This essay explores parallels between Shakespeare's Vienna and Corinth as it appears in Paul's letters. First Corinthians presents marriage as the solution for sexual license, a remedy the Duke also employs. Furthermore, the license of both cities seems to result from uncertainty about whether the law is still in effect. Shakespeare presents rival theories of the law through the Duke and Angelo. The Duke's approach of suspending the law, while merciful, tolerates the presence of unreformed elements in the city. The play's vision of society, while anti-puritan, is also indebted to Paul's letters to the church at Corinth.
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