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Measure For Measure In Macbeth

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Measure for Measure and Macbeth are both very psychological plays that deal with moral decisions. However, it seems that Measure for Measure deals with a corrupt society, and Macbeth, on the other hand, is more concerned with the actions of the main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Moreover, Macbeth deals with moral dilemma and how one's actions are in conflict with moral constraints. Furthermore, it seems that the nature of injustice in Measure for Measure is more difficult to determine than it is in Macbeth, whereas in Macbeth the main characters realize themselves their actions were wrong. Measure for Measure makes the reader think - what is justice? What is right or wrong? While the Duke leaves Vienna, at least so people believe, his deputy has been given the authority to uphold the laws of the town: (1) Duke. Hold therefore, Angelo. In our remove, be thou at full ourself. Mortality and mercy in Vienna Live in thy tongue, and heart. …show more content…

In the last scene, Macduff kills and beheads Macbeth (ibid: 128). It seems that the ending is not that ambiguous in Macbeth than it is in Measure for Measure. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are both consumed by guilt, whereas in Measure for Measure Angelo does not seem to think he is doing anything wrong in giving a death sentence to Claudio. Overall, it can be argued that justice prevails in Macbeth, whereas in Measure for Measure the nature of justice is much more complex. Juha Hurme, who has written the prologue to a Finnish translation of Measure for Measure, argues that the society of Vienna is not that different from the 21st century. He argues that Shakespeare predicted the future as the world is as twisted as it is in the fictional Measure for Measure, with lying politicians and corruption taking place all over the world. (Shakespeare 2005:

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