Notes and intro to 'Measure for Measure'

This play is a comedy.
Measure for Measure is centered around the fate of Claudio, who is arrested by Vienna’s temporary leader, Lord Angelo, for impregnating Juliet, his prostitute-girlfriend. The Duke of Vienna has taken a supposed leave of absence, when in reality he has disguised himself as a friar and remained in the city to watch over things. The Duke chose Lord Angelo as his temporary replacement because of his strict and moralistic character, which Angelo immediately imposes on the city of Vienna by making brothels and unmarried intercourse illegal. After Claudio’s arrest, his sister Isabella, who is also a nun, begs Lord Angelo to have mercy on her brother. Angelo refuses but suggests an alternative; that if she agrees to sexual intercourse with him, he will let Claudio live. Isabella is faced with the decision of sacrificing her honor for her brother’s life, or allowing Claudio to die so that she can retain her chastity. For comedy’s sake the Duke intervenes and saves the day with the oh-so-sexual and effective bed-trick and then proceeds to ask the noble Isabella to marry him.
Themes to pay attention to in this play are largely centered around the nature and limits of state intervention and about the appropriated degree of sexual regulation in society. It also addresses the age-old dilemma of justice and law enforcement. There is a Latin phrase from the Roman poet Juvenal that I stole from a Dan Brown novel somewhere that goes, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?”, or, “who will guard the guards?” that seems to be relevant to this play.

Some random morsels of information about this play: The title Measure For Measure comes from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:2, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” meaning be prepared to be judged in the same way that you judge others. The play is argued both as pro-Christianity and as evading Christianity. According to Harold Bloom, he says, “I scarcely see how the play, in regard to its Christian allusiveness, can be regarded as other than blasphemous” And according to Frye there are three well-known folk tale themes: the disguised ruler, the corrupt judge and the bed trick.