(15) Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure is my last comedy and it was a pleasure to end on such an excellent play, although the ending of the play itself was quite peculiar (more on that in a minute). To summarize: The Duke of Vienna rolls out of town and leaves his deputy Angelo in charge. Angelo, a true scoundrel, immediately arrests and sentences to death Claudio, a man who has knocked up his own girlfriend, but innocently, because the two are lovers and are soon to be married. But alas, because he has sired a child out of wedlock, which is technically against the law, Angelo decides Claudio must die. Enter Claudio’s sister, Isabel, who goes to Angelo and begs for her brother’s life. Angelo responds to her entreaties by saying he will only pardon her brother if she sleeps with him. Nice, right? She famously refuses and drama ensues.

In Angelo, this play presents one of the most (if not the most) dastardly characters I have yet to encounter. To me, he represents the worst type of villain. At every turn, Angelo is a liar, an abusive, power-hungry tyrant, and a true hypocrite, characteristics that I find particularly irksome. For example, when Isabel finally realizes that Angelo is telling her to sleep with him to gain pardon for her brother, she is at first shocked, then recovers, and then says she will simply “tell the world aloud what man thou art” so as to undo his evil plans. Angelo’s reply? No worries, no one will believe the words of a low-born woman against the words of the great Angelo. And that’s not the least of it. Trust me, this guy is a real jerk.

As mentioned earlier, this one ends oddly by throwing all logic to the wind to end in a marriage. As with All’s Well That Ends Well, the marriage thing is forced, right at the very end, without warning and context. Also, in this case, it does not appear to be consensual because the female betrothed is told who she will wed and never responds. Weird, right? Again, the form seems forced here, the comic formula (end with a marriage) followed for the sake of the genre. It doesn't really work, but oddly it doesn't matter, as it’s still a great play, in my most humble of opinions. Strange…obvious missteps (is that the right word?) fail to tarnish the thing.

So anyway, with that, I leave the comedies behind. Fare thee well my jocular friends, it has been a true pleasure getting to know you! It was a great ride but it’s time to move on. Up next? The Histories (queue ominous music).