The Duke - Interesting but Kind of a Jerk

As interesting as I think the Duke is as a character in Measure for Measure, I find his actions at the end of the play deplorable. At the start of the play, I was more or less on his side, believing that his actions (that is, disguising as a friar to “test” Angelo) were for the good of the people; he simply wanted to see “if power change purpose” (I.iv.54). However, in Acts IV and V, as his plans for Claudio and Isabel unfold, it seems the feelings of others are just about the last thing on his mind.

In Act III, the Duke (dressed as a friar), orders the Provost to basically sacrifice the unsuspecting Barnardine. I understand that Barnardine’s fate was already decided, but he is basically using this unsuspecting man as simply a tool in his grand scheme instead of leaving his to die in (somewhat) peace.

Here, the Duke uses his “double life” to his advantage as a form of manipulation. First, he uses words such as “vow,” “by the saint whom I profess,” and “plead,” and makes reference to his religious “coat,” that is, uses his alter ego’s religious power in order to persuade the provost. But when that doesn’t work, he writes a letter from himself (the Duke) especially for the provost, discussing his return and ordering that this execution take place. To further persuade, he claims that this information was not even given to Angelo.

The nature of his manipulation of Isabel is slightly more ambiguous to the readers (or at least to me). In IV.iii, the Duke (still disguised as a friar), deliberately lies to Isabel about her brother’s fate: “But I will keep her ignorant of her good, to make her heavenly comforts of despair when it is least expected” (IV.iii.101-103). According to the Duke, he is doing this for her own good; in the end, he will bring her peace of mind. But first of all, the way he delivers the new is, to me, completely malicious! “He hath released him Isabel, from the world. His head is off and sent to Angelo” (IV.iii.107-108). He deliberately builds her up, implying they released Claudio from prison, and then, after a pause, adds, “from the world.” It was almost as if he wanted her to suffer more. Or is this another test, perhaps of Isabella’s faith? And when she breaks down in front of him, instead of comforting her, the Duke flatly tells her “This nor hurts him, nor profits you” (IV.iii.115). This response is much like what a mother would say when her young child has a tantrum; instead of entertaining the outburst, she would simply respond: “this isn’t doing anyone any good.”

But what are his true motives? As I said before, he claims that withholding the information will bring her peace of mind, but why bother waiting? In my opinion, the text suggests that the Duke is doing this for his own benefit. He tells Isabella:

“The Duke comes home tomorrow – nay, dry your eyes –[…]Already he hath carried/Notice to Escalus and Angelo,/Who do prepare to meet him at the gates,/There to give up their power. If you can pace your wisdom/In that good path that I would wish it go,/And you shall have your bosom on this wretch,/Grace of the Duke, revenges to your heart,/And general honour” (119-128). It seems to me that the Duke is withholding the information until he can be the Duke again, so that he can reveal to her, as himself, the good news; he wants to be the hero. Basically, he is saying, “There, there, Isabella, that super-awesome Duke of ours will solve all your problems.” Moreover, he uses this good news as a platform to propose to Isabella? What a gem!

And does anyone else find it ironic that the Duke is dressed as a friar while “playing God” with these people’s lives?

Liars, Pimps and Prostitutes

One of the aspects of Measure for Measure that I noticed while reading through the play so far is how much more corruption and sin/vice there is in this world compared with the world of The Merchant of Venice. In this play, anti-Semitism is non-existant (at least so far) and all the characters are presumably Christian, though many of their actions do not coincide with the beliefs of Christianity.

So far, the play has focused on the aftermath of Claudio's crime of impregnating a woman he was not married to. Although this is a frowned upon action during the time of the play, we are led to believe that it is a crime that usually goes unpunished. A case such as this, where both parties are consenting, would seem less likely to be enforced, but because of the recent change in power, is being punished with death. This, especially in today's world, seems like an extremely over the top punishment and is depicted as such by the characters in the play.

In the context of the play, I'm not necessarily against Claudio's death if that is what the law states, but we are shown during Act 2 that Angelo is not the most honest man either. He is willing to spare Claudio's life if Isabella agrees to sleep with him. I was unclear on a couple of things regarding this situation though. Angelo speaks at least twice of being in love with Isabella, but I was unclear if his request to sleep with her also involved them being married. Either way Angelo is being dishonest by essentially taking a bribe, but it would seem far worse to me if he only wanted to sleep with her, especially considering that's the very thing Claudio is being put to death for. At least Claudio and Juliet were consenting, even if Isabella agreed to sleep with Angelo it would be truly consenting because she would only be doing it to save her brother.

Also, despite how out of line Angelo's proposal seems, I was somewhat shocked to hear Isabella refuse, and even more shocked to hear Claudio ask her to essentially suck it up and take one for the team. So far, Isabella seems to be the only honest person in the play. Everyone else, it would seem, is either a liar, pimp, or prostitute. Even the Duke is parading around as a friar for his own benefit and sits back while Angelo rules with an iron fist. I'm not sure which is more unsettling, the fact that the Duke is pretending he is a friar or that the other friars are okay with this situation.