Politics and Justice in Measure for Measure.

Political readers of Shakespeare often turn to the Tempest as a means of judging Shakespeare's view of the relation between theoretical knowledge and political authority. Both David Lowenthal and Paul Cantor, for example, turn to the character of Prospero as a test-case for understanding the relation between philosophy and politics. Although it receives less attention, Shakespeare's Measure for Measure focuses on the same theme. Considering the two plays together, as Shakespeare apparently did, provides more robust evidence of the author's view of the promise and limitations of guiding political life by theoretical wisdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]