stage for examining justice and mercy Justice And Mercy Under The Duke Justice and mercy are vital in the play's action When the duke has given the Administrative power to sentence a man to death Angelo warns him that if the criminal's crime is proven he will take the way of justice but if the criminal is free from his crime Angelo will treat the man with mercy In some scenes of the play we see the lack of justice especially in Claudio's case Claudio establishes a physical relationship with Juliet and then refuses to marry That s why he is accused Duke Vincentio quotes before venerating the new duke Mortality and mercy in Vienna Live in thy tongue and heart Angelo's Strict Justice Angelo is initially portrayed as a strict enforcer of justice He pronounces a death sentence for Claudio's crime of fornication It refers to a lack of mercy in the pursuit of justice The incident highlights the uncompromising nature of Angelo's commitment to the law Angelo said to Claudio s mercy proposal We must not make a scarecrow of the law Justice against Various Types of Social Disorder The drama Measure for Measure represents various social disorders such as injustice seduction violation etc As a humble and virtuous person the Duke of Vienna stands against Various types of social disorder So the people of Vienna are gradually affected by the duke s laws and orders So he decided that he would hand over the administrative power to a strict ruler named Angelo During the reign of Angelo various types of social disorders were found Angelo is regarded as a puritan with a strict moral code as the deputy of the Duke of Vienna He tries to stop all kinds of immoral activities within the kingdom and is determined As a part of justice he has given a death sentence to Claudio because his guilt is proven that Claudio fornicated with a girl called Juliet and made her pregnant without marrying her So from the point of justice and the law of the land Angelo's sentence against Claudio is just Justice Does Not Follow The Plead After the death sentence of Claudio Escalus pleads to show mercy to Claudio He argues that any man in Claudio's position even Angelo himself would have committed the same crime Besides Isabella the sister of Claudio pleads for mercy to her brother and suggests that Angelo should condemn her brother's guilt but not the death sentence She argues that forgiveness is a virtue according to the Christian religion But Angelo does not pay heed to both Isabella and Escalus's plead From this attitude Isabella understands that Angelo is abusing his power So she says O it is excellent To have a giant's strength but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant Contention Between Justice And Lust During her second interview with Angelo he dramatically proposes that if Isabella is willing to surrender her virginity to him he will pardon her brother The issue is a contention between justice and lust chastity and the desire to save a brother's life Later on On the advice of Isabella the Duke sends Mariana in Isabella's disguise to satisfy Angelo's sexual desire Thus Angelo throws law and justice out of the window and commits the same crime as Claudio did Duke's Intervention The Duke observing events in disguise reveals himself and interferes His actions reveal a delicate balance between justice and mercy While recognizing the need for justice the Duke introduces elements of forgiveness and compassion particularly in dealing with Angelo The duke angrily says O what may man within him hide Though angel on the outward side In light of the above discussion it can be said that Shakespeare's Measure for Measure has proved that justice and mercy are two sides of the same coin presented in the drama So we should judge any crime or criminal by considering mercy and justice