

[Findmylimit]

This man’s name will roll down in my credits. My existential realization was guided by his offerings. To start on such a philosophical confidence was a true gift of grit. /jm/

[Over-Boy]

Excellent!
You will very much be missed, Dr. Sugrue. I will think you whenever Measure for Measure comes up.

[cheri]

Professor Sugrue walks in the footsteps with Professor Harold Bloom.
Titans of literature, philosophy, and history.
With deep reverence and appreciation.
"Thrust a dagger in my heart, say ye!"
"The floors of hell await thee!"
"Mercy, My Lord, My Grace."
"A marriage made in heaven!"
"Is there such a thing, your Grace ?"
"May the courts set us free with dignity.
To love and lust again."
"The Jester of this court bears witness to the songs of everlasting love."

🙏❤️🌎🌿🕊🎵🎶🎵

[bottomhead]

This is the Measure for Measure lecture I've longed for. Utterly brilliant! This should be the axiom for all scholarship on the play. If not, scholarship will only conceal the wisdom.

[amanr]

What an incredible educator, RIP sir. 😢

[mayokunadeniyi]

Wish I could forget everything I saw here so I could watch again and experience this as if my first time. Utterly brilliant!

[timszeliga]

Posted to /reddit:
Back in the Napster years, I had a strong habit for Audio Lectures.
Teaching Company, Modern Scholar, Noam Chomsky, I ran through them all,
taking boxed CD sets out of the library and burning through AA batteries by the carton.
If we were counting credit hours, I'd have two Masters and an honorary Doctorate by now.

But there's one elusive course I recall but can not remember the citation precisely. It
was on Measure by Measure by WShakespeare. He took an admittedly oddball approach, not as a "problem play" or a mixed-up collaboration, but as a structural parody of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. His argument finds a dozen points of tangency between the works, as good as the early papers on Ulysses and the Odyssey.
I didn't buy his premise entirely, but by Gum, I admired the mental gymnastics and logical leaps he employed. Much like Stephen Daedalus on Hamlet, proving by algebra that the Ghost was Shakespeare's Grandfather (or whatever).
Anyway, that mp3 is buried on a dead hard drive in a filing cabinet somewhere.
I'm thinking it was a Modern Scholar lecture by Prof. Michael D.C. Drout, the Tolkien authority, but I can't find it on his CV or Audible or anywhere within the reach of Google. I even resorted to Bing, but no luck.
There are several other Shakespeare lectures online, but they take the "problem play" approach.
I'm hoping that the collective memory of the reddit community can recall it. My health insurance won't cover Sodium Pentathol or a brain scan.

PS: Someone responded with this link. Success!

[angelsisko]

I’ve watched and rewatched your classic lectures & thoroughly enjoy your current discussions. We appreciate you Prof ❤

[mauricerosales]

"Nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm." Emerson. That you again.

[sheenapearse]

Amazing dissertation! I had no idea of the underlying themes and roles of the characters. Justice and mercy are key biblical themes - Abel’s blood cried out for justice, Cain cried out for mercy. Shakespeare, and Michael Sugrue’s analysis are brilliant .Thanks

[nickkerr]

That was brilliant. Best episode I’ve seen so far and all the episodes have been first class. The presentation of the lecture was so entertaining and engaging delivered with an addictive like passion towards the exposing of the human condition. Big fan.

[entropete]

this lecture (and the hand gestures) is gold

[dargosian]

I've been scratching my head at this play for a while now; I had Angelo and Lucio figured out by their names, and the Friar/Duke felt like a Jesus/God analogue with all the forgiving he does. It was Isabella as the Church that was the final piece of the puzzle for me. Excellent analysis, thank you Dr. Sugrue!

[kevinrombouts]

Wow what an ending! " God's mercy & justice are not distinguishable". Absolute beauty. Too many Christians don't get that. It us the summation of Revelations. Wonderful lecture. Thanks Michael.

[philharmonic]

Superb. Every time I watch one of these lectures I learn something new. Thanks for uploading all of these, they really are excellent.

[cartereiden]

The best lecture I've seen from Professor Sugrue, and I've listened to almost every single one. The passion, the setup, coupled with the fact that I've never heard of Measure for Measure before, made it truly riveting. Incredible!

[aimowenaim]

Like many I viewed Shakespeare’s comedies as moon to the bright sun of his tragedies. I’m very happy to discover my ignorance.

[yidingyang]

A mind-opening analysis on the influence of the Bible on a cornerstone of Western culture

[Uzi-Esp]

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! Absolutely brilliant!