Power, Legitimacy, the Silenced woman: Measure for Measure (Play Discussion)

In continuing our Power, Legitimacy, and the Silenced Woman series, we will delve into Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, a darkly compelling look at justice, hypocrisy, and moral power in a city strained by authoritarian rule-- A play with true "#MeToo" moments! Hope you can make it!
Maryama Antoine

About Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is a play believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the First Folio of 1623.

Measure for Measure was printed as a comedy in the First Folio and continues to be classified as one. Though it shares features with other Shakespearean comedies, such as the use of word play and irony, and the employment of disguise and substitution as plot devices, it also features tragic elements such as executions and soliloquies, with Claudio's speech in particular having been favorably compared to tragic heroes like Prince Hamlet. It is often cited as one of Shakespeare's problem plays due to its ambiguous tone.

Plot
The play's plot features its protagonist, Duke Vincentio of Vienna, stepping out from public life to observe the affairs of the city under the governance of his deputy, Angelo. Angelo's harsh and ascetic public image is compared to his abhorrent personal conduct once in office, in which he exploits his power to procure a sexual favor from Isabella, whom he considers enigmatically beautiful. The tension in the play is eventually resolved through Duke Vincentio's intervention, which is considered an early use of the deus ex machina in English literature.

Sources
The play draws on two distinct sources. The original is The Story of Epitia, a story from Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, first published in 1565. Shakespeare was familiar with this book as it contains the original source for Shakespeare's Othello.

Cinthio also published the same story in a play version with some small differences, of which Shakespeare may or may not have been aware. The original story is an unmitigated tragedy in that Isabella's counterpart is forced to sleep with Angelo's counterpart, and her brother is still killed.

The other main source for the play is George Whetstone's 1578 lengthy two-part closet drama Promos and Cassandra, which itself is sourced from Cinthio. Whetstone adapted Cinthio's story by adding the comic elements and the bed and head tricks.

Peter Meilaender has argued that Measure for Measure is largely based on biblical references, focusing on the themes of sin, restraint, mercy, and rebirth. Amongst such Gospel comparisons, the Gospel of Matthew has been viewed as a source.