Measure for Measure Theme

Justice and Judgment

When a corrupt deputy sentences a man to death for the crime of fornication, Shakespeare asks us to consider whether or not morality can or should be legislated. On the one hand, the play warns th...

Sex

Sex is a big deal in this dark play and it's often associated with death, decay, and corruption. In Vienna, brothels are a dime a dozen, the spread of venereal disease is rampant, and the numbers o...

Mortality

Measure for Measure is a play obsessed with death, both physical and spiritual. On the subject of mortality, Claudio delivers one of the greatest speeches in all of Shakespeare (one that many crit...

Marriage

As we know, all Shakespearean comedies work their way toward endings that culminate in one or more marriages. This is also true of Measure for Measure, but, in this play, marriage doesn't necessar...

Religion

The play dramatizes Christian doctrine in a prominent, in-your-face kind of way. In particular, Shakespeare invokes the concepts of sin, atonement, judgment, and mercy. The title, Measure for Mea...

Gender

In Measure for Measure, three major female characters have speaking roles: a prostitute who's arrested for running a brothel, a wannabe nun who's blackmailed by a corrupt deputy, and a woman who's...

Lies and Deceit

Deception is the name of the game in Measure for Measure, as it is in most of Shakespeare's comedies. In the play, the Duke disguises himself as a friar to spy on his deputy and his people, the co...

Theme of Justice and Judgment

When a corrupt deputy sentences a man to death for the crime of fornication, Shakespeare asks us to consider whether or not morality can or should be legislated. On the one hand, the play warns that men and women don't necessarily have the right to pass judgment on their fellow human beings. At the same time, Measure for Measure suggests that a person who commits a crime (or sins), should be made to pay – either by making some sort of restitution or by suffering an amount that's commensurate with the suffering he or she has caused.