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?

Measure for Measure, Disceit for Honesty?

Sorry it's late. I was ULTRA tired last week and couldn't do much school work.

The end of Measure for Measure leaves the audience with a question: How does Isabella respond to the duke’s marriage demand? One rigid interpretation would be to assume that she agrees, whether she wants to or not, simply because a man of such high social stature asked her to. That notion would only work in a perfect world where subjects never question an order from authority. Seeing as this play is full of characters that bend and break the law, the above assumption then proves to be quite flawed.

True, Isabella has two options as far as the audience can see. She can either go with the Duke’s desire and get married or she can complete her vows and become a full nun. Even though the answer is not clearly defined, Isabella would probably do whatever she could to become a nun, only yielding to the Duke under some extreme circumstance. Part of my reasoning comes from the Duke himself and part comes from Isabella.

First, we have the Duke. The very first official act we see him do is give his power to Angelo under the pretense of going away. Once it is revealed that he was the Friar the whole time, the whole city will know that there was something strange going on, even if they can’t discern his entire plot. Second, he tells his guards to arrest Isabella when she’s trying to testify. Finally he reveals that he was actually lying when she thought that Claudio was dead. To an outsider, some of the events in the play may be at least partially admirable. For Isabella, however, none of the above would make the Duke any more appealing to her as an individual. In fact, she may be a tad ticked off at a few of these. Add that to the fact that he says “Give me your hand, and say you will be mine” (5.1.486) and she has plenty of reason to refuse. This is a man that is willing to do anything to make sure that he socially looks good and then asks her to do something that, by the definition of her chosen lifestyle, means that he can’t possibly value her beliefs. I don’t even think these two have any history together outside of the whole executing Claudio fiasco.

Next, we have Isabella herself. We get no background information suggesting that there was a reason she is becoming a nun, so we can assume that this is purely her desire. This notion is strengthened as the play goes on. She does not make any statement that make it appear that she wants to repeal her vows in terms of striking up a relationship with anyone. In her conversations with the Duke in the guise of the Friar, she is very focused in her words; all she wants to do is free her brother. It can be understandable why the Duke may find this virtue charming but she does absolutely nothing to lead him on. Even though she does want Claudio to live, she is not willing to do anything to compromise her vows. She plainly tells Angelo that, if she has to lose her virginity to save her brother, it wasn’t worth it. She has absolutely no desire to be intimate with a man.

If this woman would rather let her own relations die than be with a man, I’m sure she’d rather die herself than marry the Duke. Opposites may attract, but mis-matched pairs simply won’t mesh.