How Measure for Measure drew on The Gospels
A documented line of influence: William Shakespeare demonstrably engaged Matthew’s work. The commentary below is Gröblé’s, verbatim from each work’s page.
The source
The Gospels
Matthew · c. 85
BibleThe influenced
Measure for Measure
William Shakespeare · c. 1604
ShakespeareRelevance
7/10
On Measure for Measure’s page
- The title is lifted whole from Matthew 7: "with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again"
- That verse is also the argument — every judge in the play is finally judged by the standard he set
- Knowing the Sermon on the Mount behind the title turns the play into a test case for Christ's words on judgment and mercy
On The Gospels’s page
- The title is a direct quotation: "with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matthew 7)
- That single verse from the Sermon on the Mount becomes the play's whole engine — judge others, and be judged by the same standard
- Measure for Measure is the Gospel's warning about judgment dramatized as a plot