SOCIAL CONTEXT

The play is set in Vienna, though it has many similarities to the stuart era in England, under James I, as this was when Shakespeare was writing Measure for Measure. Shakespeare was King James I's favourite playwrite. Under King James I the death penalty could be applied for what would today be regarded as minor offences, and public whippings and hangings were common. This reflects the views and actions of the Duke.

The religion of the time was Protestantism, continuing from Elizabeth I. Marriage was a strong part of the religion and the church expected all marriages to take place under a church ceremony, although there were other routes. Claudio and Juliet were not married fully because of a lack of dowry, and the dowry is the same problem that occured in Angelo's marriage to Mariana, that allowed him to leave her.

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SOCIAL CONTEXT