ИСТИНА

Shakespeare’s method in so-called problem plays is often said to defy their grouping, and genre-crossing elements can be found elsewhere across Shakespearean canon. The present paper argues that two plays – “Troilus and Cressida” and “Measure for measure”- have deep-lying affinity with the truly problem plays of the 19th-20th centuries. They are heavily charged ideologically, while partially blocking emotional involvement of the audience. The term “problem play” may be also applied to “Antony and Cleopatra”, but with a different meaning, thus stressing the importance of receptive aspects of the analysis.