While reading Act 1 of Measure for Measure, I was struck by the how bawdy it is. While having read only a few of Shakespeare's more serious dramas I found myself laughing at all the Syphilis jokes. There is so much sexual context in the play, with Mistress Overdone and the Gentlemen joking about who has syphilis and who has gone loose after many years. With all of this going on I find it so odd that Claudio was arrested for having sex with someone he loves, when there are whorehouses around the city that are left to their own. It is also interesting that we find out about Claudio's arrest from Mistress Overdone a sexual deviant herself.
"Thus stands it with me. Upon a true contract,
I got possession of Julietta's bed.
You know the lady; she is fast my wife,
Save we do the denunciation lack
Of outward order. This we came not to
Only for propagation of a dower
Remaining in the coffer of her friends,
From whom we thought it meet to hide our love
Till time had made the for us. But it chances
The stealth of our most mutual entertainment
With character too gross it writ on Juliet" (Lines 123-133)
Claudio was arrested for getting Juliet pregnant after having made it known that they would be married when they found the right time to tell their folks. We know that Angelo is now running Vienna left in charge by the Duke, so the task of arresting Claudio must have been under his ruling. I may be going out on a limb here, and I have not read the play at all, but could there be some reason that Angelo targeted Claudio? Is this a normal happening, people arrested for consummating a marriage that is almost finished in it's binding qualities? Maybe Angelo has some vendetta against Claudio or Juliet, or is jealous of the two? I don't know. I find it weird that this would happen, yet more wealthier and esteemed gentlemen visit brothels and joke about venereal diseases. As Claudio's speech continues we find out that, Claudio believes that Angelo is punishing him to make a name for himself. In that case Angelo is being seduced by the power of the role, just as they had feared in the beginning of the play. I'm eager to find out the reasoning behind this as we read on.
-Stephanie Wexler
2 comments:
I too found it interesting that Claudio was going to lose his head over impregnating the woman he was going to be married to, especially given that there are likely dozens of other pregnancies that result from a similar sexual relationship throughout the city. So I have to wonder, is this just a plot ploy? Something to move the story forward? Why aren't there others whose heads are about to be lost? Is it because Claudio, in some fashion, confessed?
I can't say that I know why, but I'm looking forward to finding out.
This is actually quite prescient, Stephanie! Though we never hear it said in the play, the similarity in situation between Claudio and Julietta and Angelo and Mariana certainly must come to our minds. Angelo works very hard to separate himself from the world of the comedy, and we'll see next time if he manages to extricate himself!
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