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Measure for Measure
As a Problem Play
Measure for Measure can also be seen as a “problem play” aimed at addressing
problems of sexual, religious, and civic morality
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S
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Because these plays can neither be
neatly classified as comedies or tragedies, Boas borrowed a term from the theater of his time
and classified them as “problem-plays
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Comedies were plays that ended
happily, usually in a marriage, in which a young couple must overcome obstacles to be
together, clowns and servants banter and entertain the audience, and there is often some
element of mistaken identity or deception
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Tragedies were plays that ended in death and usually conformed to Aristotle’s
concept of tragedy and the tragic hero, who was admirable but had a fatal flaw that led to his
downfall
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“Problem-plays” fit into none of these categories, and are
more similar to modern drama and “tragicomedies” than to the usual Elizabethan theater fare
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S Boas?
Measure for Measure itself might have been inspired by the ascendance of James I to
the English throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth I
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This statute was meant to end the “‘epidemic’ of
‘disorderly marriages’ and divorces
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In fact, Shakespeare has never been to Vienna, and the city in Measure for Measure
is more likely a fictionalized version of London at his time, teeming with brothels and drunks
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AR: What’s the Historical Background?
In the years 1602-4, Shakespeare wrote three comedies which are often grouped
together under the title ‘problem plays’: All’s Well That Ends Well, Troilus and Cressida and
Measure for Measure, that seem to be stylistically distinct from comedies, tragedies, and
histories
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One of Shakespeare’s
contemporaries, John Fletcher, gave a rather superficial definition of this genre: ‘it wants
death which is enough to make it no tragedy, yet it brings some near to it which is enough to
make it no comedy’
AR: What’s the other problem plays? John Fletcher?
But the problem goes deeper
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We see this, for example, in the Duke’s almost
nihilistic speech, ‘Be absolute for death
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Indeed, none of the characters (including those who would chastise
others, such as Angelo, Isabella and the Duke) is really likeable or possessed of a sympathetic
warmth
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For example, although
Lucio and the brothel-keepers are condemned there is also an element of amused indulgence
in their treatment, suggesting that their flaws and misdeeds are seen with a sense of humor
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The denouement also offers at least some hope
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Above all, mercy is exercised by Mariana, Isabella and the
Duke, and this illustrates that human goodness can transcend whatever weakness we all
possess
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Measure for Measure is neither wholly cynical nor wholly joyful but an unsettling
combination of both
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This ambiguity leads to uncertain and divided
responses, leaving the resolution open to interpretation
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For instance, Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
explores the problem of a woman’s status within her marriage and home
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AR: What are issues raised in a problem play?
Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure is a problem play in a more complex sense
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AR: What are the problems raised in Measure for Measure?
The first major problem in Measure for Measure is the conflict between law and mercy
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Angelo, as the Duke’s
deputy, revives old laws that had become redundant during the Duke’s time
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One such law
sentences Claudio to death for fornication after he impregnates Juliet, his betrothed
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Despite widespread appeals for mercy, including those from
Isabella, Claudio’s sister, Angelo remains resolute, declaring that laws should be enforced
strictly rather than treated as mere warnings
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In her first encounter with
Angelo, she passionately argues for her brother’s life, invoking the Christian principle of
forgiveness
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Yet Angelo remains unmoved, insisting on the necessity of upholding

the law: “It is the law, not I, condemn your brother
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AR: What was Isabella’s take on Mercy?
Another significant problem in the play revolves around physical purity, specifically
chastity versus familial affection and sensuality versus official duty
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He offers to spare Claudio’s life in exchange for her chastity
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She rejects Angelo’s immoral demand and
informs Claudio of his intentions
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Isabella reacts with anger and rebukes Claudio harshly,
calling his plea cowardly and selfish
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Under the Duke’s orders,
Angelo is compelled to marry Mariana, a woman he had abandoned despite being betrothed
to her
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This raises concerns about the prospects of their marital happiness and
Angelo’s capacity to honor his duties as a husband
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Lucio is also ordered by the Duke to marry the whore whom
he had made pregnant of course, the whore would become an honest woman when Lucio
marries her, but the question is whether Lucio can even be happy as the husband of a whore
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These marriages are presented

as punishments rather than unions based on mutual consent and affection, prompting the
audience to question the ethical implications of using marriage as a form of retribution
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Angelo, who abused his authority and attempted to force Isabella, receives no
punishment beyond being compelled to marry Mariana
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Critics like Coleridge and Swinburne found this resolution deeply
troubling, seeing it as a violation of justice
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This raises a critical question: is the Duke’s
forgiveness an act of mercy or an abdication of justice?
In light of these issues, Measure for Measure undoubtedly qualifies as a problem play
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AR: What’s your take on the Duke’s decision to forgive both Angelo and Lucio?
Summary
The Duke of Vienna asks a nobleman, Angelo, to assume leadership of the city and
uphold the law while he—the Duke—is away traveling
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Sometime
after the Duke’s departure, Angelo imposes a death sentence on Claudio, who has
impregnated his wife-to-be, Juliet, before their marriage
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Isabella’s religious
beliefs cause her to disapprove of Claudio’s transgression, but Lucio persuades her to beg
Angelo for mercy
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He tells her to return tomorrow to hear his decision
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The next day, he offers her a bargain: if she will sleep with
him, he will release her brother
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When Angelo directly proposes it
to her, she refuses, shocked by his inappropriate suggestion
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However,
Claudio changes his mind and begs his sister to take up Angelo’s offer
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However, the disguised Duke arrives and
convinces her to orchestrate a liaison with Angelo: when the time comes to seduce Angelo, a
woman named Mariana—a former fiancée of Angelo’s whom he abandoned after she lost her
brother and her dowry in a shipwreck—will take Isabella’s place
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At the Duke’s urging, the Provost who runs the jail deceives Angelo by
sending him the head of a dead pirate, claiming it belonged to Claudio
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On his arrival, the Duke requests a public hearing before the city gates, where citizens
can go to seek redress for injustices
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At the hearing, Isabella speaks out against Angelo, but the now undisguised
Duke pretends not to believe her
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The Duke then reappears in his friar costume, and Lucio accuses him of
disrespecting the Duke
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His masquerade
revealed, the Duke carries out long-overdue justice
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Claudio is permitted to marry Juliet, and Lucio is reprimanded and compelled to marry
a prostitute who has borne him a child (and who he had refused to wed)
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Themes
Justice and Mercy
Measure for Measure explores the spectrum from absolute justice to absolute mercy,
with different characters representing different points along this spectrum
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He puts Angelo in charge, instructing
him to enforce the laws but also to show mercy when needed, according to his humanity
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AR: Why the Duke Disguised?
Angelo subscribes to the idea of enforcing absolute justice
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Their sexual
conduct is ruled illegal, because they are not married when Juliet becomes pregnant
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Isabella, by contrast, represents absolute mercy
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She advocates for his life not just out of a sense of forgiveness, but out
of a desire for Mariana to be married to him to satisfy Marianna’s desires and love
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AR: Who represents absolute mercy, and absolute justice?
This play raises questions about what is the right balance of justice and mercy, and
presents characters advocating for various blends of the two extremes
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A chief reason for this is that the arguments advanced for both are strong, and

individual characters are found to be supporting severity at one moment, but mercy at
another
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His main reason for handing
over temporary power to Angelo is to ensure that the law which he himself has neglected is
enforced
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In a later scene in Act III, Scene 2, his abusive speech to Pompey is in
similar terms: Pompey is ‘wicked’ (18) and is guilty of ‘filthy vice’ (22); he is ‘stinkingly
depending’ (26) on the, abominable and beastly touches’ (23) of his brothel customers
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It is clear, too, that he expects and hopes that Isabella will show mercy towards Angelo
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The same contradictions exist in the character of Escalus
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Indeed, his leniency is probably the reason why he is passed over for deputy by Vincentio, who
wants to be certain that he appoints someone strict
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First, he urges the fact that Claudio ‘had a most
noble father’
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Secondly, he asks his brother deputy whether he,
Angelo, might not at some time in the past have been in danger of falling into the same sin as
Claudio
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AR: Examine Escalus’ contradictions
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She acknowledges that she must ask for
mercy, even though she would prefer to see justice carried out in normal circumstances
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This means her appeals for mercy may not be entirely genuine;
she is simply advocating for her loved one
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Furthermore, when Isabella hears that Claudio has been executed, her reaction is not
one of mercy but of vengeful anger
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In the prison scene, when Claudio pleads for her to save him, her response is harsh and
unforgiving, showing no mercy at all
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AR: Describe Isabella’s contradictions now
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Her being let off with
warnings has had no impact, and Escalus reflects that continued leniency only encourages
further wrongdoings
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AR: What’s Escalus’s take on Mistress Overdone?
The arguments in favor of mercy, rather than strict justice, presented in the play are not
particularly convincing
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She suggests that if Angelo and Claudio were in
each other’s positions, Claudio would be more lenient towards Angelo
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She also expects him to show mercy because he too might feel guilt, appealing to his
own sense of vulnerability
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This is most clearly demonstrated in Isabella’s simple response to one of
Angelo’s long, reasoned speeches rejecting mercy: “Yet show some pity
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It suggests that while
our minds may call for strict justice, our hearts can still be merciful
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AR: What were the arguments in favor of mercy?
The entire play, as indicated by its title, draws on ethical teachings found in a Sermon
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A key teaching for the play
is Christ’s admonition about judgment:
“Do not j

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