Measure for Measure – William Shakespeare

I originally encountered this work with Dr. Mary Villeponteaux, Georgia Southern University, College of Graduate Studies, Fall 2023. These are my scratch notes.

• There is so much to debate in this play
  • role of the Duke
  • religious question
  • all the Catholicism
  • Isabella’s choices – how would these things have been perceived
    • The HRE was a mix of Protestants and Catholics; Vienna was Catholic. However, they had been under attack by the Ottoman empire. Vienna fended off the Muslim forces so it mitigated the fact for England that they were Catholic.
  • Changes from the original story create this debate
  • what about the Puritans
  • really wanted to think the Duke was a good guy, but then it all goes off the rails
  • good and evil is so subjective
  • is he genuinely trying to be a good ruler? It is so hard to identify his goal in the text
• Source – Story of Epitia by Cinthio
  • she does sleep with the magistrate; she is not a nun
  • She takes her story to the emperor who believes her and forces The Guy to marry her, and then he will be put to death. A PTA pleads for mercy. It is granted, and they live happily ever after.
• The story is not included in any Cuarto probably written in 1603 or 1604
• it challenges the comedy conventions.
• In 1590 they were a lot of problems – the rebellion of Ireland, the Earl os Essex uprising, economics, Queen Elizabeth had not named a successor
  • Measure for measure is partially about a sovereignty under stress.
• 1603 is called the Wonderful Year. Queen Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603, around 2 AM by 10 AM on March 25 the privy council had declared James VI of Scotland, the new king of England.
  • had to postpone coronation because of the outbreak of the plague. 10,000 people died.
• James I was well educated and scholarly
  • In 1598 he had written two treatise
    • The True Law of Free Monarchies
      • they derive their power from God,
      • cannot be removed by the people
      • not subject to the law.
  • Basilikon Doron
    • Advice to his son, the heir, Henry Stewart
    • focuses on peoples tendencies to “judge and speak rashly of their prince” and weakens the kingdom.
• James had a different attitude towards the Public
  • Elizabeth often appeared in public, and was a master at cultivating favorable public opinion through generous interactions with subjects,
  • James feared crowds, and disliked appearing before large groups. He attempted to go incognito to the Royal exchange before his coronation, and was mobbed by and excited crowd, an event that apparently aggrieved and distressed him.
• James first, and Shakespeare, the new king brought the acting companies, even more directly under royal control Shakespeare’s company, Lord chamberlains men was adopted by king, and called the Kings Men
• Measure for Measure was performed December 26, 1604 at James Court.
• Private spousal’s were vows in front of witnesses. The church didn’t like it and they could be punished
• vows made per verba de praesenti also controversial.
• Hunt, Maurice. “Vincento’s Selves in Measure for Measure.” This article was presented by Corbin Molnar for discussion
  • A comment was made concerning Hobbes’ Leviathan. I remember it was a good one, but I cannot find better evidence of it in my notes
  • Some will call the Duke a dramatist – this makes a lot of sense to me
  • tension between public and private, legitimate and illegitimate
• difference between justice and mercy
  • Why should we be merciful? Because we don’t know enough to be just. – Dr. V (there is a “443” written in the margin of this note – I have no idea why)
  • James I believed kings had special access to knowledge – thus, he could be just.
  • Angelo speaks to this knowledge (365)
• The public nature of the ending
  • why does the Duke choose this
  • secrets cause chaos
  • way of establishing a narrative
  • He creates the drama; he becomes benevolent
    • 1603 conspiracy by the Cathoics to kidnap James I. The plot is uncovered, and those responsible are sentenced to hang immediately…or maybe later…or maybe now – thus creating a foreboding situation of death to come without death until the King pardons the perpetrators at the last second.
• Possible paper topics
  • Look at Catholicism in Measure for Measure
  • Biblical nature of title and text
  • lookup incest III.i.138
  • Look at the withdrawing from society
  • maybe not a swipe at gender, but society
  • look into political theology and the corruption within and about the Church
  • What is mercy in Shakespeare?

Slayd Sasser – Protestant critique of Catholicism

• the Duke is not James I, rather a Calvinist Christ figure
  • leaves his position and becomes a lowly friar
  • then returns as the Duke
  • he is the mediator
  • participates in confession not as a priest (Protestants need no mediator)
• Angelo functions as a criticism of the pope and fails