This play is very interesting from the start. I'm very interested in the character of The Duke, however. Right from the beginning, The Duke is the first character we meet. Right off the bat The Duke is the first character to speak in this play. He starts by explaining that he is putting a new set of hands into power over the city of Vienna. He states that he is going to put Angelo in charge, with Escalus underneath him. He states that he can longer be in charge of the city of Vienna. "Since I am put to know that your own science exceeds, in that, the lists of all advice my strength can give you." The Duke is explaining that he can no longer give the city of Vienna what they need in the sense of being a ruler.
So far, I feel that the Duke is a weak character, obviously. Not only is he running away from his duties, but he was never a strong enough ruler to begin with. The Duke is clearly stating that he cannot be a ruler for the people of Vienna anymore because he is not strong enough. He states that he needs someone who will have a stronger control on the city; someone who can be a stricter ruler. He chooses Angelo because he feels that Angelo will rule with a strict fist.
Later on we find out that this is a test. He states that through all of this, we will see what happens to the "seemers". The "seemers" could either be Angelo, Escalus or the people of Vienna. I would like to read on and figure out more of the Duke.
2 comments:
I think the Duke is the strongest character. He is manipulating everyone else in the play which can be seen from the way he puts Angelo in charge instead of the obviously more reasonable Escalus, the way he has otherwise unknown information about certain characters (Angelo's former engagement,) the way none of his subjects know what he is doing or where he's gone, and the way he devises a plan to take Angelo down. He is the catalyst for this story; his actions bring on the actions of the other characters.
The Duke may seem like a weak character, but there is evidence in the play that point to the opposite. The Duke is controlling everything from behind the scenes without being noticed and while it seems like he is not in control, he is the character with the most influence on the outcome of this play. Following the pattern that the Duke has taken so far I would say that him stepping behind the scenes is just a way of making himself a more popular leader with the people. Once the people see how cruel Angelo is the Duke can step back into the scene, take over, and command respect from his people through kindness.
Post a Comment