'Constant in any undertaking': Writing the Lipsian State in Measure for Measure

This chapter considers Measure for Measure as a response to De Constantia and Politica, the two major works of the Flemish neo-stoic philosopher and political theorist, Justus Lipsius and, by doing so, highlights that Duke Vincentio’s methods of exercising his authority are two-fold: he commends and seeks to inspire the virtue of constancy in his subjects (as recommended in De Constantia), whilst, at the same time, using questionable methods to strengthen his own political power (similar to the often underhand political pragmatism advocated in the Politica). The representation of such strategies is part of the play’s sustained interrogation of Lipsian statecraft and the effects of the tensions generated through the co-existence of the two principal tenets of constancy and governmental prudence.