Tragicomedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, produced in 1604-05 and published in the First Folio of 1623. The play examines the nature of mercy and justice, proposing that a good government is one that is flexible and based on common sense. The play opens with Vincentio, the Duke of Vienna, telling his deputy Angelo to govern his duchy while he travels to Poland. In actuality, the duke remains in Vienna disguised as a friar. Following the letter of the law, Angelo passes the death sentence on Claudio, a nobleman convicted for impregnating his betrothed, Juliet. Claudio's sister Isabella, a novice in a nunnery, pleads his case to Angelo, who offers to spare Claudio in exchange for her favors. On the advice of Vincentio, Isabella schedules the rendezvous but secretly arranges for Angelo's spurned fiancee, Mariana, to take her place. Afterward, Angelo reaffirms the execution. Vincentio comes to the rescue, and in the end Claudio is saved and wed to Juliet, Angelo is discredited and ordered to marry Mariana, and Vincentio asks Isabella to be his wife. The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
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