In the first selection, David Sundelson focuses on the male characters' insecurity regarding their masculinity in Measure for Measure. Sundelson argues that in the play, there is the fear that loss of power can cause a man to lose his sexual identity. Ronald Huebert, in the second excerpt, looks at Shakespeare's definition of manliness in his plays in general and in Measure for Measure in particular. In the last essay, Linda Macfarlane argues that in the world of Measure for Measure, women are effectively powerless because the only power they supposedly possess—sexual—is defined and limited by men. Men, on the other hand, are seen to possess the power to govern, accumulate wealth, and set moral standards. Macfarlane suggests that this discussion of the nature of men and women is relevant to today's society.