Ephemeral has two definitions. 1. Lasting only one day. 2. Short-lived; transitory. Although included in the Comedy section of the First Folio, Measure for Measure has been called tragedy, tragicomedy, satire, and allegory by its critics. Scholars have argued that the play is a comedy only by the force of the contrived happy ending. Its theme, characters, and action are tragic, and only the manipulation of the Duke . . . bring the play to a happy conclusion. The eloquent poetic passages on the ephemerality of life and the fear of death's unknown realm are cited as indications of the tragic style.