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Measure for Measure Play
Measure for Measure begins with Vincentio, the
Duke of Vienna, entrusting his deputy Angelo to rule
for him whilst he is on leave. Vincentio gives Angelo
the power to enforce Vienna's many rules that Vincentio
has increasingly been lax enforcing. Seeing Angelo as
strict and uncompromising, Vincentio believes Angelo
to be the perfect man to do what he will not; enforce
the law without exception. However, Vincentio is not
totally trusting of Angelo; instead of leaving town,
he instead disguises himself as a friar to see check
up on Angelo... Angelo is as uncompromising as Vincentio
hoped; almost everyone is shocked by Angelo's zealous
pursuit of the law; Angelo handing out a death sentence
to Claudio for making his fiance Julietta pregnant before
marriage... Fearing for Claudio's life, Isabella, Claudio's
sister petitions for Angelo to spare her brother.
Though Angelo wants to ignore Isabella's pleas, her
beauty and pleading win Angelo over but there is a catch...
Angelo will spare Claudio's life if Isabella, a virgin
preparing to become a nun, gives herself to Angelo...
Disgusted, Isabella refuses. The Friar (Vincentio) who
has been trying to comfort Angelo in the prison, overhears
Isabella and Claudio's predicament, resolving to save
them both from Angelo. Hilariously, Vincentio still
disguised, learns first hand just how lenient the people
believe him to be from Lucio.
The Friar's plan is simple. Isabella will agree to
Angelo's offer but when the moment comes for Isabella
to surrender herself to him, she will switch places
with Mariana, a woman Vincentio knows was once engaged
to Angelo and still loves him. All goes according to
plan until Angelo, satisfied, decides to execute Claudio
as planned. Vincentio decides to thwart Angelo by convincing
Claudio's jailer to switch another man in Claudio's
place. The Friar uses a letter from the real Duke (himself)
to convince the Provost into doing this. Vincentio does
not tell Isabella what he has planned, only that she
should seek out the Duke of Vienna who will be returning
soon to ensure Angelo is brought to justice for what
he has done to Claudio and her.
Angelo, learning of the Duke's return, starts to regret
executing Claudio... Throwing away his Friar's disguise,
Vincentio enters Vienna as the Duke, Isabella telling
him all that has happenned. The Duke pretends not to
believe Isabella, ordering her imprisoned... Friar Peter
now confirms Isabella's story as does Mariana who tells
the whole town that she made love to Angelo. The Duke,
disguised again as the Friar also backs Isabella's story...
Angelo, knowing he is in very deep trouble, attempts
to save himself by discrediting Isabella and placing
the rest of the blame on the Friar. The Duke then reveals
himself to be the Friar, Angelo now begging for mercy
from Isabella and Vincentio. We quickly learn Claudio
is alive not dead, Mariana still in love with Angelo,
begging with Isabella for Angelo's life to be spared.
This the Duke grants, commanding Angelo to wed Mariana
and that Claudio wed Julietta. Vincentio decides to
marry the beautiful Isabella... As for Lucio, the Duke
remembering all to well Lucio's words about the Duke
being lax with the law, orders Friar Peter to marry
him to the prostitute Mistress Keepdown to whom Lucio
has given a child, then orders Lucio whipped then hanged.
In doing this, Vincentio takes the ultimate revenge
by ensuring that a prostitute will inherit Lucio's wealth.
Contents
Dramatis
Personæ
Act I
Scene I, Scene
II, Scene III, Scene
IV
Act II
Scene I, Scene
II, Scene III, Scene
IV
Act III
Scene I, Scene
II
Act IV
Scene I, Scene
II, Scene III, Scene
IV, Scene V, Scene
VI
Act V
Scene I
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