Measure for Measure | Act 4, Scene 5 | Summary

Summary

The Duke has arrived at the fields outside Vienna and has abandoned his friar disguise. He now meets with Friar Peter (an actual friar, not another disguised nobleman) and asks him to inform certain friends—or perhaps simply courtiers—of his whereabouts. Varrius, a friend of the Duke who has already received a summons, arrives and is greeted warmly.

Analysis

This short scene continues to develop the Duke's plot against Angelo. It is, in essence, a "Warning: Climax Approaching" sign. The Duke is out of his disguise and ready to re-enter the city in grand style, so a confrontation with the faithless Angelo cannot be far off. Friar Peter makes only brief appearances until Act 5, but there he will be essential in stage-managing the Duke's showy trial of Angelo.

The other characters mentioned here—Flavius, Valencius, Rowland, and Crassus—are never seen onstage or even spoken of outside this scene. Varrius, a silent well-wisher of the Duke, is likewise unimportant to the larger plot, although he reappears in the stage directions for Act 5.