Female sexuality in All's Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, and Troilus and CressidaAlthough a strict chronology is a problematic proposition, the Most scholars believe that the problem plays - All's Well, That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, and Troilus and Cressida - were composed between Hamlet and Othello (Mabillard), a period when Shakespeare was concentrating his energies on his great tragedies. This fact, some believe, may help explain the darker mood of these so-called comedies. In fact, Boas, the critic who coined the term "problem play", initially included Hamlet in this group, because he found a similarity of theme and irresolution between this play and Troilus and Cressida (Thomas 2-3 ). Fortunately for modern students, critics have escaped this preconception and recognized Hamlet as a tragedy, pure and simple. Any generalization of these three plays – even a necessarily broad category like “problem plays” – is inherently . . . well, problematic. The three plays are very different in tone, plot and characterization. It is, however, possible to identify some key commonalities between the three plays and, more generally, in the cycle of works that includes Hamlet and Othello. The carnal nature of each of these pieces is hard to ignore. Taken as a whole, whether one accepts the canonical chronology or not, these plays represent the evolution of a coherent vision of female sexuality that contributes not only to the dramatic action of each play, but also to a thematic concern broader underlying. Thus ending with two great tragedies, with which they share a common ideology, the plays offer an unprecedented opportunity to explore the concept of female sexuality...... middle of paper ......speare Online. 1999-2001. .Neely, Carol Thomas. "Shakespeare's Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations." In Holland, Norman N., Sidney Homan and Bernard J. Paris, eds. Shakespeare's personality. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. Shakespeare, William. All's well that ends well. Bevington 362-403.---. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Bevington 1060-1116.---. Measure for measure. Bevington 404-443.---. Othello, the Moor of Venice. Bevington 1117-1166.---. Troilus and Cressida. Bevington 444-493.Thomas, Vivian. The moral universe of Shakespeare's problem plays. London: Croom Helm, 1987. Wilders, John. “Problem comedies”. In Wells, Stanley, ed. Shakespeare: select bibliographic guides. London: Oxford UP, 1973.