The Duke Versus Angelo: The Construction of ‘Measure for Measure’

Abstract

In few plays of Shakespeare is there such a sudden change of direction as in Measure for Measure, and a change moreover which can be pinpointed precisely. At the moment in iii i when the Duke steps out of the shadows he ceases to be an observer and moralist and involves himself in the tangled lives of Angelo, Isabella and Claudio. The effect of the first half of the play has been created by a series of emotional encounters between Angelo and Isabella, the Duke and Claudio, Claudio and Isabella, conducted in verse which is often involved and dense with imagery; the second part is marked by intrigue and black comedy, most of which is written in prose until the finale.