It seems rare in a Shakespearean work to find a female character with whom women of this new millennium can identify. Modern women are expected to be strong, independent, educated and intelligent and in control of their own destiny. Women are also considered on equal footing with their male counterparts when it comes to abilities, privileges and rights. While these ideals may not be entirely realistic in the real world, in general these are the ways a 21st century woman is perceived. During the time Shakespeare was writing, the abilities and roles expected of women were very different. For women in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, there are extremely limited roles that women can play and they all center on sexuality and sexual service to men. A woman is chaste or unchaste, a wife or a whore, and there is very little difference between the two. A wife is subservient and dependent on her husband for her care and well-being. A prostitute relies on a man's lewd appetites and good will to survive. Even a virginal maid lasts only long enough to secure a respectable marriage or fall into the disreputable world of prostitution. As a nun, promised to God and without a male figure to direct her life, Isabella exists outside the narrow confines of society and creates conflict for the play's male characters. In Act 2, Scene 2, Isabella demonstrates how independent and strong she is, and the reader can see how her failure to fit neatly into one of Angelo's expected feminine categories creates problems for him. This scene demonstrates how Isabella clearly is comfortable and confident in herself and how uncomfortable Angelo is with her. Isabella is in the final stage of becoming... halfway... or with explicit tendencies. The world of Measure for Measure is just not ready for a woman with Isabella's personality and temperament. The male characters she comes into contact with are unsure of her, trying to dominate her and undermine her ability to control her own life. It creates the discomfort and conflict that one might expect in a real society given similar circumstances. Nowhere is this demonstrated more than in the scene where Isabella confronts Angelo about her brother's sentence. Shakespeare clearly demonstrates his strength, confidence, and independence and reveals Angelo's insecurities and inability to accept Isabella outside of his narrow worldview. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. "Measure for measure." The Norton Shakespeare.Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. 2029-2086. Measure for measure. Videotape. D