Exploring Morality Measure for MeasureIn Measure for Measure, Shakespeare is able to examine the concept of good and evil through the characters of Mistress Overdone and Mariana. Throughout the play, by using characters that most people would find morally reprehensible, Shakespeare is able to give the audience a different view of these people and hopefully show his audience that people are not always what they seem to be. Through the character of Mistress Overdone, Shakespeare is able to bring a jovial side to the oldest profession known to man: prostitution. Through the character of Mariana, Shakespeare allows the audience to decide whether two wrongs indeed make a right. While the concepts of good and evil are altered in this play, Shakespeare, ultimately, allows his audience to decide for themselves what is good and what is not. At the beginning of act one, scene two, Shakespeare uses debauchery. , Mistress Overdone, to make the audience understand that Angelo is enforcing Vienna's fornication laws. Although this seems like the most moral and righteous action to take, Shakespeare puts a twist on what the audience would normally see as a clear case. In lines 79-81, Mistress Overdone explains to the audience the effects of these new policies. So while it seems right to shut down these businesses, the public is now finding out that prostitution is this lady's livelihood and way of making money. However, who should decide whether the “moral benefits” of eliminating the public display of prostitution are in the best interest of the city? By asking this question, Shakespeare forces the audience to consider both sides of the issue to ultimately make a decision. In England at that time...... middle of paper ...... While, of course, this play is not saying that Shakespeare was in favor of prostitution, it is forcing its audience to view these people as individuals and not as objects. Likewise, by introducing the description of Mariana, Shakespeare challenges the idea that something is always right or wrong. Through both characters, Shakespeare is able to ask his audience to question their ideas about good and evil and force them to justify their decisions. Sources cited and consulted Knight, G. Wilson. Shakespeare and morality. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1967.Leech, Clifford. "The 'Sense' of measure for measure." Shakespeare Survey 3 (1950): 69-71.Shakespeare, William. Measure for measure. The Arden Shakespeare. Ed. JW lever. London: Routledge, 1995. Thomas, Vivian. The moral universe of Shakespeare's problem plays. London: Croom's helmet, 1987.