Theme Of The Title Measure For Measure

A Title to be Reckoned With:

An analysis of “Measure for Measure.”

Titles are a crucial part to any story. Shakespeare especially had an understanding of the importance of titles for certain texts. Some of Shakespeare’s titles that do not simply name the protagonist are “Measure for Measure,” “The Tempest,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and the “Twelfth Night.” Something to examine when reading Shakespeare is the title. If the title is not simply something like “Hamlet,” or “Romeo and Juliet,” then there is a method to his madness. Titles bear much importance in the content of a story. First, the title sets the mood of the story. To focus primarily on “Measure for Measure,” the title sets the tone that there is something to be measured to determine

The title of Measure for Measure is taken from the Bible: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” This quotation from Christ 's Sermon on the Mount, stating generally that each individual will be judged as harshly as he has judged others, implies that mercy and human sympathy should temper justice. This passage comes from Matthew and is reinforced again in Mark. Shakespeare named this story so because of the way Angelo attempted to judge the people of Vienna, more particularly, Claudio. Angelo, though saved from death by the warming hand of Isabella, will soon receive the judgement he so evilly placed upon some of the citizens. Claudio was guilty of something, though was not in deservance of death and Angelo was seen as an evil dictator; Shakespeare identified this in the fact that he used the gospel to derive his story “Measure for Measure.” Shakespeare was not playing around when he named this play what he did, he was showing a clear understanding of the sermon on the mount, and paving the way for the reader to easily identify his motive of reinforcement of this sermon within his own