Measure for Measure
'Language is his power. His characters are precisely the words they speak' A. S. Byatt
A young man is condemned to death for breaking a law forbidding sex outside marriage. When his sister pleads with the Lord Angelo to save him, he offers her a bargain - her brother's life in exchange for her virginity. One of Shakespeare's most enigmatic plays, Measure for Measure is a morally complex drama of intricate moves and countermoves that explores falsehood, justice and humanity's best and basest instincts.
Used and Recommended by the National Theatre
General Editor Stanley Wells
Edited by J. M. Nosworthy
Introduction by Julia Briggs
William Shakespeare was born in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and died in 1616. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.
Stanley Wells is Emeritus Professor of the University of Birmingham and Honorary President of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Julia Briggs was professor of English at De Montfort University in Leicester.