IN THE EAST MY PLEASURE LIES:: A Fourth Way Interpretation of Shakespeare's Plays

In this age of mass entertainment many people look to the theatre as a means of self-forgetfulness. Yet tradition tells us that the Drama was originally conceived to re-awaken in Man the memory of the purpose for which he was created. It revealed to him in allegory his relationship with the gods and sought to arouse him from the sleep of the senses, so that he might set forth on the journey towards his divine destiny.---- Scholars and critics argue about the source of the plays, their authorship, their chronological order, the authenticity of the text, the technicalities of the verse, even the beauty of the language, but few enquire whether the plays contain an inner meaning.---- In this book, Mrs. Pogson shows that Shakespeare wrote in the true tradition of Drama, using his art consciously with the aim of freeing Man from the illusions that hypnotize and distract him, so that he might have a clearer vision of the path of self-development to which all the Great Religions direct him.---- Beryl Pogson (1895-1967) was a pupil of Dr. Maurice Nicoll for nineteen years and his secretary for fourteen years. ---- Many of her writings have been published only privately for the benefit of her students and groups. Now for the first time much of her Teaching has been republished and is now more widely known. She often made connections between The Work and sacred books, literature, plays and poetry as will be seen in these books. Her Work teaching was based on The Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of G.I.Gurdjieff and P.D.Ouspensky by Maurice Nicoll, and of course, from G.I.Gurdjieff’s and P.D.Ouspensky’s own writings.