William Shakespeare 's Measure For Measure Essay

As Antonio is forced to develop into a more independent and well-informed young man, he must come to terms with the harsh realities in the outside world from which he was shielded during his early childhood. He encounters the truth behind what happens at Rosie’s—while he has always been told that Rosie is “evil, not evil like a witch, but evil in other ways” (34), he does not learn of the nature of that “evil”—and that his brother is partaking in it (165); Antonio even begins to have dreams that are far more “intense” than any he has previously experienced (70). Antonio must also confront the reality of the hardships of loss, as the people around him with whom he is acquainted—and even those he loves—die at the hands of others. This is particularly important in Antonio’s exploration of religion, as he begins to question why an all-powerful God would allow his loved ones to die, and why such a deity would not sentence those who killed them to hell (186). Antonio’s loss of innocence is finally and forcefully demonstrated at the end of the novel, when he speaks to his mother “as a man,” commanding her to take the younger (and still “innocent”) children inside (269). This is doubly important, as it demonstrates not only that Antonio has lost enough of his innocence to be speaking “as a man,” but also that he recognizes innocence in others and strives to protect them from what he has

Claudio's sister Isabella is dragged out of the convent to plead for him, on the assumption that her superior virtue might move Angelo's heart to pardon her brother. Does it? No. Rather, it pierces right through Angelo's cold Puritanism and sets his heart and other bits on fire. We see through this carefully controlled man into the roaring pit that he has tried so hard to conceal. He falls a victim to the very passion he is prosecuting in Claudio; in doing so, he comes to represent the conflict between good and evil in Vienna as he struggles with the knowledge that he cannot control his own desires.

Her honor is disgraced for her “actions” and Claudio will no longer accept her as his wife because of the dishonor she has caused him.

            Hero does not get a chance to mull over the idea of Claudio as a husband.  Even the audience knows little about her going into the now famous “shaming scene.”  Details about Hero’s virtues and personality are purposely left out, partially to satisfy the dominant male perspective in the play, but also to give more clout to the heinous claim that Claudio makes during the wedding.  The reactions of Hero’s father and others indicate that a woman’s virtues are only as good as a man says they are.

The most pivotal scene in the play (act 4 scene 1) is between the marriage of Leonato's daughter Hero to Claudio. In this scene the blush of Hero after being said to have slept with another man is set too signify “guiltiness not of modesty” to Claudio. However the Friar of the town believes that Hero's blush is that of her “innocence and virtue.”

Angelo's retribution for his sins is amendment to his previous wife. While this is not amenable to his wishes, it is a very humane gesture on the part of the Duke. This can be argued as not actually repayment for his sins. In a metaphysical sense, Isabella paid for his sins, by standing up for his life. This is irony in the extreme on the part of Shakespeare: let not the sinner repay his sins but his victim repay them. This also bears a certain resemblance to the grace that Christ provided. The fact that Isabella is a nun in training, and that she provides Angelo's salvation is a very similar analog.

     Within Measure for Measure the character of Isabella is characterized as an innocent pure female, and there is a focus on her ever-present moral dilemma. By using Elizabethan perspectives on women, nuns, and chastity, Shakespeare uses Isabella to reveal character traits and morality of those around her.  However in opposition Isabella made be seen as an individual who pontificates too much when her brother’s life is at stake, it is perhaps easier for Isabella to suffer the condemnation of a modern audience.

Comparing the characters of Angelo and Isabella, one could argue that Isabella is ‘the symbol of goodness and mercy set against a background of moral decay’. Alternatively, one could see her character as self-righteous and hypocritical, as we later discover when she values her chastity higher than her brother’s life.

Throughout “Measure for Measure” by Shakespeare, he utilizes the dialog of Isabella to cast her character as extremely pure and ignorant. After Angelo attempts to convince Isabella to trade her body to release Claudio for his crimes, she replies that she would rather “give [her] body] than [her] soul.” This piece of dialog is purposefully included by Shakespeare to illustrate Isabella’s ignorance and purity; Angelo clearly and bluntly states his intentions only for Isabella to entirely miss the point. This showcases her innocence as something like this would be understood in a sexual manner by normal folk, but because she is a nun in training, she lacks the knowledge of these sexual subjects to grasp Angelo’s intentions. Additionally, this

Just as Angelo is not a typical hero, the Duke does not obviously appear the villain of the play, yet he is certainly cunning. Although his motivation for promoting Angelo over Escalus is not clear initially, the Duke creates the scenario to test Angelo, and to use him to improve morality in Vienna. The Duke may set up Angelo to fall because he knows Angelo broke his marriage contract with Mariana, as indicated in his soliloquy of lines 261-82 in act III scene ii, and by Mariana's familiarity with him: "Here comes a man of comfort, whose advice/Hath often still'd my brawling discontent" (9-10, IV.i). In disguising himself as a friar, the Duke gains access to private information, as characters speak uninhibitedly in their confessions and opinions of the Duke. For example, Lucio slanders the Duke to the "friar," calling him "A very superficial, ignorant, unweighing fellow" (139-40, III.ii). Furthermore, to resolve Isabella's predicament, the Duke initiates "the bed trick" (Ken Tompkins, Shakespeare class), binding Angelo simultaneously to his contract with Mariana, and his promise to free Claudio. This may be dramatic convenience for Shakespeare, but it could also be evidence that the Duke has manipulated all of these characters in a plot against Angelo. The consistency of the Duke's scheming nature is further established when he tests

A literary critic of Hamlet, Patrick Cruttwell, explores in his writing titled The morality of Hamlet- ‘Sweet Prince or ‘Arrant Knave’? the purpose of religion during Elizabethan times to set moral value sets that often conflicted with man’s nature. Additionally, Cruttwell states the actions in the play aggressively clash with the religious values of the time period. Shakespeare illustrates throughout the play that not abiding by the only moral structure of the time period, religion, man is doomed to self destruction by giving into his chaotic Dionysian nature.

In any given society power and greed are often noted as societal factors that tend to exist together such that one of them influences the other. In William Shakespeare 's play, "Measure for Measure" the two concepts have been clearly depicted through Lord Angelo and the Duke 's action of using their power to win the love of Claudio 's sister, Isabella. Based on the theme of this play, one can argue that leaders sometimes use their power to influence the lives of others or control a particular agenda. It is represented through Lord Angelo who uses his manipulative nature for personal gratification with Isabella, revealing the positive and negative characteristics of his character and exposing the truth of human nature. The paper discusses the concept of authority and greed to understand how people in authority use their power to fulfill their personal desires by taking advantage of their position or authority.

First of all, there are many problems presented in the scene (IV.i) in which the Duke and Isabella first approach Mariana with their proposition.  The Duke and Isabella walk in on Mariana while she is listening to a love song. When she sees that guests have arrived, she stops the song and says: "Here comes a man of comfort, whose advice/ Hath often still'd my brawling discontent" (IV.i.8-9).  This line appears odd because it sounds almost as if Mariana knows the Duke as an acquaintance, which should not be possible because the Duke is in disguise.  Furthermore, when the Duke asks Mariana to allow him to speak with Isabella in private, Mariana says: "I am always bound to you" (IV.i.25) which again sounds as if she is speaking to someone she is familiar with.  Again, this is odd.  Perhaps it serves to prove that the play was hastily written, or perhaps it serves to prove that Mariana recognizes the Duke, or that she is mistaking him for another person she knows.  The scene, however, continues to present itself with unusual aspects.  The Duke gives a brief soliloquy while Isabella is speaking with Mariana, trying to convince Mariana to participate in their deception of Angelo:

Angelo’s soliloquies (2.2.161-186; 2.4.1-30) express themes of the tragicomic form, grace and nature, development of self-knowledge, justice and mercy, and creation and death as aspects of Angelo’s character.

Of course, Angelo does not realize the futility of the step which he is taking because he thinks that, merely by banning prostitution, he would be able to put an end to this evil. Pimping and prostitution are evils which can never be eradicated through legislation, just as the evil of alcoholism and drug-taking cannot be ended by means of legislation. Evidently, Angelo believes in employing drastic methods to eradicate evil. His belief in drastic methods of reform is particularly seen in his sentencing Claudio to death on a charge of fornication. Now, there is no doubt at all that Claudio is guilty of a serious moral lapse in having made a girl pregnant without having first married her. But there are certain extenuating circumstances in Claudio’s case; and Angelo errs in not taking into consideration those extenuating circumstances. Angelo has revived certain laws which had remained in disuse for several years, and he now proceeds to apply those laws in their full rigour. In other words, he takes a literal and legalistic attitude towards the law (Marsh 141). He does not realize that the sentence of death against a fornicator is too severe and that the law, which he has revived, needs to be amended. He blindly applies the law to Claudio’s case, thus showing a lack of realism. He is here undoubtedly