CANS 406 Lecture 8: 8. Measure for Measure
22 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Measure for Measure
-Isabella is very edgy and smart
-Angelo knows he is causing a lot of harm, but has temptations himself
-Angelo is a legal formalist – if the law is broken, the punishment is applied
-Long term struggle between equity law (law that attempted to get around the obstacles to justice
in the common law) and common law (the ancient law of England)
-Angelo vs. Isabella is a discussion of common and equity law
-Applying law formally vs. thinking it through and taking a more careful/moral approach
-Angelo wants to maintain the sense of himself as a paragon of Christian virtue, sees the devil at
work in her tempting him
-He does not look within himself as she asks him to do
-Isabella is very moral, pious – she would rather die than commit a sin to cancel out another
-She is strict and precise, is going to be a nun
-Lots of pressure being put on Isabella by both Claudio and Angelo
-The plan is to substitute Marianna for Isabella so that Isabella doesn’t actually have to give up
her virginity
-Angelo is sent off to consummate with Marianna, to finalize what is already legally binding
-Marianna later pleads for her husband’s life, begging Isabella to just kneel beside her
-Marianna says that Angelo dies for Claudio’s death
-Note that Isabella believes her brother is dead
-The Duke notes that Isabella would never want to join Marianna after what Angelo has
done to her and her brother
-Isabella kneels and pleads for Angelo’s life despite this, and the play shifts and becomes
a ‘pardon party’
-Total showering of pardons over everybody
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Angelo knows he is causing a lot of harm, but has temptations himself. Angelo is a legal formalist if the law is broken, the punishment is applied. Long term struggle between equity law (law that attempted to get around the obstacles to justice in the common law) and common law (the ancient law of england) Angelo vs. isabella is a discussion of common and equity law. Applying law formally vs. thinking it through and taking a more careful/moral approach. Angelo wants to maintain the sense of himself as a paragon of christian virtue, sees the devil at work in her tempting him. He does not look within himself as she asks him to do. Isabella is very moral, pious she would rather die than commit a sin to cancel out another. She is strict and precise, is going to be a nun. Lots of pressure being put on isabella by both claudio and angelo.
