Claudio is a young gentleman who appears in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. After Duke Vincentio of Vienna 'leaves' the city at the beginning of the play, he leaves his lieutenant, Angelo in charge.
A stern and moral man, Angelo introduces rigorous and severe new laws about moral conduct. Claudio, who is in love with Juliet, impregnates her, and, is accordingly imprisoned and sentenced to death for his crime.
Having been condemned to death by the rigid legal system, Claudio, who is Isabella's brother, reveals his weakness in a vivid speech, in which he recognizes that his fear of death is stronger than his sense of family honour.