While reading the first three acts of Measure for Measure what really jumped out at me was the character of Isabella. I found her to be a very intriguing and interesting character for many reasons. What really stood out to me was Isabella's blatant refusal of Angelo’s “suggestion”, which ultimately condemned her brother to death for a second time in this play. This refusal really got me wondering about to what extent was Isabella’s decision completely justified?
I think the question of whether or not Isabella’s decision is justified is quite a complicated question and I’m not sure I’ve figured it out for myself yet. The thought came across my mind at first, that maybe Isabella doesn’t really care so much for Claudio and that she (being a virtuous follower of god) thinks he deserves this punishment for this “sin”. But then I remembered that Isabella tries very hard to persuade Angelo to spare her brother, she says, “If he had been as you and you as he, / You would have slipped like him, but he, like you, / Would not have been so stern” (2.2 : 66-68). Here we see an example of Isabella trying to persuade Angelo by saying that if he committed the same offense, Claudio, if put in Angelo’s position, would have been merciful. Isabella’s constant plea for mercy for her brother is evidence that she indeed cares for her brother, but yet will not give “herself” to Angelo to save him. Isabella is so against giving her body to Angelo that she also says she would rather die instead of “… yield/ My body up to shame” (2.4: 103-104). Here is where I came to the realization that it wasn’t really a question of if Isabella cared for her brother, because she obviously does care for him to offer to die for him, but it’s the question of if Isabella cares about herself more. I think that by refusing to sleep with Angelo it is Isabella’s way of protecting her eternal soul. Isabella even says, “Better it were a brother died at once/ Than that a sister, by redeeming him, Should die for ever” (2.4 106-109). Here I think Isabella is placing a higher value on herself, or maybe just her eternal soul, than that of her brother’s life. So I guess based on this it comes down to the fact that Isabella is protecting her “soul” from eternal damnation, and I’m not sure if I can argue against this being wrong or selfish…especially considering the time period during which this takes place. I can see that in Isabella’s eyes a damned eternal soul is a fate worse than death so I therefore see her decision not to sleep with Angelo as somewhat justifiable. Finally, by contemplating the justification of Isabella’s decision it led me to think about whether or not her decision would have been different if this play was set during present day, where pre-marital sex is rampant if not the “norm”, and whether or not the setting/time period of the play is what solely allowed me to somewhat claim that her actions were justifiable?
4 comments:
Kim you make great points and I was thinking the same thing! At first I too was wondering why Isabella did not even give thought to sleeping with Angelo to save her brother. I thought she was too quick to reject Angelo's offer. Not that I'm saying she should have accepted his offer either, I'm just saying her quick no reaction was surprising. My first thought was that she thought Angelo was gross and that she was being selfish. I mean her one action could be saving the lives of three other people. Then I thought about the situation some more. When reading this act we do have to remember that Isabella is going to become a nun. This obviously means she takes her religion, virginity and reputation seriously and would avoid doing
anything to tarnish them. Giving up her purity would be, like we said in class, like giving up her identity. Also, it is not fair for her brother to ask her to do such a sinful act to save his life. Isabella was not the one who
did the crime. Why would Isabella have to give up her identity and way of life for her brother? Should she be punished for being good and pure? Then I also thought
about Angelo. What is his angle? Is he going to use Isabella for sex then move on without letting her brother go? Would he really go through with his promise if
Isabella accepted his offer? Would Angelo punish Isabella after they had sex? I was also wondering if Angelo thought that Isabella would give up being a nun and fall in love with him after they had sex? I can't wait to read the rest
of the play and to hopefully find out the answers!
I also wondered about why Isabella would refuse to sleep with Angelo in order to save her brother. Once I got to thinking it became a little more obvious, since sleeping with Angelo would destroy her. Not only would she have to give up her dream of being a nun, but she would also be an outcast in society. She would be viewed as "used goods" and would not stand a chance to excel society. Essentially she would be dead without actually dying and that is why she prefers to die for her brother instead of accepting Angelo's offer.
Nice post and conversation here--do you all think that, in our time, Isabella's choice would be easier? It's true that we, generally, don't have the kind of religious convictions that Isabella does, but haven't we replaced that with a sense of ethics and self-respect? What if we put Isabella in an investment bank: a junior associate who is being propositioned by her boss? or a new teacher in a school being confronted by her principal? Could a modern-day Isabella live with the pain and stricken conscience of giving up her body to a man she doesn't love?
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