Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, thought to have already been written in 1603 or 1604 performed by Sir John Gielgud and ensemble.Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, thought to have already been written in 1603 or 1604. It had been (and continues to be) categorized as comedy, but its mood defy those expectations. Because of this and for a variety of factors, some critics have labeled it as you of Shakespeare’s problem plays. Originally published in the First Folio of 1623 (where it was first called a comedy), the play’s 1st recorded performance was in 1604. The play deals with the problems of mercy, justice, and truth, and their relationship to pride and humility: ‘Some rise by sin, plus some by virtue fall’.