The Deviance of Restraint

After reading Act I of Measure for Measure it is already apparent that the main themes of this play will involve deception, the striving for power, and sexuality as it is viewed in the personal and public realm. However, what seems to be most stressed at this early stage of the play is the way in which society's strict social mores can often times create an effect quite opposite to its intended purpose. Instead of proliferating virtue among the people, these strict mores can condemn what would otherwise be viewed as true love, and in turn, create an environment in which suppressed sexuality leads to sexual deviancy. Evidence of this effect is seen when Claudio reveals the truth about his relationship with Juliet when he states, "Thus stands it with me. Upon a true contract, I got possession of Juliet's bed. You know the lady; she is fast my wife, save that we do the denunciation lack of outward order" (1.2. 122-126). Here, the outrageous nature of the charges against Claudio is exemplified as he recounts his promise to Juliet, who,upon gaining permission from her parents, he promised to marry. Thus, while Claudio's loving relations with Juliet are condemned by Angelo, it seems to be implied, that despite the outward sanctions against the brothels in the area, the trade will continue to flourish due to the business of the wealthy and powerful politicians who are also their most frequent customers, as referenced in Pompey's statement to Mistress Overdone in Scene 1.2 of, "Come, fear not you. Good counsellors lack no clients. Though you change your place, you need not change your trade" (1.2. 87-89) . Further, the Duke's exchange with the Friar also implies the prevalence of sexual deviancy among the politicians who impose the strict laws condemning what they secretly practice. When the Duke admits to the Friar that he wishes to disguise himself in a habit in order to spy on Angelo, his statement that, "...Lord Angelo is precise, stands at a guard with envy, scarce confesses that his blood flows, or that is appetite is more to bread than stone. Hence shall we see if power change purpose, what our seemers be" (1.4. 50-54), reveals his suspicions about how the seductive power of authority will effect Angelo. Thus, it seems that Shakespeare is commenting on the corrupting quality of power that causes rulers to impose the strictest of laws upon their own citizens, all the while, leaving the ruler to become the greatest offender of these rules. This being so, it will be interesting to see how this theme is further discussed in the remainder of the play, where as the Introduction reveals, we will see Angelo proposition Isabella in an attempt to utilize his authority to gain power in the sexual realm and fulfill his deviant desire to corrupt the innocent and the chaste.

The Facets of Angelo's Character

At the end of Act II, I’m left with an impression of Angelo as an extraordinarily complex character, yet also in many ways, a very predictable one. Our first dealings with Angelo come from the Duke’s descriptions of his character, and as we discussed on Friday, his virtuous nature. Angelo is renowned for his morals, and a strict interpretation of Vienna’s often unenforced laws regarding sexual conduct.

As his first decree as acting ruler, Angelo condemns Claudio for having sex with his betrothed and thus impregnating her, though most would consider this violation not nearly on the same level as acts committed by the men and women who run and frequent the brothels and sex trading industry. It would seem that Angelo is trying to make an example of Claudio, a man whose only real offense isn’t a very weighty one. Nevertheless, Claudio is sentenced to death for sleeping with the woman he loves, and Angelo’s reputation as an extremely righteous individual is strengthened. Though we are unsure of how Angelo came to be placed on this moral pedestal, we certainly know he’s there.

The turning point for Angelo’s personality occurs in the second act, in which Isabella, pleading for her brother’s life, makes quite an impression on the acting Duke. We’re given a very interesting scene in which Lucio pushes Isabella to be “warmer” in her interaction with Angelo. She begins her argument by agreeing with the Angelo’s actions and the strictness of the law (“O just but severe law!”), as Isabella as a character is also known for being pious. Though she’s begging for her brother’s life, she can’t help but feel disgust over his actions. Lucio, however, recognizes the fact that her coldness might not get anywhere with Angelo, and so he urges her to move closer and touch him while she pleads her case. She even goes as far as to bribe Angelo with prayer. Angelo, at first disinterested in Isabella, is intrigued, and it’s here that we can recognize his transformation. He listens to Isabella and tells her that he needs time to make a decision, and that she should return before noon tomorrow. After Isabella and Lucio leave, Angelo’s soliloquy confirms this change of opinion (“but it is I / That, lying by the violet of the sun, / Do, as the carrion does, not as the flower, / Corrupt with virtuous season”). Angelo goes on to admit his attraction to Isabella; that it is brought on not by any advance that she’s made, but by her own virtuous nature. In the face of true integrity, Angelo wants nothing more than to assert his dominance and destroy it. Though he considers himself above the common law-breakers, his humanity and sexual desire paint a much different picture.