Justice and mercy play pivotal roles in Measure for Mea sure. Justice is defined by most critics as an objective adherence to the letter of the law and in fact, Joel Levin uses the term "law" in place of the term "justice." Mercy, on the other hand, is described as a charitable and tolerant interpretation of the law. Levin uses the term "equity" in close conjunction with the term "mercy"_; both he and Wilbur Dunkel point out that the Duke, as the representative of mercy in the play, and Angelo, as the standard-bearer for justice, each prove inadequate to solving the problems of the conupt Viennese society. Dunkel an Levin contend that the answer lies in combining justice with mercy; additionally, they suggest that this solution occurs at the close of the play when the Duke "both condemn[s] and allow[s] a wrong" by sentencing and...