Exploring Morality Measure for Measure In Measure for Measure, Shakespeare is able to examine the concept of right and wrong 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 . 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, in fact, constitute a right. While the concepts of right and wrong receive a twist in this play, Shakespeare ultimately allows his audience to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. At the beginning of Act One, Scene Two, Shakespeare uses the pimp, Mistress Overdone, to convey to the audience that Angelo is enforcing Vienna's fornication laws. Even though this seems like the most moral and right action to take, Shakespeare puts a twist on what the audience would normally consider 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 being shown that prostitution is this woman's livelihood and her way to make money. However, who will decide whether the “moral benefits” of eliminating the public spectacle of prostitution are in the best interests of the city? By asking this question, Shakespeare forces the audience to consider both sides of the issue in order to ultimately make a decision. In England, at that time... middle of paper... While, of course, this play does not say that Shakespeare was in favor of prostitution, it forces its audience to see 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 the two characters, Shakespeare manages to make his audience challenge their ideas of right and wrong and force them to justify these decisions. Sources cited and consulted Cavaliere, G. Wilson. Shakespeare and morality. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1967. Leech, Clifford. "The 'Meaning' of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 3 (1950): 69-71.Shakespeare, William. Measure for measure. The Arden Shakespeare. Ed. JW Leva. London: Routledge, 1995.Thomas, Vivian. The moral universe of Shakespeare's problematic works. London: Croom Helm, 1987.