- Fair and impartial: Shakespeare uses "just" to describe people who are fair and impartial, such as judges or the law. For example, in "Measure for Measure," the Duke says, "I have seen corruption boil and bubble / Till it o'errun the stew; laws for all faults, / But faults so countenanced, that the strong statutes / Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop, / As much in mock as mark." Here, the Duke is criticizing the corruption of the law, saying that powerful people are able to escape punishment while the weak are punished severely.
- Upright and honest: Shakespeare also uses "just" to describe people who are morally upright and honest, such as those who do not lie or cheat. For example, in "Much Ado About Nothing," Beatrice says, "I know you have some love in you, Don Pedro, and my uncle's love might entice you to do something contrary to your native disposition; but if you have any pity in you, let it be known." Here, Beatrice is asking Don Pedro to be honest and not to allow his love for Claudio to influence him to do something unfair.
- Reasonable or lawful: Shakespeare sometimes uses "just" to mean reasonable or lawful, as in "Julius Caesar," when Brutus says, "But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar; / I found it in his closet, 'tis his will: / Let but the commons hear this testament / (Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read), / And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds / And dip their napkins in his sacred blood, / Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, / And, dying, mention it within their wills, / Bequeathing it as a rich legacy / Unto their issue." Here, Brutus is explaining that Caesar's will is just because it was written by Caesar himself and it is therefore legal.