Measure For Measure Play Analysis
William Shakespeare is certainly the greatest writer of all time and there is little who doubt it. Shakespeare is known for his great plays such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. He wrote many tragedies and many comedies. One comedy he wrote was the play Measure for Measure. It can be argued that because of the deep gloom and moral concerns underlying this play, Measure for Measure can be considered a problem play. Many questions are raised in the play about justice and mortality and these questions also lead the reader to think why the play was named Measure for Measure and not something else. There are many ways the title Measure for Measure, by William Shakespeare, can be interpreted such as: the right to judge, payment for wrongdoings, and
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One of the main views is that one should be punished for their actions. Not only this, but they should be deserving of the punishments they get. In the play, one should be punished equally in relation to their crime. In the play, it is very clear that Claudio’s death sentence was not at all fair considering what he did. He impregnated his fiancé, but he had every intention of marrying her. Isaballa pleads with Angelo, “Yes; I do think that you might pardon him, and neither heaven nor man grieve at the mercy” (Measure for Measure). The death penalty was way too radical of a punishment and it was nowhere an equal punishment for what he did. The penalty did not measure up to the crime. Furthermore, with the payment of wrongdoings, the title of Measure for Measure by Shakespeare also has to do with the treatment of others. It’s basically the phrases, “treat others the way you’d like to be treated” as well as “an eye for an eye.” The greatest example of this in the play is when Angelo is sentenced to death by the Duke. He straight out says, "An Angelo for a Claudio, death for death… Measure still for Measure" (Measure for Measure). Angelo is condemned to an equal punishment to which he unjustly put upon Claudio. Therefore, he must be punished equal to the same suffering he
One of the main views is that one should be punished for their actions. Not only this, but they should be deserving of the punishments they get. In the play, one should be punished equally in relation to their crime. In the play, it is very clear that Claudio’s death sentence was not at all fair considering what he did. He impregnated his fiancé, but he had every intention of marrying her. Isaballa pleads with Angelo, “Yes; I do think that you might pardon him, and neither heaven nor man grieve at the mercy” (Measure for Measure). The death penalty was way too radical of a punishment and it was nowhere an equal punishment for what he did. The penalty did not measure up to the crime. Furthermore, with the payment of wrongdoings, the title of Measure for Measure by Shakespeare also has to do with the treatment of others. It’s basically the phrases, “treat others the way you’d like to be treated” as well as “an eye for an eye.” The greatest example of this in the play is when Angelo is sentenced to death by the Duke. He straight out says, "An Angelo for a Claudio, death for death… Measure still for Measure" (Measure for Measure). Angelo is condemned to an equal punishment to which he unjustly put upon Claudio. Therefore, he must be punished equal to the same suffering he