The character of the Duke is portrayed by Shakespeare as a very complex, hypocritical and contradictory character. To many critics, he is conveyed as a Machiavellian Prince, using others for his own political ends, and to some critics, a God-like figure, testing the pathology of power in Vienna. Despite these two polar opposites the character is nethertheless a character of ambivalence. Contradiction is one of the main themes of the play, as is appearance versus …showed first 75 words of 1511 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1511 total…confusion before finally ending the play by regenerating the society where Friar Lodowick saw 'corruption boil and bubble/ till it o'errun the stew'. The Duke provides one of the most important parts in that his character shows the difference between, and necessity of, justice tempered by mercy. Shakespeare manages to create the many guises of the Duke by changing his registers, discourse and vocabulary choices skilfully, so that each of the personas is perfectly plausible.