Original: O faithless coward! O dishonest wretch!
Modern: You faithless coward! You lying, worthless person!

Original: Wilt thou be made a man out of my vice?
Modern: Will you become a real man by benefiting from my sin?

Original: Is’t not a kind of incest, to take life
Modern: Isn’t it like a twisted, unnatural act to gain your life

Original: From thine own sister’s shame? What should I think?
Modern: From your own sister’s disgrace? What am I supposed to believe?

Original: Heaven shield my mother play’d my father fair!
Modern: God forbid that my mother was unfaithful to my father!

Original: For such a warped slip of wilderness
Modern: Because such a twisted, wild child

Original: Ne’er issued from his blood. Take my defiance!
Modern: Never came from his bloodline. Here’s my challenge to you!

Original: Die, perish! Might but my bending down
Modern: Die! Perish! If I could save you just by bowing down

Original: Reprieve thee from thy fate, it should proceed:
Modern: And rescue you from your doom, I would let it happen:

Original: I’ll pray a thousand prayers for thy death,
Modern: I’ll pray a thousand times for your death,

Original: No word to save thee.
Modern: Not one word to save you.

In Act III, Scene i of “Measure for Measure,” the Duke, disguised as Friar Lodowick, continues his conversation with Claudio in prison. The Duke counsels Claudio to prepare for death, delivering a philosophical speech about the worthlessness of life and the inevitability of death. He tells Claudio that life is full of suffering and uncertainty, and that death should not be feared. Claudio initially accepts this counsel and declares himself ready to die rather than have his sister Isabella sacrifice her chastity to Angelo.

However, when Isabella arrives and recounts her second meeting with Angelo, the situation becomes more complex. She tells Claudio that Angelo has offered to spare his life in exchange for her virginity, but she has refused. Initially, Claudio supports his sister’s decision and maintains his resolve to die honorably. But as the conversation continues, Claudio’s fear of death begins to overwhelm his principles, and he starts to waver. He eventually pleads with Isabella to consider Angelo’s proposal, arguing that her sin would not be as great as it seems. Isabella reacts with fury at her brother’s suggestion, denouncing him before the disguised Duke intervenes to separate the siblings and propose an alternative plan.

Measure for Measure opens in Vienna, where Duke Vincentio announces he must leave the city on urgent business and appoints his deputy Angelo to govern in his absence, with the elder lord Escalus as Angelo’s advisor. The Duke actually remains in Vienna disguised as a friar to observe how Angelo will rule. Angelo immediately begins strictly enforcing long-neglected laws against sexual immorality, ordering the demolition of brothels and condemning Claudio to death for getting his betrothed Juliet pregnant before their official marriage ceremony.

Claudio’s sister Isabella, a novice nun, pleads with Angelo for her brother’s life. Angelo, struck by Isabella’s beauty and virtue, propositions her: he will spare Claudio’s life if she will sleep with him. Isabella refuses and tells her brother of Angelo’s corrupt bargain. When Claudio, desperate to live, begs Isabella to sacrifice her chastity for his life, she angrily rejects the idea. The disguised Duke, who has been counseling prisoners, overhears this conversation and devises a plan.

The Duke arranges for Mariana, Angelo’s former betrothed whom he abandoned when her dowry was lost, to take Isabella’s place in a secret nighttime encounter with Angelo - a “bed trick” that Angelo believes is with Isabella. Despite this fulfillment of the bargain, Angelo still orders Claudio’s execution. The Duke, still disguised, arranges for another prisoner’s head to be sent to Angelo instead of Claudio’s, saving Claudio’s life while letting Angelo believe his order was carried out.

In the final act, the Duke returns publicly to Vienna, and Isabella openly accuses Angelo of corruption before the Duke (not knowing he already knows everything). The Duke pretends to disbelieve her until he reveals his true identity and Angelo’s crimes. Angelo confesses and is sentenced to marry Mariana and then be executed, though Mariana and Isabella both plead for his life. The Duke pardons Angelo, reveals that Claudio is alive, and proposes marriage to Isabella, leaving her response ambiguous in the text.