Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 33 (click to see context) from:
** Lucio objects that being foced to marry a prostitute that he got with child is worse than being hanged.
to:
** Lucio objects that being foced to marry a prostitute that he got with child pregnant is worse than being hanged.
Added DiffLines:
** Lucio later [[AvertedTrope averts]] this when his friend Pompey is also arrested. He not only refuses to pay Pompey's bail, but [[{{Jerkass}} taunts Pompey to his face]] about how Pompey will get [[DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale raped in prison]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Much like [[Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing Dogberry]], Elbow proves to be fairly tedious. This prompts Angelo to leave, entrusting the rest of the trial (and hopefully punishment) to Escalus.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Description from trope page. Information about Trope Namers goes on the trivia page, not in the trope example.
Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* BedTrick: TropeNamer.
to:
* BedTrick: TropeNamer.Angelo attempts to use the Scarpia Ultimatum on Isabella; she convinces Angelo's rejected fiancée Mariana, who still loves him, to go in her place.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 65 (click to see context) from:
* PleaseSpareHimMyLeige: Isabella begs Angelo to spare Claudio's life.
to:
* PleaseSpareHimMyLeige: PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Isabella begs Angelo to spare Claudio's life.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
added Please Spare Him My Leige
Added DiffLines:
* PleaseSpareHimMyLeige: Isabella begs Angelo to spare Claudio's life.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TakingTheVeil: Isabella is entering a particularly severe and isolated convent, that appears to be modeled on the Poor Clares. One of the aspects of her life is a permanent dissociation from the society of men. Isabella takes her faith and its theology very seriously, and appears to really have a calling. But the Duke has other ideas...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 39 (click to see context) from:
** According to the Dramatis Personae, The Duke's real name is Vincentio, but he is never referred to as such in the play.
to:
** According to the Dramatis Personae, The Duke's real name is Vincentio, but he is never referred to as such in the play.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: The Provost, certainly from Claudio's point of view. When Isabella comes to plead with Angelo to spare her brother's life, the Provost is cheering her on. Later he actively works to try and find a way to save Claudio's life, even when it means breaking the law.
Changed line(s) 67 (click to see context) from:
* ScarpiaUltimatum: Angelo's demand of Isabella.
to:
* ScarpiaUltimatum: Angelo's demand of Isabella.Isabella, made all the worse because Isabella is planning on entering a convent and forswearing the company of men.
Added DiffLines:
* StraightEdgeEvil: Angelo again. His personal reputation hasn't got a stain on it; he's never visited a whorehouse and even Isabella admits he does his job well. This makes him all the more frightening when he does succumb to temptation.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* BadHabits: The Duke
to:
* BadHabits: The DukeDuke. He poses as a friar, up to and including granting absolution to men condemned to death.
Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* EccentricMentor
to:
* EccentricMentorEccentricMentor: The Duke... or maybe he just likes to think so.
Added DiffLines:
* AFriendInNeed: When Claudio and Juliet are led in a procession towards the jail, Lucio is shocked to see them, and resolves to do anything to help Claudio out. Lucio is as good as his word: he brings word to Isabella, Claudio's only family, and encourages her when she goes to talk to Angelo for the first time.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* GeekyTurnOn: Angelo isn't charmed in the least by the professional hookers that he indicts and condemns -- but when he listens to Isabella's passionate and eloquent reasoning, he's smitten.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added a quote to support the example
Added DiffLines:
-->'''Isabella:''' O fie, fie, fie!\\
Thy sin's not accidental, but a trade.\\
Mercy to thee would prove itself a bawd;\\
'Tis best that thou diest quickly.
Thy sin's not accidental, but a trade.\\
Mercy to thee would prove itself a bawd;\\
'Tis best that thou diest quickly.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added a quote that supports the example
Added DiffLines:
-->'''Duke:''' Sith 'twas my fault to give the people scope,\\
'Twould be my tyranny to strike and gall them\\
For what I bid them do; for we bid this be done,\\
When evil deeds have their permissive pass\\
And not the punishment. Therefore, indeed, my father,\\
I have on Angelo impos'd the office;\\
Who may, in th' ambush of my name, strike home,\\
And yet my nature never in the fight\\
To do in slander.
'Twould be my tyranny to strike and gall them\\
For what I bid them do; for we bid this be done,\\
When evil deeds have their permissive pass\\
And not the punishment. Therefore, indeed, my father,\\
I have on Angelo impos'd the office;\\
Who may, in th' ambush of my name, strike home,\\
And yet my nature never in the fight\\
To do in slander.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added another example
Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
* CruelMercy: Angelo has lost his post, been forced to marry a former fiance, and been proven a hypocrite, but allowed to live.
to:
* CruelMercy: CruelMercy:
** Angelo has lost his post, been forced to marry a former fiance, andbeen proven had his reputation ruined as a hypocrite, but is allowed to live.live.
** Lucio objects that being foced to marry a prostitute that he got with child is worse than being hanged.
-->'''Lucio:''' Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging.
-->'''Duke:''' Slandering a prince deserves it.
** Angelo has lost his post, been forced to marry a former fiance, and
** Lucio objects that being foced to marry a prostitute that he got with child is worse than being hanged.
-->'''Lucio:''' Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging.
-->'''Duke:''' Slandering a prince deserves it.
Added DiffLines:
** The Provost also doesn't have a name.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added context
Changed line(s) 41 (click to see context) from:
* {{Malaproper}}
to:
* {{Malaproper}}{{Malaproper}}: Elbow, the constable. Shakespeare's constables seem prone to this.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added a trope
Added DiffLines:
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Several.
** The entire play is basically a SecretTestOfCharacter for Angelo while the Duke observes. Once some of his failures are revealed he gives Angelo several opportunities to come clean as well, while appearing to be entirely on his side. Angelo fails but is spared anyway.
** The Duke tests the Provost's loyalty. Will he spare Claudio despite strict orders from Angelo to have him executed? When the Provost proves he will honor his orders the Duke gives him an escape hatch in the form of a letter from the Duke. At the end of the play the Duke comends the Provost's integrity and promises him he will be promoted.
** While disguised as the friar the Duke asks his chief advisor, Escalus, what sort of man the Duke was. Escalus praises him and wishes he were there to resolve the case with Claudio.
** The Duke sets things up to see if Isabella will plead for Angelo's life even while still believing that her brother has been executed, therefore showing true Christian charity.
** The entire play is basically a SecretTestOfCharacter for Angelo while the Duke observes. Once some of his failures are revealed he gives Angelo several opportunities to come clean as well, while appearing to be entirely on his side. Angelo fails but is spared anyway.
** The Duke tests the Provost's loyalty. Will he spare Claudio despite strict orders from Angelo to have him executed? When the Provost proves he will honor his orders the Duke gives him an escape hatch in the form of a letter from the Duke. At the end of the play the Duke comends the Provost's integrity and promises him he will be promoted.
** While disguised as the friar the Duke asks his chief advisor, Escalus, what sort of man the Duke was. Escalus praises him and wishes he were there to resolve the case with Claudio.
** The Duke sets things up to see if Isabella will plead for Angelo's life even while still believing that her brother has been executed, therefore showing true Christian charity.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added context
Changed line(s) 64,65 (click to see context) from:
* VetinariJobSecurity
* VillainousCrush: Angelo for Isabella.
* VillainousCrush: Angelo for Isabella.
to:
* VetinariJobSecurity
VetinariJobSecurity: Nobody is happy with how Angelo is handling Claudio's case, and several characters lament that the Duke is apparently unreachable.
* VillainousCrush: Angelo for Isabella. But then everybody Isabella comes into contact seems to quickly develop feelings for her.
* VillainousCrush: Angelo for Isabella. But then everybody Isabella comes into contact seems to quickly develop feelings for her.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Gave context to an example
Changed line(s) 63 (click to see context) from:
* TyrantTakesTheHelm
to:
* TyrantTakesTheHelmTyrantTakesTheHelm: Angelo, who goes a little DrunkWithPower.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Expanded an example quite a bit
Changed line(s) 54 (click to see context) from:
* StrawHypocrite
to:
* StrawHypocriteStrawHypocrite: Several characters may qualify:
** Angelo wishes to execute Claudio for sex out of wedlock and then attempts a ScarpiaUltimatum with his sister. He does get a scene where he calls WhatTheHellHero on himself, but still tries to cover it up when Isabella reveals the scheme to the Duke.
** Isabella, a would-be nun, gets very upset at her brother when he suggests that maybe his life and soul, as he is spiritually unprepared to be executed, is worth more than her chastity after all. Her response to him is very un-Christian, basically telling him he deserves to be executed and condemned to hell, and that she questions whether they aren't really half-siblings.
** One of the reasons the Duke gives for leaving is that he wants to see the morality laws enforced better than he has done it, but then he pardons everybody at the end of the play. He also gives religious direction and absolution to several characters when he isn't really a friar, and there's no sign he corrects this later.
** Angelo wishes to execute Claudio for sex out of wedlock and then attempts a ScarpiaUltimatum with his sister. He does get a scene where he calls WhatTheHellHero on himself, but still tries to cover it up when Isabella reveals the scheme to the Duke.
** Isabella, a would-be nun, gets very upset at her brother when he suggests that maybe his life and soul, as he is spiritually unprepared to be executed, is worth more than her chastity after all. Her response to him is very un-Christian, basically telling him he deserves to be executed and condemned to hell, and that she questions whether they aren't really half-siblings.
** One of the reasons the Duke gives for leaving is that he wants to see the morality laws enforced better than he has done it, but then he pardons everybody at the end of the play. He also gives religious direction and absolution to several characters when he isn't really a friar, and there's no sign he corrects this later.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 51,52 (click to see context) from:
* ScarpiaUltimatum
* SecretIdentity
* SecretIdentity
to:
* ScarpiaUltimatum
ScarpiaUltimatum: Angelo's demand of Isabella.
*SecretIdentitySecretIdentity: The Duke. Lucio runs into considerable trouble telling some random friar about how he and the Duke are buddies.
*
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added context to an example
Changed line(s) 48,49 (click to see context) from:
* RagsToRoyalty
* RashEquilibrium
* RashEquilibrium
to:
* RagsToRoyalty
RagsToRoyalty: Isabella, assuming she accepts the Duke's proposal.
*RashEquilibriumRashEquilibrium: Isabella never actually intends to sleep with Angelo, and he decides not to spare her brother after all.
*
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added some context to examples
Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
* TheChessmaster
to:
* TheChessmasterTheChessmaster: The Duke, who deftly arranges and resolves the entire plot.
Changed line(s) 31,32 (click to see context) from:
* CruelMercy
* DrunkWithPower
* DrunkWithPower
to:
* CruelMercy
CruelMercy: Angelo has lost his post, been forced to marry a former fiance, and been proven a hypocrite, but allowed to live.
*DrunkWithPowerDrunkWithPower: Angelo. Interestingly, he seems to recognize this fact.
*
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added the important point that Isabella pleads for mercy for Angelo while still believing that he is responsible for her brother\'s death
Changed line(s) 19,20 (click to see context) from:
The Duke decides he has played dress-up long enough and resumes his role as ruler of Vienna. Isabella and Marianna petition him, claiming Angelo wronged them, but the Duke feigns ignorance. Angelo blames everything on the mysterious friar who's been hanging about, and he's backed up by a local pimp, Lucio; the Duke leaves and returns disguised as the friar, whereupon Lucio accuses him of various crimes. The Duke finally reveals himself, and sets everything in order. He brings out Claudio, alive and well, and reunites him with Juliet; he at first condemns Angelo to death, but spares him when Marianna pleads for his life-- instead, Angelo must marry Marianna; he condemns Lucio to marrying the whore who bore his child; and finally, he makes Isabella an offer of marriage. Her reply is never given, and the play ends with everyone going to the Duke's palace.
to:
The Duke decides he has played dress-up long enough and resumes his role as ruler of Vienna. Isabella and Marianna petition him, claiming Angelo wronged them, but the Duke feigns ignorance. Angelo blames everything on the mysterious friar who's been hanging about, and he's backed up by a local pimp, Lucio; the Duke leaves and returns disguised as the friar, whereupon Lucio accuses him of various crimes. The Duke finally reveals himself, and sets everything in order. He forces Angelo to marry Marianna. He then condemns Angelo to death, but pardons him when Marianna is joined by Isabella, who still believes that Angelo is responsible for her brother's death, in pleading for mercy. He then brings out Claudio, alive and well, and reunites him with Juliet; he at first condemns Angelo to death, but spares him when Marianna pleads for his life-- instead, Angelo must marry Marianna; he condemns Lucio to marrying the whore who bore his child; child but pardons his life; and finally, he makes Isabella an offer of marriage. Her reply is never given, and the play ends with everyone going to the Duke's palace.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 47 (click to see context) from:
* NoRomanticResolution: As noted in the description, we never learn whether Isabella accepts the duke's proposal. Some directors have the actress give a hint that she does accept, so you will may see a MaybeEverAfter ending in performance.
to:
* NoRomanticResolution: As noted in the description, we never learn whether Isabella accepts the duke's proposal. Some directors have the actress give a hint that she does accept, so you will may see a MaybeEverAfter ending in performance.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 51 (click to see context) from:
* TheScarpiaUltimatum
to:
* TheScarpiaUltimatumScarpiaUltimatum
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Examples should be listed on the page for the work in which they appear.
Deleted line(s) 54 (click to see context) :
* ShoutOut: Not in the play, but Garth Nix's OldKingdom trilogy has several supernatural enforcers who share a name with the play's executioner: Abhorsen.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* HotAndCold: Isabella, according to some.
Deleted line(s) 60 (click to see context) :
* {{Tsundere}}: Isabella, according to some.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 7,8 (click to see context) from:
A tragicomedy by WilliamShakespeare. It is one of Shakespeare's problem plays, because although it is technically a comedy, its dark storyline and ambiguous ending are not the typical comic fare. If written in today's time, the play would probably be considered a dramedy. The play is famous for its frankness regarding sex: One of the secondary characters is a pimp, Claudio's problems start with premarital sex, and the main plot involves a corrupt official trying to get a religious novice to sleep with him.
to:
A tragicomedy by WilliamShakespeare.Creator/WilliamShakespeare. It is one of Shakespeare's problem plays, because although it is technically a comedy, its dark storyline and ambiguous ending are not the typical comic fare. If written in today's time, the play would probably be considered a dramedy. The play is famous for its frankness regarding sex: One of the secondary characters is a pimp, Claudio's problems start with premarital sex, and the main plot involves a corrupt official trying to get a religious novice to sleep with him.
Changed line(s) 41,42 (click to see context) from:
* ManipulativeBastard: Angelo.
--> "[[CassandraTruth Who will believe thee, Isabelle?]] My unsoiled name, the austereness of my life... will so your accusation overweigh, that you shall stifle in your own report and smell of calumny."
--> "[[CassandraTruth Who will believe thee, Isabelle?]] My unsoiled name, the austereness of my life... will so your accusation overweigh, that you shall stifle in your own report and smell of calumny."
to:
* ManipulativeBastard: Angelo.
Angelo.
--> "[[CassandraTruth Who will believe thee, Isabelle?]] My unsoiled name, the austereness of my life... will so your accusation overweigh, that you shall stifle in your own report and smell of calumny." "
--> "[[CassandraTruth Who will believe thee, Isabelle?]] My unsoiled name, the austereness of my life... will so your accusation overweigh, that you shall stifle in your own report and smell of calumny.
Changed line(s) 46 (click to see context) from:
* NoRomanticResolution: As noted in the description, we never learn whether Isabella accepts the duke's proposal. Some directors have the actress give a hint that she does accept, so you will may see a MaybeEverAfter ending in performance.
to:
* NoRomanticResolution: As noted in the description, we never learn whether Isabella accepts the duke's proposal. Some directors have the actress give a hint that she does accept, so you will may see a MaybeEverAfter ending in performance.
Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
* SugarAndIceGirl: A way to read Isabella.
to:
* SugarAndIceGirl: A way to read Isabella.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
** Hell, it [[FetishFuel probably makes it worse.]]
to:
** Hell, it [[FetishFuel probably probably]] [[ForbiddenFruit makes it worse.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 36 (click to see context) :
* IfYouKnowWhatIMean: Shakespeare is a man of a thousand dirty jokes, and, given that this is a play about ''sex,'' this one rises to the chall--er, [[ThatCameOutWrong it's got a lot of them too.]]
Added DiffLines:
* LampshadedDoubleEntendre: Shakespeare is a man of a thousand dirty jokes, and, given that this is a play about ''sex,'' this one rises to the chall--er, [[ThatCameOutWrong it's got a lot of them too.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Namespace move.
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MeasureForMeasure_669.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:225:''Go to your bosom; knock there, and ask your heart, what it doth know that's like my brother's fault.'']]
-->''Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.''
-->--'''Escalus''', II.i
A tragicomedy by WilliamShakespeare. It is one of Shakespeare's problem plays, because although it is technically a comedy, its dark storyline and ambiguous ending are not the typical comic fare. If written in today's time, the play would probably be considered a dramedy. The play is famous for its frankness regarding sex: One of the secondary characters is a pimp, Claudio's problems start with premarital sex, and the main plot involves a corrupt official trying to get a religious novice to sleep with him.
Vincentio, the duke of Vienna, is concerned that laws forbidding fornication are not being observed in the city. He resolves to set out on a journey, leaving Vienna in the hands of his adviser, Angelo. This is, in fact, a ploy: the Duke actually plans to disguise himself as a friar and live among the commoners, so he can figure out how to better serve them. It also gives him an opportunity to see how Angelo would rule Vienna if the Duke really did go away.
Angelo is a much stricter ruler than the Duke, and enforces the laws on fornication ruthlessly. He quickly allows power to go to his head, as demonstrated by his treatment of Claudio, a young man who got his fiancée Juliet pregnant. Although Claudio is more than willing to marry Juliet, Angelo sentences him to death, so he may serve as an example to other lustful men. Claudio's sister Isabella, a nun in training, visits him in jail and says she will plead his case with Angelo.
Angelo meets with Isabella. It becomes clear he is a hypocrite when he offers to spare Claudio's life if she agrees to sleep with him. She refuses to sacrifice her virginity for her brother's life; Claudio begs her to reconsider, and she coolly suggests Claudio get his affairs in order. She won't sleep with Angelo, and no one will believe her if she accuses him of coercion.
Fortunately for Claudio, the Duke has been watching carefully from the sidelines. He has a scheme that will set all to right: Angelo had previously agreed to marry a woman named Marianna, but reneged on his promise when her dowry was lost at sea. The Duke proposes that Marianna disguise herself as Isabella, and sleep with Angelo instead. This is referred to as "''the bed trick''."
However, after the sex, Angelo fears his hypocrisy might be discovered. He (surprise surprise) goes back on his word and orders that Claudio be executed. The Duke then proposes a new scheme, called "''the head trick''": Instead of Claudio's head, they will send the head of another, actually guilty prisoner. Unfortunately, the only criminal up for execution is too drunk to be killed. Just in the nick of time, a random pirate dies of fever, and so his head is removed and sent to Angelo.
The Duke decides he has played dress-up long enough and resumes his role as ruler of Vienna. Isabella and Marianna petition him, claiming Angelo wronged them, but the Duke feigns ignorance. Angelo blames everything on the mysterious friar who's been hanging about, and he's backed up by a local pimp, Lucio; the Duke leaves and returns disguised as the friar, whereupon Lucio accuses him of various crimes. The Duke finally reveals himself, and sets everything in order. He brings out Claudio, alive and well, and reunites him with Juliet; he at first condemns Angelo to death, but spares him when Marianna pleads for his life-- instead, Angelo must marry Marianna; he condemns Lucio to marrying the whore who bore his child; and finally, he makes Isabella an offer of marriage. Her reply is never given, and the play ends with everyone going to the Duke's palace.
As noted above, Isabella's reply to the proposal [[NoRomanticResolution is not given]]. Though general consensus is she marries the Duke, it's up to the director to decide whether or not she accepts his offer.
----
!! ''Measure for Measure'' provides examples of:
* AristocratsAreEvil: Well, the Duke's certainly not evil, but he does enjoy manipulating his advisers.
* BadHabits: The Duke
* BedTrick: TropeNamer.
* CassandraTruth: What awaits Isabelle if she tries to accuse Angelo.
* TheChessmaster
* ClarkKenting: The Duke's disguise fools everyone, even his closest and most trusted adviser. The commoners have an excuse for not knowing who he is, but Angelo?
* CruelMercy
* DrunkWithPower
* EccentricMentor
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Duke is always only called The Duke.
** According to the Dramatis Personae, The Duke's real name is Vincentio, but he is never referred to as such in the play.
* IfYouKnowWhatIMean: Shakespeare is a man of a thousand dirty jokes, and, given that this is a play about ''sex,'' this one rises to the chall--er, [[ThatCameOutWrong it's got a lot of them too.]]
* ItAmusedMe: Not explicitly stated, but the Duke seems to do what he does just to see what will happen if he does it.
** A frequently cited interpretation is that he uses Angelo to do his dirty work and clean up the lawlessness in the city (which he doesn't want to do himself because it would risk his popularity with the common folk). Although the way he executes his plan may still qualify as this trope.
* KingIncognito: The Duke spends most of the play running around as a friar.
* {{Malaproper}}
* ManipulativeBastard: Angelo.
--> "[[CassandraTruth Who will believe thee, Isabelle?]] My unsoiled name, the austereness of my life... will so your accusation overweigh, that you shall stifle in your own report and smell of calumny."
* MistakenIdentity
* NaughtyNuns: Being in a habit does not reduce Isabelle's HelloNurse effect on men--especially not Angelo...
** Hell, it [[FetishFuel probably makes it worse.]]
* NoRomanticResolution: As noted in the description, we never learn whether Isabella accepts the duke's proposal. Some directors have the actress give a hint that she does accept, so you will may see a MaybeEverAfter ending in performance.
* RagsToRoyalty
* RashEquilibrium
* RightInFrontOfMe: Lucio insults the Duke to the friar's face and the friar to the Duke's face.
* TheScarpiaUltimatum
* SecretIdentity
* SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny: Angelo.
* ShoutOut: Not in the play, but Garth Nix's OldKingdom trilogy has several supernatural enforcers who share a name with the play's executioner: Abhorsen.
* StrawHypocrite
* SugarAndIceGirl: A way to read Isabella.
* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: Barnadine's refusal to be executed plays out like this.
* TitleDrop:
-->'''Duke:''' Haste still pays haste, and leisure answers leisure;
-->Like doth quit like, and measure still for measure.
* {{Tsundere}}: Isabella, according to some.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm
* VetinariJobSecurity
----
[[caption-width-right:225:''Go to your bosom; knock there, and ask your heart, what it doth know that's like my brother's fault.'']]
-->''Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.''
-->--'''Escalus''', II.i
A tragicomedy by WilliamShakespeare. It is one of Shakespeare's problem plays, because although it is technically a comedy, its dark storyline and ambiguous ending are not the typical comic fare. If written in today's time, the play would probably be considered a dramedy. The play is famous for its frankness regarding sex: One of the secondary characters is a pimp, Claudio's problems start with premarital sex, and the main plot involves a corrupt official trying to get a religious novice to sleep with him.
Vincentio, the duke of Vienna, is concerned that laws forbidding fornication are not being observed in the city. He resolves to set out on a journey, leaving Vienna in the hands of his adviser, Angelo. This is, in fact, a ploy: the Duke actually plans to disguise himself as a friar and live among the commoners, so he can figure out how to better serve them. It also gives him an opportunity to see how Angelo would rule Vienna if the Duke really did go away.
Angelo is a much stricter ruler than the Duke, and enforces the laws on fornication ruthlessly. He quickly allows power to go to his head, as demonstrated by his treatment of Claudio, a young man who got his fiancée Juliet pregnant. Although Claudio is more than willing to marry Juliet, Angelo sentences him to death, so he may serve as an example to other lustful men. Claudio's sister Isabella, a nun in training, visits him in jail and says she will plead his case with Angelo.
Angelo meets with Isabella. It becomes clear he is a hypocrite when he offers to spare Claudio's life if she agrees to sleep with him. She refuses to sacrifice her virginity for her brother's life; Claudio begs her to reconsider, and she coolly suggests Claudio get his affairs in order. She won't sleep with Angelo, and no one will believe her if she accuses him of coercion.
Fortunately for Claudio, the Duke has been watching carefully from the sidelines. He has a scheme that will set all to right: Angelo had previously agreed to marry a woman named Marianna, but reneged on his promise when her dowry was lost at sea. The Duke proposes that Marianna disguise herself as Isabella, and sleep with Angelo instead. This is referred to as "''the bed trick''."
However, after the sex, Angelo fears his hypocrisy might be discovered. He (surprise surprise) goes back on his word and orders that Claudio be executed. The Duke then proposes a new scheme, called "''the head trick''": Instead of Claudio's head, they will send the head of another, actually guilty prisoner. Unfortunately, the only criminal up for execution is too drunk to be killed. Just in the nick of time, a random pirate dies of fever, and so his head is removed and sent to Angelo.
The Duke decides he has played dress-up long enough and resumes his role as ruler of Vienna. Isabella and Marianna petition him, claiming Angelo wronged them, but the Duke feigns ignorance. Angelo blames everything on the mysterious friar who's been hanging about, and he's backed up by a local pimp, Lucio; the Duke leaves and returns disguised as the friar, whereupon Lucio accuses him of various crimes. The Duke finally reveals himself, and sets everything in order. He brings out Claudio, alive and well, and reunites him with Juliet; he at first condemns Angelo to death, but spares him when Marianna pleads for his life-- instead, Angelo must marry Marianna; he condemns Lucio to marrying the whore who bore his child; and finally, he makes Isabella an offer of marriage. Her reply is never given, and the play ends with everyone going to the Duke's palace.
As noted above, Isabella's reply to the proposal [[NoRomanticResolution is not given]]. Though general consensus is she marries the Duke, it's up to the director to decide whether or not she accepts his offer.
----
!! ''Measure for Measure'' provides examples of:
* AristocratsAreEvil: Well, the Duke's certainly not evil, but he does enjoy manipulating his advisers.
* BadHabits: The Duke
* BedTrick: TropeNamer.
* CassandraTruth: What awaits Isabelle if she tries to accuse Angelo.
* TheChessmaster
* ClarkKenting: The Duke's disguise fools everyone, even his closest and most trusted adviser. The commoners have an excuse for not knowing who he is, but Angelo?
* CruelMercy
* DrunkWithPower
* EccentricMentor
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Duke is always only called The Duke.
** According to the Dramatis Personae, The Duke's real name is Vincentio, but he is never referred to as such in the play.
* IfYouKnowWhatIMean: Shakespeare is a man of a thousand dirty jokes, and, given that this is a play about ''sex,'' this one rises to the chall--er, [[ThatCameOutWrong it's got a lot of them too.]]
* ItAmusedMe: Not explicitly stated, but the Duke seems to do what he does just to see what will happen if he does it.
** A frequently cited interpretation is that he uses Angelo to do his dirty work and clean up the lawlessness in the city (which he doesn't want to do himself because it would risk his popularity with the common folk). Although the way he executes his plan may still qualify as this trope.
* KingIncognito: The Duke spends most of the play running around as a friar.
* {{Malaproper}}
* ManipulativeBastard: Angelo.
--> "[[CassandraTruth Who will believe thee, Isabelle?]] My unsoiled name, the austereness of my life... will so your accusation overweigh, that you shall stifle in your own report and smell of calumny."
* MistakenIdentity
* NaughtyNuns: Being in a habit does not reduce Isabelle's HelloNurse effect on men--especially not Angelo...
** Hell, it [[FetishFuel probably makes it worse.]]
* NoRomanticResolution: As noted in the description, we never learn whether Isabella accepts the duke's proposal. Some directors have the actress give a hint that she does accept, so you will may see a MaybeEverAfter ending in performance.
* RagsToRoyalty
* RashEquilibrium
* RightInFrontOfMe: Lucio insults the Duke to the friar's face and the friar to the Duke's face.
* TheScarpiaUltimatum
* SecretIdentity
* SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny: Angelo.
* ShoutOut: Not in the play, but Garth Nix's OldKingdom trilogy has several supernatural enforcers who share a name with the play's executioner: Abhorsen.
* StrawHypocrite
* SugarAndIceGirl: A way to read Isabella.
* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: Barnadine's refusal to be executed plays out like this.
* TitleDrop:
-->'''Duke:''' Haste still pays haste, and leisure answers leisure;
-->Like doth quit like, and measure still for measure.
* {{Tsundere}}: Isabella, according to some.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm
* VetinariJobSecurity
----
