Measure for Measure — A Level Student Guide

Power. Justice. Sexual morality. Hypocrisy. What happens when those enforcing the law are themselves corrupt?

Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure is one of his most challenging and thought-provoking plays, combining dark comedy with an unsettling examination of authority, morality, sexuality, justice and mercy.

This comprehensive Coleman’s Notes® Student Guide is designed for A Level English Literature students, helping readers move beyond plot understanding towards detailed interpretation of Shakespeare’s language, dramatic methods, characters and competing moral arguments.

The Duke of Vienna temporarily hands control of the city to the apparently strict and virtuous Angelo, who begins enforcing laws that have long been ignored. Claudio is condemned to death for having sex with Juliet before marriage.

Claudio’s sister Isabella, a novice preparing to enter a convent, appeals to Angelo for mercy. Angelo refuses — but then becomes sexually attracted to Isabella and offers to spare Claudio if she submits to him.

Shakespeare consequently places extraordinary pressure on the ideas of law, morality and authority. Angelo publicly represents moral discipline while privately abusing his power, and Isabella faces an agonising conflict involving her religious convictions, bodily autonomy and her brother’s life.

Meanwhile, the disguised Duke observes events and manipulates their eventual resolution, raising further questions about whether his own exercise of power is justifiable.

Inside the guide: detailed plot and scene coverage; character studies and relationships; major themes and interpretations; language, form and dramatic structure; imagery and symbolism; key quotations and their significance; historical, religious and social context; genre and the problem-play tradition; examination technique; essay planning; model answers; practice examination questions; revision questions; and quick-recall material.

Particular attention is given to Isabella, Angelo, the Duke, Claudio, Lucio, Mariana and Juliet, alongside the moral and political conflicts that connect them.

Major areas of study include justice and mercy, power and corruption, sexual morality, gender, religion, hypocrisy, appearance and reality, law and punishment, marriage, consent and individual freedom.

The guide also tackles the play’s most difficult interpretative questions: Is Isabella admirable or inflexible? Is Angelo simply a hypocrite or a more complex study of temptation and repression? Is the Duke a wise ruler or a manipulative one? And how satisfactory is the play’s controversial ending?

Designed for A Level study and revision, the guide supports the closer textual analysis, alternative interpretations and developed critical arguments expected at advanced level.

Individual Student Guide — £8.95
Complete Shakespeare Collection 2 — £49.95

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