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| Plot Summary of Measure for Measure |
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"Vincentio, Duke of Vienna, announces he's going on a long trip and leaves his deputy Angelo in charge. The Duke actually disguises himself and sticks around to see what happens. Angelo, a hard-liner, cracks down on the city; one of his first acts is to condemn to death a young man named Claudio for having premarital sex with his fiancee. Claudio's sister, Isabella, who is about to enter a convent, comes before Angelo to plead for her brother's life, and the acting duke says maybe he'll show some leniency if Isabella will sleep with HIM. Appalled, Isabella tells her brother to prepare for the execution. Claudio has a speech that prefigures Hamlet's much more famous meditation on non-existence. There is the usual comic subplot with unsavory characters that could have come right out of Brecht-Weill. Because of the grimy setting and sequence of events, and an unbelievably pat ending, this last of Shakespeare's comedies has often been called a "problem play," but its ambiguities and message (something along the lines of St. Matthew's "Judge not, lest ye be judged") can make it very appealing to a modern reader. As always, it helps to see it performed on stage."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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"Isabella is about to enter a convent to lead the chaste life of a nun when she hears that her brother is imprisoned and sentenced to death for impregnating a prostitute. She must convince the deputy duke to pardon her brother, but the official has a strong physical attraction to young Isabella. He offers to pardon the brother if she married him. Isabella is then torn between her chastity and her love for her brother. There are also comic subplots with the other prisoners and the disguised Duke obvserving the goings-on."
Jessica Marler, Resident Scholar
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"The Duke of Vienna decides to go away, and leaves Angelo in charge while he is gone. However, the Duke really disguises himself and sticks around. Claudio is imprisoned for adultery, and is sentenced to death. His sister Isabella, who wants to become a nun, pleads to Angelo for his life. Angelo says he will only agree if Isabella will yield her body to him. Isabella refuses. The Duke steps in, still disguised as a friar, and suggests that Isabella agree to the terms, but switch places with Marianna, the woman to whom Angelo is bond to by a "pre-contract." In the end, the Duke comes back, everything is put to right, and the good people live happily ever after, while the bad people suffer some consequences."
Megan E. Davis, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Measure for Measure |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 17th century
Life of a profession:
- prince/nobleman/king/queen
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- religious figure
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Austrian
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 1 ()
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Austrian
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book?
Yes
Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- a lot of play on words
Is this a play?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- mostly dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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