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Analyze the Character of Angelo on Measure for Measure by Shakespeare
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Constructed upon the model of the ‘tale of the unjust judge’, Measure for Measure presents us with an ambiance which is scarcely typical of Shakespearean comedy. The play is soaked through and through with libidinal urge, sexual appetite, abuse of authority and real threat of dishonour and death, and the characters are not at all light-hearted about life as they usually are in Shakespearean comedy. Prison houses, brothels, judgement chambers and rather uncomfortably enclosed and dark places are the locations where much of the action takes place.
Treatment of sex is what sets apart Measure for Measure from other Shakespearean comedies. Sex in Shakespeare is usually the source of enjoyment and happiness. However, in Measure for Measure, which in terms of genre belongs to the so-called dark/bitter comedies or problem plays, sex is the gloomy source of death. Jokes about sex are dismal and include allusions to venereal diseases such as syphilis. Only two of Shakespeare’s 38 surviving plays contain scenes in brothels. This is one of them, the other is Pericles.
Claudio is arrested because there is a law against fornication in Vienna and Angelo, who is in charge of the city, wants to purge the city of sexual offences with the aid of “strict statutes and most biting laws” (I.III.789) . Claudio confesses his guilt, although he stresses that "upon a true contract / I got possession of Julietta's bed .” When asked by his friend Lucio why he is being taken to prison, i.e. “whence comes this restraint?” (I.ii.116), he answers “From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty” (I.ii.117).
The voice of the text presents a view on sexuality and sexual desire through Claudio's brief but nevertheless sharp remark when he is conveyed to prison:
Our ...
... middle of paper ...
...at temptation that doth goad us on
To sin in loving virtue. Never could the strumpet,
With all her double vigour, art and nature,
Once stir my temper; but this virtuous maid
Subdues me quite. Ever till now,
When men were fond, I smil'd and wond'red how. Exit
(II. ii. 177-192, my italics)
Works Cited
Benson, Sean., If I do prove her haggard: Shakespeare's Application of Hawking Tropes to Marriage in Studies in Philology; Spring 2006, Vol. 103 Issue 2
Dobson, Michael., ed., The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, (Oxford University Press 2001)
Leggatt, Alexander., ed., The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Comedy, (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, The Shakespeare Head Press, Oxford Edition, Wordsworth Editions, 1996
Wells, Stanley., ed. William Shakespeare, The Complete Works (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988)
Schlegel, August Wilhelm. Criticism on Shakespeare s Tragedies . A Course of Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature. London: AMS Press, Inc., 1965.
Warren, Roger. Shakespeare Survey 30. N.p.: n.p., 1977. Pp. 177-78. Rpt. in Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism. Stanley Wells, ed. England: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Warren, Roger. Shakespeare Survey 30. N.p.: n.p., 1977. Pp. 177-78. Rpt. in Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism. Stanley Wells, ed. England: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Shakespeare, William, Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Andrew Gurr. The Norton Shakespeare. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.
Clark, W.G., and W. Aldis Wirhgt, eds. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol 2. USA: Nd. 2 vols.
Dutton, R., & Howard, J.E. (2003). A Companion to Shakespeare’s Works.(p. 9) Maiden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
"O cunning enemy that, to catch a saint, with saints dost bait thy hook." A disturbing tale of suspense, dark comedy and corruption, Shakespeare's Measure for Measure explores sexuality, morality and the law, exposing the abuse of authority in high places amid the seething underworld of Vienna. This essay will explore Isabella’s moral dilemma.
Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday
Mehl, Dieter. Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Introduction. Cambridge, New York, New Rochelle, Melbourne, Sydney: Cambridge U, 1986.
Bevington, David, ed. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. 4th ed. New York: Longman-Addison Wesley Longman, 1997.
Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1
Although Shakespeare’s plays are generally categorized according to their adherence to the formulaic definitions of histories, romances, comedies, or tragedies, there are several plays that complicate the task of fitting neatly into these groupings. Many literary critics, in fact, have singled out a handful of plays and labeled them ‘Problem Plays’ because they do not fall easily into any of the four categories, though they do loosely adhere to the predicated ‘formula’ of the genre under which they appear in the Folios. Although The Winter’s Tale is not generally considered a problem play, it certainly contains elements that greatly complicate our understanding of the term ‘comedy’ and make it difficult to accept the play as such. In this work, Shakespeare’ s comic vision is so darkened by tragic events that it is questionable whether the play is ever able to recover sufficiently to make the comedic ending acceptable. Although The Winter's Tale is considered a comedy in the formal sense (complete with the marriage at the end), it must also be seen as a serious response to tragedy in that it not only engages various tragic elements, but it also uses those elements to highlight the contradictory and unbelievable nature of its comedic ending. Through the odd construction of the play, the great dramatic risks taken, and the paradoxical conclusion of The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare creates a complex work that seems to suggest that categories like ‘comedy’ are largely ambiguous terms when the predicated comedic ending is so darkened by tragic events that the play does not have the time nor the strength to recover.
The plot centers around the fate of Claudio, who is arrested by Lord Angelo, the temporary leader of Vienna. Angelo is left in charge by the Duke, who pretends to leave town but instead dresses as a friar to observe the goings-on in his absence. Angelo is strict, moralistic, and unwavering in his decision-making; he decides that there is too much freedom in Vienna and takes it upon himself to rid the city of brothels and unlawful sexual activity. Laws against these behaviors and institutions already exist, and Angelo simply decides to enforce them more strictly. Claudio is arrested for impregnating Juliet, his lover, before they were married. Although they were engaged and their sexual intercourse was consensual, Claudio is sentenced to death in order to serve as an example to the other Viennese citizens.
Shakespeare, William. “Macbeth.” The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Longman, 1997
Scott, Mark W. Shakespearean Criticism: Volume 8, Excerpts from the Criticism of William Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry, from the First Published Appraisals to Current Evaluations. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1987. Print.