Measure for Measure

Your first 4 to 5 page (1000 to 1,250 words) essay will be an exercise in close reading of an important passage in Measure for Measure which you will then connect to other key passages that amplify and deepen the theme or question you develop. Choose early. You’ll want to take notes for documentation as you reread. Your paper should have an arguable thesis—shoot for a level two or three thesis Be prepared to defend your thesis and show reasonable progress when you confer with me on that date.

While the Duke attempts to improve the governance of his realm through a rather complicated scheme, Lucio and company work against that rule through a constantly asserted bit of misrule. Look closely at all of the scenes in which Lucio appears and draw conclusions about his role in the play, particularly his rule as foil against the Duke’s attempt to establish a better order in his fallen Vienna. In discussing Lucio’s role or function in the play, compare and contrast him to Angelo and the Duke. What larger points is Shakespeare able to make through Lucio’s character?