# Duke Vincentio — Measure for Measure character guide > Duke Vincentio in Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Duke, Duke Escalus, Duke Not Isabel, Duke O, Duke Sirrah, Duke Virtue, Duke Son, Duke Sir, Duke Wise, Duke Silence, Duke Love, Friar Lodowick, Lodowick **First appearance:** 0001-act-i ## Snapshot Vienna's Duke, who hands his authority to a stricter man and slips back into the city disguised as a friar to watch what happens. ## Who they are He opens the play by appointing Angelo deputy and quietly vanishing, telling Escalus he loves the people but cannot stomach their loud applause. That taste for watching rather than being watched defines him: he would rather test his subjects in secret than govern them in the open. His disguise lets him move through prisons and convents, hearing confessions and steering outcomes, so the play's moral experiments run through his hands even when he claims to have stepped aside. ## Relationships ### [Lucio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/lucio) _rivalry_ Lucio slanders the Duke throughout the play, leading to a final confrontation where the Duke publicly humiliates and punishes him. ### [Lord Angelo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/lord_angelo) _psychological_ The Duke manipulates Angelo, testing his hypocrisy and orchestrating his downfall as a moral lesson. ### [Isabella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/isabella) _romantic_ The Duke proposes marriage to Isabella at the end, though her response is ambiguous, suggesting a one-sided romantic interest. ### [Provost](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/provost) _professional_ The Duke relies on the Provost as a loyal subordinate and confidant in his secret scheme to restore order. ### [Pompey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/pompey) _professional_ The Duke, disguised as a friar, interacts with Pompey as a lowlife informant and subject of justice. ### [Mariana](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/mariana) _psychological_ The Duke manipulates Mariana, using her as a pawn to expose Angelo's treachery and secure her marriage. ### [Friar Peter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/friar_peter) _professional_ The Duke uses Friar Peter as a co-conspirator in his disguise and plan to reveal the truth. ### [Elbow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/elbow) _social_ The Duke, as a friar, encounters the bumbling constable Elbow in the streets, a minor comedic interaction. ### [Abhorson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/abhorson) _professional_ Abhorson, the executioner, interacts with the disguised Duke regarding the logistics of executions. ### [Lucio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/lucio) _rivalry_ Lucio slanders the Duke throughout the play, leading to a final confrontation where the Duke publicly humiliates and punishes him. ### [Friar Peter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/friar_peter) _professional_ The Duke uses Friar Peter as a co-conspirator in his disguise and plan to reveal the truth. ### [Lord Angelo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/lord_angelo) _psychological_ The Duke manipulates Angelo, testing his hypocrisy and orchestrating his downfall as a moral lesson. ## In the story ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-i-scene-i) Appoints Angelo as his deputy and prepares to leave Vienna. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iii) Explains his motives for appointing Angelo and his plan to disguise as a friar. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iii) Disguised as a friar, he visits the prison to minister to the afflicted and counsels Juliet on repentance. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i) Disguised as a friar, counsels Claudio to accept death, overhears the conversation with Isabella, and later proposes the bed-trick with Mariana. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii) Disguised as a friar, the Duke engages in conversation with Lucio, defends his own reputation, and later learns of Claudio's situation. He devises a plan to use Mariana to expose Angelo's hypocrisy. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-i) The Duke, disguised as a friar, orchestrates the meeting between Mariana and Isabella and encourages the bed-trick. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-ii) Disguised as a friar, he persuades the Provost to substitute Barnardine's head for Claudio's and reveals Angelo's hypocrisy. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii) Disguised as a friar, he orchestrates the head substitution and instructs Isabella to accuse Angelo. ### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-v) Appears in his own habit, gives letters and instructions to Friar Peter, greets Varrius. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/chapters/act-v-scene-i) Returns to Vienna in his own guise, presides over the public hearing, feigns disbelief at Isabella's accusations, and orchestrates the revelation of Angelo's guilt. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters/duke_vincentio - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/measure_for_measure_se/characters