Measure for Measure

John Dove directs Measure for Measure at Shakespeare’s Globe. When the Duke of Vienna appoints a Deputy, Angelo, to administer the city on his behalf while he travels abroad, he does not foresee Angelo’s near-fanatical observation of the letter of the law. The first victim of the new regime is Claudio, a young nobleman who has made his fiancee pregnant, an offence punishable by death. His cause is put forward by a number of citizens who beg on his behalf for mercy, but Angelo, declaring that he is ready to be judged by the same high standards that he expects from others, insists that justice can allow no exceptions. That is, however, until he meets Isabella, Claudio’s virtuous sister. The seemingly moral Angelo offers her brother’s life in return for her virginity, but when she agrees, Angelo breaks his promise to free Claudio.