Measure for Measure characters

Also known as Vincentio, Friar Lodowick

Appears from the start

The ruler of Vienna. Concerned that laws have gone unenforced under his lenient government, he temporarily transfers authority to Angelo and announces a journey abroad. He intends to remain nearby in disguise so that he can observe how his deputy and subjects behave without the pressure of his visible presence.

Appears from the start

A senior Viennese official whose experience and moderation make him a natural adviser. The Duke leaves him in office beside Angelo, though without giving him final authority over the revived laws.

Appears from the start

A magistrate known publicly for strict self-control. The Duke appoints him temporary ruler of Vienna and gives him broad power to enforce laws that have long been neglected. Angelo accepts the responsibility with formal humility and immediately becomes the central test of whether severe authority can remain just.

First appears in chapter 2

A young gentleman arrested under Vienna's revived sexual laws because Juliet is pregnant before their marriage has been formally completed. He accepts responsibility for the relationship but faces death under Angelo's literal enforcement of the statute.

First appears in chapter 2

Claudio's pregnant partner. She and Claudio regard themselves as committed to one another, but legal and financial formalities have delayed their public marriage. Her condition becomes the evidence used to prosecute him.

First appears in chapter 2

A witty, irreverent gentleman and friend of Claudio. He mocks Vienna's sudden moral discipline but acts decisively when Claudio asks him to seek Isabella's help. His loose talk and resistance to authority repeatedly bring him into conflict with the disguised Duke.

Also known as Mistress Overdone

First appears in chapter 2

The keeper of a Viennese brothel threatened by Angelo's renewed campaign against sexual offenses. She knows the city's informal life well and depends on a trade that the new administration intends to suppress.

Also known as Pompey Bum

First appears in chapter 2

Mistress Overdone's servant and procurer. Quick with wordplay and practical excuses, he represents the ordinary city life that cannot be reformed simply by announcing harsher laws.

First appears in chapter 3

A friar whom the Duke trusts. He supplies the religious habit and cover that allow the Duke to remain in Vienna as Friar Lodowick and advises him about the obligations of the disguise.

First appears in chapter 4

Claudio's sister, a novice preparing to enter a strict religious order. Lucio asks her to plead with Angelo for her brother's life. Her disciplined conscience and forceful intelligence make her a formidable petitioner even though she has little worldly power.

First appears in chapter 5

The official responsible for Vienna's prison and its condemned inmates. He obeys Angelo but is troubled by Claudio's sentence, and he seeks lawful room for mercy rather than treating execution as a routine duty.

First appears in chapter 5

A city constable whose confidence exceeds his command of language and law. He brings Pompey and Froth before the magistrates on confused accusations, turning local enforcement into an example of the difficulty of imposing moral order through officials.

First appears in chapter 11

A woman living apart from Vienna after Angelo ended their betrothal when her dowry was lost at sea. She still loves him and has a recognized prior claim to marriage, making her central to the disguised Duke's plan for preventing Isabella's exploitation.

First appears in chapter 12

A long-imprisoned man under sentence of death. He is fearless, drunk, and unwilling to let the authorities choose a convenient moment for his execution, frustrating the prison plan built around substituting one condemned prisoner's head for another.