The Bed Trick in Measure for Measure
Critics have referred to the concept of Mariana taking Isabella's place in Angelo's bed "the bed trick." This plan of the Duke's, which is supposed to save Isabella, Claudio, and Mariana, appears to be almost corrupt and shameful, and is one of the reasons scholars consider Measure for Measure a problem play. What exactly is going on here with all of these characters? It seems almost uncharacteristic of the sweet, naïve, virginal Isabella to condone another performing such an act in her place. Isabella is, in a sense, asking Mariana to perform the very act which she has not only been avoiding, but that she is disgusted by. The fact that Isabella would accept the Duke's plan without question, which she does, has caused critics to question how saintly she actually is. The Duke has also been criticized for conducting and carrying out his plan. After all, he is the Duke, and he could have stopped Angelo and saved Mariana from having to sacrifice herself if he would have simply removed his disguise. It seems to be odd that a character the audience is expected to revere would not try to solve this problem by a more respectable, and much more simple, solution. Mariana has also been criticized for accepting her part in the action, because she is the character who commits the sin. Hence, the deception presented by these three "good" characters in the play is almost as corrupt as Angelo's deception. Why would Shakespeare do this? It appears that perhaps Shakespeare wanted to make all of his characters appear human. Angelo depicts a "holier-than-thou" persona and eventually falls because of it, Isabella is portrayed as a saintly virgin but here the audience sees she is also falli...
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This forenamed maid hath yet in her the continuance of her first affection. His unjust unkindness, that in all reason should have quenched her love, hath, like an impediment in the current, made it more violent and unruly. Go you to Angelo; answer his requiring with a plausible obedience; agree with his demands to the point; only refer yourself to this advantage, first, that your stay with him may not be long; that the time may have all shadow and sicken in it and the place answer to convenience. This being granted in course-and now follows all-we shall advise this wronged maid to stead up your appointment, go in your place. If the encounter acknowledge itself hereafter, it may compel him to her recompense; and here, ,by this, is your brother saved, your honor untainted, the poor Mariana advantaged, and the corrupt deputy scaled. [III.iii.265-293].
How does Alan Bennett reveal Doris’ character, life and attitude in the dramatic monologue “a cream cracker under the settee”?
Alan Bennett's A Cream Cracker Under The Settee Alan Bennett's purpose in writing "A Cream Cracker Under The Settee" is to highlight the problems old people face. He points out that obsession with hygiene can be destructive "I never should have tried to dust." Everytime the old lady cleans she gets into trouble. He criticises society for neglecting the old "Home help. Home hindrance."
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
Racial discrimination, although not the main focus of To Kill a Mockingbird, plays a large role throughout the novel. Many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird are affected by racial discrimination, whether they are the cause or not. Throughout the novel, three characters stand out as being affected by racial discrimination the most. These characters are Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson.
The sincerity of Claudio's love is thrown into question by the fact that his 'soft and delicate desires,/ All prompting him how fair young Hero is, are not confessed until he has ascertained that she will bring her husband a fortune.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Angelo's job is to take over in government while the Duke investigates his own character and those of others disguised as a friar. Whilst Angelo is in power, his will, ironically is in direct conflict with the law he is trying to uphold. He propositions chaste Isabella to engage in sexual activity in exchange for the life of her brother who is to be executed because of his sexual indiscretions. It can be perhaps seen that Angelo is not an inherently evil character, that he feel from ...
Rasna Atwal Writing 39B Kirsty Singer The Big Sleep The Big Sleep is a novel set in the 1920s in which Marlowe, the main character, was originally hired to deal with a blackmailing issue with General Sternwood’s daughter but this private investigation then turns into a bigger search as Marlowe finds out more and more. The novel emphasizes the society and the type of people that made up the world during this time period and how they interacted with each other and those around them. Detectives were common during this time due to the lack of trust in the people set to run the society (police, etc).
This passage emphasizes the major theme of the play, justice. The whole passage is about Isabella trying to create justice. Angelo did something wrong, and therefore should be punished for it.
...any disorders related to sleep. Three types of sleep related disorders are Insomnia, Narcolepsy, and sleep-walking. All three can be dangerous, depending on the severity. All three are related to the amount of sleep an individual receives and what happens while they are asleep.
It seems rare in a Shakespearean play to find a female character to whom women in this new millennium can relate. Modern women are expected to be strong, independent, educated and intelligent, and in control of their own destinies. Women are also considered to be on equal footing with their male counterparts in regards to abilities, privileges, and rights. Although these ideals may not be completely realistic in the real world, in general, these are the ways in which a twenty-first century woman is perceived. In the time period Shakespeare was writing in the abilities and roles expected of women were very different. For women in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, there are extremely limited roles women can fulfill and all of them centre around sexuality and serving men sexually. A woman is either chaste or unchaste, a wife or a whore, and there is very little differentiating the two. A wife is subservient to, and dependent upon, her husband for her care and well-being. A prostitute relies on a man's lascivious appetites and good will to survive. Even a virginal maid is only so long enough to secure a respectable marriage or to fall into the disreputable world of prostitution. As a nun, promised to God, and with no male figure directing her life, Isabella exists outside society's narrow boundaries and creates conflict for the male characters of the play. In act 2 scene 2 Isabella demonstrates just how independent and strong she is and the reader can see how her failure to fall neatly into one of Angelo's expected categories for women creates problems for him. This scene demonstrates how clearly comfortable and confident Isabella is in herself and how uncomfortable Angelo is with her.
Throughout the presentations, I made a connection with Poncio Vicario at the wedding party. Page 44 in the work describes the old man at the party. “Really, the most intense image that I have always held of that unwelcome Sunday was that of old Poncio Vicario sitting alone of a stool in the center of the yard. They had placed him there thinking perhaps that it was the seat of honor.” When a daughter of a family gets married, the father feels happiness and joy. Contradictory to that, Poncio Vicario is described on the lines of being blind and powerless man, deprived of control and influence.
Complications also arose when viola fell in love with her master, duke orsino, while at the same time had the love interest of orsino, the countess Olivia, trying to woo her. This placed viola in an extremely difficult and complex situation on one hand, she loved the duke and would have liked to do all she could to win his heart. But because she was his servant, she was obliged to serve him and help him win the hand of Olivia. What was a poor girl to do ?
In the play, Claudio has been sentenced to death for getting his fiancee pregnant (his crime was not so much getting her pregnant, but having sex with her at all). Claudio's sister, Isabella, who is in the process of joining a nunnery, feels that Claudio has done wrong, has sinned and committed a crime, but she feels that the sentence--death--is too strict. So, she goes to the ruler of the city, Angelo, to plead for her brother's life. The previously virtuous Angelo falls into lust with Isabella, and he propositions her to save her brother by having sex with him (Angelo). Now, remember that Isabella is in the process of becoming a nun. She, of course, rejects this propos...
The play begins with the Duke manipulating Angelo to “weed” the vice of the people (3.2.258), and to see “what our seemers be” (1.3.58). The Duke has reason to believe that Angelo will strictly enforce laws that the Duke had neglected to enforce (1.3.50-53). We have already seen how Angelo manipulates Isabella. The Duke’s manipulation, he believes, will bring order to his people without him personally having to be perceived a tyrant, “And yet my nature never in the fight / To do it slander” (1.3.42-43). Angelo, too, has taken pride in maintaining a particular reputation. The Duke’s great concern about being slandered suggests he has a less than complete bosom, showing a lack of self-knowledge—another feature shared by Angelo.