"Measure for Measure" by William Shakespeare is a play written in 1603 or 1604. When Vienna's Duke secretly disguises himself as a friar to observe his city, he leaves the strict Angelo in charge. Angelo revives harsh laws and sentences young Claudio to death for fornication, then propositions Claudio's virtuous sister Isabella with a corrupt bargain: her virginity for her brother's life. What follows involves deception, disguise, and moral dilemmas that blend comedy with darker themes, making this one of Shakespeare's most enigmatic problem plays. (This is an automatically generated summary.)