Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare

How hard is Measure for Measure to read?

Measure for Measure scores 74 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it very challenging. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 75 out of 100

Shakespeare's language features frequent archaic words and phrases such as 'prithee,' 'hath,' 'sith,' and 'foison,' demanding familiarity with Early Modern English. The text also employs specialized terminology related to law, religion, and social roles of the period, like 'deputation,' 'votarists,' and 'parcel-bawd,' which can be obscure to modern readers. While not inventing words like 'Finnegans Wake,' the sheer volume of less common vocabulary places it significantly above 'Moby-Dick' in difficulty.

Sentence structure: 82 out of 100

The play exhibits high syntactic complexity through extensive use of inversion, embedded clauses, and long, rhetorically structured sentences. For instance, the Duke's opening speech to Escalus features multiple subordinate clauses and parenthetical statements that require careful parsing. Dialogue often involves complex conditional statements and elaborate metaphors, making it more challenging than the direct prose of '1984' and approaching the hypotaxis seen in 'The Golden Bowl'.

Abstraction: 78 out of 100

Beyond its dramatic plot, 'Measure for Measure' deeply explores abstract concepts of justice, mercy, authority, and morality through extensive philosophical debates and soliloquies. Characters like the Duke and Isabella engage in lengthy discussions on the nature of law and sin, moving far beyond concrete narrative. This consistent engagement with theoretical content, as seen in Claudio's meditation on death or Angelo's internal conflict, positions it closer to 'Brothers Karamazov' than 'The Great Gatsby'.

Information density: 70 out of 100

The text is dense with interwoven themes, intricate character motivations, and rapid shifts in dramatic irony and perspective. Shakespeare frequently employs wordplay, allusions, and compressed poetic language, where each line can carry multiple layers of meaning. This requires sustained attention to grasp the full implications of dialogue and plot developments, placing it well above 'Lolita' but not reaching the encyclopedic scope of 'Ulysses'.

Narrative indirection: 70 out of 100

The Duke's elaborate disguise as Friar Lodowick and his constant manipulation of events mean characters operate under false pretenses, requiring the audience to infer true motives and the unfolding plan. Angelo's profound hypocrisy and Isabella's ambiguous silence at the play's conclusion further demand readers infer underlying meanings and unresolved emotional states.

Symbolic density: 80 out of 100

The play is deeply allegorical, exploring the symbolic interplay of justice and mercy, appearance and reality, and the corrupting influence of power. The title itself, 'Measure for Measure,' functions as a central symbol, alongside Angelo's name (angelic but devilish) and Isabella's contested chastity, all driving the central moral and philosophical debates.

Ironic distance: 80 out of 100

Dramatic irony saturates the play, primarily through the Duke's disguise, which allows him to observe and manipulate characters like Angelo and Lucio who unknowingly reveal their true natures. The significant gap between characters' perceptions and the audience's knowledge, coupled with the play's often unsettling 'justice,' invites critical interpretation of moral authority.

Resolution withholding: 78 out of 100

Despite a seemingly resolved plot, the play withholds true emotional and moral closure, particularly regarding Isabella's unstated acceptance of the Duke's proposal and the implications of the forced marriages. The ending leaves significant ambiguities about justice, mercy, and individual agency, prompting ongoing debate rather than definitive answers.

Structural complexity: 55 out of 100

While the play maintains a mostly linear chronology, the Duke's elaborate disguise and his active, manipulative orchestration of events introduce a significant layer of structural artifice. This creates a dual reality within the play, where the audience is privy to a hidden plot that characters are not, adding a meta-theatrical complexity without overt narrative experimentation.

How Measure for Measure is regarded

Measure for Measure holds a literary regard score of 88 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

About the author

William Shakespeare