Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

read book* *Different edition

Measure for Measure

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 9,569 ratings · 272 reviews

"I feel that I have spent half my career with one or another Pelican Shakespeare in my back pocket. Convenience, however, is the least important aspect of the new Pelican Shakespeare series. Here is an elegant and clear text for either the study or the rehearsal room, notes where you need them and the distinguished scholarship of the general editors, Stephen Orgel and A. R...more

ebook, 160 pages

Published August 1st 2000 by Penguin Books (first published 1604)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 10, 2011 Terence rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: shakespeare-stuff, the-plays-the-thing

Measure for Measure, as the title suggests, is all about weighing out appropriate portions – of love, of mercy, of justice. The plot is simple enough. The Duke of Vienna, concerned that his people have thrown off restraint and have sunk too far into liberty, leaves the city in the hands of Angelo, a man notorious for his strictness and inhuman discipline. As Lucio observes in two instances (once to Isabella and again to the Duke):

“…Upon his place,
Governs Lord Angelo; a man whose blood
Is very sno

...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 30, 2011 Bill Kerwin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 16th-17th-c-brit

Why is it that I love the universe of this "dark" comedy so much, and why does it strike me as not really being so "dark" after all? Could it be because it is presided over by a "god"--the young Duke--who is priggish, diffident and comically vain (when his reputation is attacked by Lucio), and yet is unfailingly just and honorably susceptible to the attractions of female goodness and beauty? Is it because the "villain"--Angelo--is so pathetic and small that one never seriously expects he will wi...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 22, 2011 Josiah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

While I am not the biggest Shakespeare fan, he does have an understanding of the human heart and, when I can understand him, portray it well; both on paper and stage. Although a well known or commonly known piece well worth at least a read.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 27, 2013 Jessica Barkl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Albuquerque's Vortex Theatre has a Shakespeare Festival every year now, and this year they are producing MACBETH, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, and AS YOU LIKE IT. I have been reading these in preparation for the audition. I'm not assuming I'm going to get a callback, but I did last year and I didn't do the preparation I normally do, so...I thought I'd better go back to some of the better habits I've had in the past, so that I feel better about any audition. Anyway, I took on the task of reading MEASURE...more Albuquerque's Vortex Theatre has a Shakespeare Festival every year now, and this year they are producing MACBETH, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, and AS YOU LIKE IT. I have been reading these in preparation for the audition. I'm not assuming I'm going to get a callback, but I did last year and I didn't do the preparation I normally do, so...I thought I'd better go back to some of the better habits I've had in the past, so that I feel better about any audition. Anyway, I took on the task of reading MEASURE FOR MEASURE, and I had assumed, wrongly, that I had already read it, but I had not, I had only seen the Angelo/Isabella scene done in my Junior Acting Class at Cornish College of the Arts in 1999, and watched a production of it at the Intiman Theatre in 2001 or 2002; I can't remember with one of my favorite acting teachers Timothy Piggee in it. Anyway, I remember really liking it, so, I think, I assumed that I had read it...but...no...I had not.

First off, this truly deserves the title of 'problem play' that it has been given by modern editors. Yes, it is a comedy, there are marriages at the end, and, yes, there are funny characters, but, none of these things follow the 'normal' Shakespeare comedy rules. Also, textually, it is one of the most complicated texts I have ever taken the time to track, in regards to its metric feet. I found more feminine endings in this play than I did true iambic pentameter; every page of the bantam classic version I read is marked up with my markings... Also, there are a lot of Alexandrine endings and lots of really odd unfinished endings (which should be moments of physical action, but some of them are just placed weird). I have never really had the desire to look at original quarto editions of a play, but...for this one...I would be interested. However, I think it was only published in its Folio version, so...I might just have to look there to make sure modern editors didn't make the 'problem' worse.

The Director and Dramaturg in me really loved the journey of this play and its exploration of the paradoxes in humanity. I think its funny that the introduction mentions that this a comedy of forgiveness. I'm actually quite glad that I read this now, as opposed to before because I think my life experience makes me understand that phrase 'comedy of forgiveness' better. The play celebrates the felix culpa - fall from grace - (also mentioned in the introduction) and this is something that I've come to accept in my 34 years: that we need a fall from grace to actually truly learn something, and oftentimes those falls are not funny initially, but later, they truly are. None of things that happen in MEASURE FOR MEASURE are particularly funny when seen or observed, but they are funny if you think about the growth that each character will make after the play: the self-knowledge that will occur from a fall from grace.

The actor in me really enjoys the marriage of the 'problem' of the feminine endings matching the fact that the play is an exploration of paradoxes in marriage, sex, and religion. People are conflicted about those things, and the meter would have to be awkward in order to match the feeling of the play. The play is like an awkward couple trying to have sex for the first time...it is just awkward...that's its definition and that's the way it is written...

So...we'll see...I would love to do this in any fashion, but...we'll see...(less)

like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 Matthew Guerruckey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."

Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare's hardest plays to categorize. It doesn't neatly fit into either comedy or tragedy, though there are elements of both. Scholars refer to it as a "problem" play, meaning that the conflict at the center of the draa is hat defines it, rather than the overall tone. So you might call Measure for Measure a "situation comedy", as the first half of it is very funny and by the end everyone's learned a valuable lesson an...more "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."

Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare's hardest plays to categorize. It doesn't neatly fit into either comedy or tragedy, though there are elements of both. Scholars refer to it as a "problem" play, meaning that the conflict at the center of the draa is hat defines it, rather than the overall tone. So you might call Measure for Measure a "situation comedy", as the first half of it is very funny and by the end everyone's learned a valuable lesson and everything goes back to normal.

It's a plot-heavy play, which hangs on the fate of young lover Claudio, who is arrested for fornication His partner in fornication is Juliet, a woman that he is married to but not in the correct way. Specifically, they were to poor to make a formal announcement of the wedding, therefore it's not legal therefore they're copulating illegally, therefore Claudio deserves to die. Huh? says a modern audience. Outrage! says Shakespeare's. It's worth noting that the punishment Claudio faces is execution. He is going to die for sleeping with his wife. It's a miracle anybody even got through the day in the 1600s.

Claudio's sister Isabella determines to save her brother by seducing the judge, a strict prig named Angelo. Her charms work and the speeches they trade are by far the best thing in the play. But when time comes to do the deed, Isabella allows Mariana (the "technical wife" of Angelo himself, who he denied because she could not pay her dowry) to swap places with her, meaning that Angelo has "technically" disgraced his office because he believed he was shtupping Isabella, Isabella has proof of the poor judgement of the man who seeks to execute her brother, and Mariana's marriage has been consummated.

It's a complicated but energetic play, with some of the most brightly comic characters that Shakespeare has created, but then it all falls apart in a weak final act. It's not a tragedy, so it must end happily, but it all wraps up way too neatly. It's a shame, because until the final act it's one of Shakespeare's sharpest, most thought-provoking plays. The shift at the end is so dramatic, many scholars believe it to be a revision published after his death by Thomas Middleton. If so, let me just say to Thomas Middleton: nice work, asshole. (less)

like · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Billierosie Billierosie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Measure for Measureis a play byWilliam Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was (and continues to be) classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare'sproblem plays. Originally published in theFirst Folioof 1623 (where it was first labelled as a comedy), the play's first recorded performance was in 1604. The play deals with the issues of mercy, justice, and truth...more

like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Megan Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Measure for Measure (1603-4) is a dark comedy (it’s not funny, for the most part, but has a happy ending), and I found it much more entertaining (what does that say about me?). A duke appoints a deputy, who goes crazy with power and decides to enforce an old law that sex out of wedlock is punishable by death. He decides to make an example out of a dude who is for all intents and purposes married to a girl, but did not follow all of the legal technicalities for a marriage. And she’s pregnant. The...more

like · see review

Jun 17, 2012 Stuart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Measure for Measure

I could not sleep last night, so I picked up my Oxford edition of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. The play Measure for Measure was next in line.

A delightful morality story of false and true virtue. The heroine, Isabella, and the hero, Vincentio, beautifully depict the good and noble virtues. The villians, Angelo, Claudio, and Lucio, aptly portray the evil and immoral virtures.

The story is compelling, moving, and fast paced. I do not usually finish a play in one se...more

like · see review

Aug 18, 2011 Leslie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: university-scholars, college-books, plays

Measure for Measure is another classic example of why Shakespeare is still so popular today. In this play, he combines the elements of disguise, suspense, hypocrisy, love, revenge, secrecy, mercy, and humor to create yet another of his complete thorough masterpieces. Beginning with a pseudo-Robin Hood twist, the play commences with the departure of the Duke Vincentio, who passes his authority to Lord Angelo. Shakespeare seems to have put a play on Angelo's name, for he is once described as being...more

like · see review

Jun 28, 2011 Trevor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

This is a much more troubling play than a comedy really has a right to be. To be honest, it is very hard to call this play a ‘comedy’ – unlike Much Ado or Twelfth Night, the laughs don’t exactly come thick and fast. In general outline this could easily enough be considered a romantic comedy – girl in trouble, boy cleverly rescues girl, girl marries boy; a perfect description of the genre? But the central story to this one is a very strange idea for a comedy.

Here’s the main story-line with the in...more

10 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2011 Edward rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

MEASURE FOR MEASURE is considered to be a "problem play". That may be true, butit's certainly an entertaining one about a creepy Duke who disguises himself and goes underground to find out what people really think of him and his kingdom, the assumption being that you never get the truth from your underlings, the ones who depend upon you for jobs or favors. Another scheme of his is to put his trusted friend, Angelo, in charge while he's gone. Angelo is a Puritanical hypocrite who comes down hard...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2010 amina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *sigh* This was the very last Shakespeare play I studied with a class in College and I loved it so much I wrote a five-part fanfiction on Isabella/Vincentio from it.

Yeah, fanfiction on a play and on Shakespeare! But I really loved it and wanted to make it last a little more in my mind.

MforM is a great play and it's a lot like the title suggests: that old saying 'tit for tat' and 'what goes around comes around' and also 'treat others as you wish yourself to be treated'.

It's not as slow or borin...more

like · see review

Sep 17, 2009 Irene Doughty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

review #1
Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
The Duke of Vienna commissions Angelo, who is appointed his deputy, and he secretly investigates the immoral acts of the duke's people. Fonification is agaisnt the law, and Angelo persecutes whoever breaks it to the highest degree...death. Which is where Claudio and his fiancee Juliet come in. I read 16 pages.
Each of the characters introduced so far each have a specifc set of duties which add to who they are. Take for instance, Isabella, Claudi...more

like · see review

Sep 16, 2009 Mia Cozad is currently reading it · review of another edition

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
-This book so far is about a kingdom that is ruled by the Duke. Who suddenly has to mysteriously leave so he leaves Angelo in charge with all his powers. While in charge he becomes very strict on rules, which cause a young man Claudio to go to jail for impregnating his girlfriend before wedlock and he is to be executed the next morning. Word spreads around town fast and his sister, Isabella finds out, who happens to be coming a nun, but leaves soon afte...more Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
-This book so far is about a kingdom that is ruled by the Duke. Who suddenly has to mysteriously leave so he leaves Angelo in charge with all his powers. While in charge he becomes very strict on rules, which cause a young man Claudio to go to jail for impregnating his girlfriend before wedlock and he is to be executed the next morning. Word spreads around town fast and his sister, Isabella finds out, who happens to be coming a nun, but leaves soon after she finds out the news. She goes to the kingdom to speak with Angelo pleading for her's brothers freedom and he says he will agree if she sleeps with him. I read up to Act 2 Scene 3....
-Some of the major characters include the Duke, Angelo, Claudio and Isabella. I thought the Duke and Angelo are well constructed characters because they are like opposites. The Duke is kind-hearted and respectful while Angelo is the villain, which you can tell by the way they rule the kingdom. Then Isabella is innocent and pure also the opposite of Claudio yet he is still attracted to her. I think the characters are perfect so far in this play.
-A few themes I see so far in this play is Manipulation by Angelo trying to sleep with Isabella and corruption because Claudio is sent to jail so unfairly when that rule hasn't been reinforced for many years.
-The style of this play flows very well and I like it so far.
-So far I'm liking it because it has some humor added in and the plot is exciting and things are really starting to heat up!
-"Now, good my lord, Let there be some more test made of my mental."-Angelo I picked this one because it shows how sneaky Angelo can be. At first he denied receiving the power, but then accepted after.
"Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, then fall."-Escalus This is when he is telling Angelo not to be to rough on the people because in the end he will just crash and burn. "Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, Another thing to fall."-Angelo I find this funny because it shows him being a hypocrite.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 10, 2008 Hanley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: plays

Love everything but Isabella's silence at the end. Would love to see a production that somehow turns her silence into a denial of the Duke. She almost let her brother be killed for the sake of her virtue and his; why would she, a novice, so easily marry? Unless she's been completely changed by the course of events? Doesn't seem like Shake gives us any text to support that.

Still, the scene between Isabella and Claudio will always be near and dear to my heart... no surprise there...

2 likes · like · see review

May 26, 2012 Stuart rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this play's rather unsavory subject matter has prevented it from being regarded as the masterpiece it really is. A beautiful, intense, deeply thoughtful play, this show offers a variety of good roles for men and women, and it moves at a very good pace, requiring very little cutting. The final scene is a small masterpiece in and of itself and I love how the show ends on an ambiguous note re: if the heroine accepts the hero's proposal of marriage- quite unprecedented in the formula comedie...more

like · see review

May 31, 2011 Rachel M. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This play is about the corruption of power, the nature of morality, and the tension between restraint and indulgence. In examining these issues, Shakespeare asks, "Does the state have the right to impose standards of morality on its citizens, and if so, does it also have the right to punish them if these standards are broken?" He also asks questions about the nature of justice and judgement not only as it relates to secular culture but also in how it relates to Biblical standards. The plot, itse...more

like · see review

Mar 19, 2011 Katherine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, drama, literature, poetry, favorites, underrated

Bizarrely, I loved Measure for Measure, even though I'd never heard of it, it seems unpopular for a Shakespeare play, and for some reason what I glean of the criticial opinion surrounding it is something like "distasteful problem play, not a masterpiece."

If I could revive and bring back into popularity any of Shakespeare's works this would be it. I found it far better than the surprisingly terrible Twelvth Night, which everyone goes on and on about yet is so clearly slapped together muck for ch...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Again, I wouldn't like this as much if the commentary wasn't highlighting for me the contradictions in the characters.
Shakespeare's comedies are still going to blur together. Very soon I won't be able to tell this one from another.
As I've mentioned many times before, seeing Portland's Shoebox Theater's production of this helped me keep track of which characters were which. In this case, most of the male characters have names that end in -o and so it was nice to see that Lucio is consistently ta...more

like · see review

Aug 18, 2011 Cherylann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Shakespeare tends to be an amoral writer. He does not attempt to push ethical principles on the reader, but simply tells a story for its own sake. In his play Richard III, the protagonist, Richard, is clearly a villain. The audience doesn’t mind when he seduces the widow of a man he killed over the dead man’s casket, because he is simply filling his role as villain. The audience doesn’t condemn him, but watches in a mixture of disgust and fascination as he achieves what first seemed impossible....more Shakespeare tends to be an amoral writer. He does not attempt to push ethical principles on the reader, but simply tells a story for its own sake. In his play Richard III, the protagonist, Richard, is clearly a villain. The audience doesn’t mind when he seduces the widow of a man he killed over the dead man’s casket, because he is simply filling his role as villain. The audience doesn’t condemn him, but watches in a mixture of disgust and fascination as he achieves what first seemed impossible. Villains are supposed to be evil; if they weren’t, the audience would be disappointed. Measure for Measure is one of the most complex Shakespearean plays because it doesn’t follow the usual guidelines of a comedy. Some of its characters, who are by role “good” commit evil, leaving the reader slightly confused, but simultaneously intrigued. The play also raises questions of human worth, employing characters who struggle with the concept. Although the play ends “happy”, hence classifying Measure for Measure as a comedy, the reader is left with a sinking feeling that all is not entirely well. Measure for Measure blends the elements of Tragedy and Comedy to create one of Shakespeare’s most thought provoking plays.

One of the slightly disconcerting elements of this play is the presence of evil and selfishness in characters who are supposed to be considered good. Claudio is scheduled to be executed for impregnating his lover Juliet. At this point we can accept Claudio. His sex with Juliet is revealed to be consensual, and thus the audience has no qualms about it. However, when his sister Isabella, a nun, visits him, Claudio’s selfishness becomes apparent. Isabella has approached Antonio (the stand-in for the Duke who has sentenced Antonio to death) to plead for her brother’s pardoning. Antonio tells her if she surrenders her virginity to him, he will set Claudio free (revealing Antonio’s hypocrisy). Isabella assumes that Claudio could not accept that bargain. When she tells him of Antonio’s suggestion, Claudio first condemns the idea, however three lines later he is begging his sister to go through with the deal. At this point, I no longer am able to hope Claudio will be pardoned. He is willing to shame and sacrifice his sister to free himself. Isabella and Mariana (Antonio’s scorned ex-fiancé) devise a plan and eventually free Claudio. The feeling of joyful contentment that is usually experienced at the finish of most Shakespeare comedy’s such as The Merry Wives of Windsor or Twelfth Night is absent. It has been revealed that Claudio values himself over his sister. How can there be joyousness after that?

The play raises questions of human worth, one example is Claudio’s disregarded of Isabella’s worth. The Duke, disguised as the friar, clearly finds certain human lives more valuable than others as well. To spare Isabella’s virginity, he sends Mariana, to be with Antonio carnally. In order to spare Claudio’s life, the Duke must find another man’s head to send to Antonio. The Duke decides to kill Barnardine, another prisoner who is planned to be executed at a later time. Barnardine is drunk, and therefore is not to be killed. The only thing that saves Barnardine from being executed at this time is the natural death of another prisoner. Were it not for that good fortune, Barnardine’s drunken state would have been ignored and he would have been executed.

Certain instances in the play give it a darker undertone. The Duke, disguised as the friar, helps to create a plan to save Claudio, spare Isabella’s virginity, and “avenge” Mariana. It becomes clear that the Duke knew of Mariana’s abandonment prior to Antonio’s appointment, therefore knew that Antonio was a hypocrite. Yet, he appoints him anyway, leaving his people to suffer under his unyielding hand. Mariana’s role in the plot to reveal Antonio is also disturbing. She has no objection to letting her body be used in the friar’s plot. She also is not officially married, and is ironically is committing Claudio and Juliet’s same crime.

Measure for Measure, transcends the usual Shakespearean formula and exists as its own entity. The utilization of complex and vastly human characters allows readers to judge and question characters. The exchanges between characters are comical while the entire premise of the play remains somber.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 13, 2009 Hannah Eiseman-Renyard rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Die-hard Shakespeare fans only

Shelves: i-don-t-get-it, had-to-read-it-for-work-or-a-class

There's a Problem at the Heart of This

A romantic comedy built around saving someone from capital punishment is going to have to work double-time to be anything approaching funny. Okay, this isn't a 'comedy' in the traditional sense - but it's filed as one of Shakespeare's comedies. I think the problem here is that Shakespeare himself didn't know what he was aiming for when he wrote this, and it reads as a smattering of well-trodden plot devices shoved together in a bizarre and incohesive order....more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 03, 2013 Keith rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Measure for Measure offers an unusual combination of a highly contrived, melodramatic plot with a dark undercurrent about morals, mercy and law. The play is full of improbable twists such as the bed trick, the Duke’s disguise, executions narrowly averted, and a switch of severed heads. Yet within this melodramatic framework it also offers a dark view of justice and mercy, and it dwells in the underworld of prostitution, murder, rape and official corruption. It is as if the plot could not contain...more

like · see review

Mar 08, 2012 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, read-for-school

This play is technically classified as a comedy, but for most of the play, it doesn't really seem like it. In fact, the play is set up really well to be a tragedy. But it does have some funny scenes, and the expected comedic play ending. The bulk of the play, however, has with a lot of moral/ethical issues, and also deals a lot with virtue. It asks questions about what is worth sacrificing, especially in this tricky scenario. As Escalus, another lord, puts it, "Some rise by sin, and some by virt...more

like · see review

Aug 28, 2011 Kristin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 30, 2011 Kelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, shakespeare

Of William Shakespeare's comedies that I've read, this is one of the ones I enjoyed the most. The plot was not difficult to follow, but it wasn't predictable, either. (At least, not to me.) I didn't get the characters mixed up with each other--unlike Grumio and Gremio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Solario and Solanio is The Merchant of Venice.

In a nutshell, the story goes like this: a man has had premarital sex with his betrothed. The justice, who is serving as the Duke's substitute while he's...more

like · see review

Jun 10, 2012 Sarah Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When we think of Shakespeare, we all recognize the titles of "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", and "Macbeth", but what we rarely hear of is "Measure for Measure". However, I strongly believe this to be one of Shakespeare's best plays. Where love and tradgedy tends to master the stage... politics take the cake of this theme. I read this book for a class and studied it deeply. I would even go as far to say that this novel is a comment on the connection between church and state during Shakespeare's tim...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2010 Marija rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, drama, medieval-renaissance

This play truly reads like an 18th century Gothic romance! A lover’s to be executed for impregnating his ladylove outside of the sanctity of wedlock. To save said lover from the chopping block, the evil and covetous deputy of justice blackmails the man’s sister to surrender her “virtue” to him. Quite risqué! This is especially true since the events turn in a direction that you’d least expect. Suffice it to say that I was quite shocked, since this wasn’t something that I expected, given the other...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 11, 2013 Ann Santori rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2013

It kind of baffles me that "Measure For Measure" is classified as a comedy. If the test for a Shakespearean tragedy is whether or not the text includes memorable soliloquies, then yes, MFM misses the mark (there are memorable lines, but the dramatic monologues are indeed lacking). But its tone and subject matter -- sexuality as commodity and the justice of social mores -- are decidedly dark and even the end of MFM leaves the reader with a uncomfortable skin-crawling sensation. Sure, the main cha...more

like · see review

Nov 08, 2010 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: italy, read-for-school, shakespeare, fiction, theater, early-modern

Rather different from the more well known plays. As a "problem play," it deals with both comedy and drama but doesn't read strongly of either. There is a lot going on -- a man sentenced to death, his pregnant girlfriend and his soon-to-be-a-nun sister, the duke pretending to leave town and then staying as a disguised friar, his replacement going crazy with power, something about a brothel, a random friend who ends up being killed for saying bad things to the wrong guy, and then in the end we're...more

like · see review

Feb 23, 2013 Clementine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, school

I don't know, man. The comedies just don't do it for me. They're quick and easy to get through, and the plots are good enough, but to me they just don't hold up over the centuries the way the tragedies do. Throw in all the casual misogyny and I'm not feeling it.

Like, okay, it's a comedy, so the ending is supposed to be happy, right? Except that Mariana is married to a dick and Isabella is being pursued by another dick, possibly (probably?) against her will, and it's not my favourite.

I like the i...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Shakespeare Fans: Elizabethan Marriage Customs	3	41	Nov 09, 2012 04:02pm
Shakespeare Fans: A trip to the theatre...	5	8	Jan 24, 2012 02:57pm
Live Performance	1	6	Jan 23, 2012 02:15pm

combine
Other Editions (230)

More editions...

Genres

Plays

389 users

Classics

371 users

Drama

221 users

Literature

42 users

Academic > School

28 users

Poetry

28 users

Plays > Theatre

27 users

Academic > College

17 users

Academic > Read For School

16 users

European Literature > British Literature

16 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been tr...more William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. Scholars believe that he died on his fifty-second birthday, coinciding with St George’s Day. It is an interesting idea that English writer is so closely identified with the Patron Saint of England!

At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway, who bore him three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592 he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of the playing company the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.

Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. Next he wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest examples in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime, and in 1623, two of his former theatrical colleagues published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognised as Shakespeare's.

Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the nineteenth century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians hero-worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called "bardolatry". In the twentieth century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are consistently performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

According to historians, Shakespeare write 37 plays and 154 sonnets throughout the span of his life. Shakespeare's writing average was 1.5 plays a year since he first started writing in 1589. There have been plays and sonnets contributed to Shakespeare that were not authentically written by the great master of language and literature.
(less)

More about William Shakespeare...

Books by William Shakespeare

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Measure for Measure

5 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Measure for Measure

“Our doubts are traitors,
and make us lose the good we oft might win,
by fearing to attempt.” — 719 people liked it

“Go to your bosom; Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know. ” — 68 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Measure for Measure
avg rating	preview: Measure for Measure Goodreads rating: 3.64 (9569 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11326568-measure-for-measure?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356093572l/11326568.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11326568-measure-for-measure?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare[/url]

Measure for Measure

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website