About the work
Shakespeare likely wrote "Measure for Measure" in 1603/1604. Its first documented performance took place on 26 December 1604, St Stephen's Night, at the royal court in Whitehall Palace before King James I, played by Shakespeare's company, the King's Men. The play was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. Among its sources was George Whetstone's play "Promos and Cassandra".
Plot
Duke Vincentio of Vienna appears to hand power to his strict deputy Angelo and withdraws disguised as a friar to secretly observe events. Angelo revives strict morality laws and sentences Claudio to death for premarital sex. When Claudio's sister Isabella, a novice, pleads for mercy, Angelo demands her submission in return; with the disguised duke's help, a scheme is set in motion that exposes Angelo and ultimately leads to several forced marriages.
Cultural significance
The play is counted among Shakespeare's so-called "problem plays" because it combines comedy with serious moral questions about law, power and sexual morality without offering a clear resolution, and is therefore still staged and interpreted in widely differing ways.