ABSTRACT
When the kindly and merciful Duke of Vienna from Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure embarked on a long journey he left the city in the capable hands of Angelo. Yet Angelo’s approach to the laws and discipline of the city was very different from that of his master. The Duke was tolerant and lenient, the deputy strict and unbending. Angelo’s concern, as indicated in the quotation above, was that if laws are not enforced they become toothless and the Rule of Law breaks down. Yet throughout the play there are references to unfortunate consequences of the strict application of the law – not least (in a theme picked up by W.S. Gilbert in The Mikado where flirting became a capital offence) that executing all those found guilty of fornication would soon lead to a drastic reduction in the population.2
