I guess it all depends on who is doing the judging.
The Duke has allowed Vienna to get out of hand, at least at least morally speaking. The red light district is wide open. Question, can morality be legislated? We try but is it a legal matter or one for each person and their belief system? By putting Angelo in charge, the Duke attempts to right the perceived wrongs in his society. Of course, Angelo when given the power, misuses it.
It is really clever how Angelo gets caught in the bed trick. He was so quick to punish Claudio for premarital sex when he, himself, lusts after Isabella. By being forced to marry Mariana, an ironic sense of justice is the result.
The release of Claudio is just since he was only guilty of doing what had become accepted practice in Vienna. All along he had intended on marrying Juliet.
If prostitution is a crime, it could be said that the imprisonment of Mistress Overdone is justice.
Lucio is another example of ironic justice. He doesn't know when to shut up and being forced to marry a prostitute is a kind of justice for this strutting popinjay.
The open ending leaves the decision in the hands of the reader or production company. Do the Duke and Isabella get married? Does Isabella return to take her final vows? Does the Duke learn his lesson and become a better leader? Shakespeare doesn't tell us.
What is justice depends on many factors and changes from culture to culture. What is legal and acceptable in one may not be in another. This is also true depending on when in history we are talking about. We still struggle today with morality and legality.
Not completely, or at least, not by modern standards.
Mistress Overdone might; prostitution is still considered a crime, and she is jailed for it.
Isabella's virtue is rewarded.
Vincentio mostly gets his reward for being a nobleman, though you might argue that his quest for good government deserves something.
Angelo gets far too light a punishment; he deserves harsher for his abuse of power.
Lucio mostly sins by accident; his punishment seems overly harsh.
See eNotes Ad-Free
Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
Already a member? Log in here.