Matrimony and Recompense in Measure for Measure
(A version of this essay appeared in Shakespeare Quarterly 46 (Winter, 1995), 454-464.)
Since 1970, when the Isabella of John Barton's RSC production of Measure for Measure first shocked audiences by silently refusing to acquiesce to the Duke's offer of marriage at the end of the play, Isabella's response (or lack thereof) to the Duke's proposal has become one of the most prevalent subjects for Shakespearean performance criticism.See, for example, Jane Williamson, "The Duke and Isabella on the Modern Stage," The Triple Bond: Plays, Mainly Shakespearean, in Performance, ed. Joseph G. Price (University Park: Penn State UP, 1975), pp. 149-69; Ralph Berry, "Measure for Measure on the Contemporary Stage," Humanities Association Review 28 (1977), 241-47; Philip C. McGuire, Speechless Dialect: Shakespeare's Open Silences (Berkeley: U of California P, 1985); and Graham Nicholls, Measure for Measure: Text and Performance (London: Macmillan Education, 1986). However, attention to this issue has tended to overshadow another ambiguous aspect of the same stage sequence: the question of why the Duke asks Isabella to marry him in the first place. It is generally agreed that the text provides no evidence to suggest a romantic attachment to Isabella on the Duke's part until the moment of his proposal, but the play's stage history reveals a pattern of attempts to supply what the text lacks, either through stage business or interpolated declarations of love. Hal Gelb notes, "Critics and directors have so keenly felt a sense of the marriage as a tacked-on after-thought that they have sought ways to prepare it earlier in the play" ("Duke Vincentio and the Illusion of Comedy or All's Not Well that Ends Well," SQ, 22 [1971], 31). These attempts, based on a culturally specific conception of matrimony as prompted by erotic desire, disregard other textually prominent motivations for marriage grounded in Renaissance moral, social, and financial concerns. Ann Jennalie Cook, comparing contemporary notions of marriage to those of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, writes, "Despite the romantic ideas expressed in plays and poetry, most marriages were contracted on the basis of interest rather than affect. Society demanded a legitimate male heir to preserve the family name and properties. Moreover, the financial arrangements of a marriage settlement were essential to insure that both parties could live securely until death. Marriage was also viewed as the safest outlet for the healthful discharge of sexual appetites.
To persuade the Anti-Federalist, James Madison wrote Federalist Paper number ten explaining a weakness with the Articles of Confederation. Federalist Paper ten was published on November 22, 1787. Number ten lays out how the writers of the constitution defined the form of government that would protect minority rights from organized and united factions that intended to pass the legislation injurious to the liberty of the minority or detrimental to the good of the country. Madison stated, “A faction was a number of citizens, whether it is a majority or minority, who were united and activated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”
6. Hamilton, Alexander and James Madison, "Federalist Papers: Method of Guarding Against the Encroachments of Any One Department of Government by Appealing to the People Through a Convention," The New York Packet, No. 49, 1788.
In The Federalist Papers by James Madison, Madison discuses various aspects of government and how the government must be organized in order to better represent the people. In The Federalist, No. 10 Madison discusses the nature of political factions and parties and how they can affect the government and its practices. The Federalist, No. 51 discusses instead how the government being in branches helps maintain liberties and better protect the American people. The topics mentioned in The Federalist Papers continue to explain and structure our government today.
Twelfth Night, written by Shakespeare between the years of 1599 and 1601 (“Shakespeare-Online”), is easily one of his most well-known plays. A year after the assumed date of publication, on February the 2nd of 1602, Twelfth Night was performed for the first time (“William-Shakespeare)”. The location of the production is thought to have taken place in the Middle Temple, which was one of four law schools within London that were known as the Inns of Court (“Shakespeare-Online”). Though some would classify Twelfth Night as generic, it is laced with a sharp sense of humor and controversial concerns that can easily be applied to the issues of present day. Many of these issues, such as marriage, gender identity, sex, homosexuality, and social ambition, are relevant in today’s society, making them easy to relate to. The central theme of the play is romance. The characters all experience love, in one way or another, whether it be unrequited or shared between more than one person. The plot is intricately woven, sometimes confusingly so, between twists and turns throughout the multiple acts, but it never strays too far from the subject of adoration. Despite the hardships, misperception and deceit the characters experience, six individuals are brought together in the name of holy matrimony in three distinct nuptials.
He addressed as one objective of the Union that was to become the United States “break[ing] and control[ing] the violence of faction”. Madison acknowledges prior failed attempts at establishing popular government, but he asserts that the American Constitution is one of stronger rhetoric that improves upon inherent flaws, such as “the instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils”. The new Constitution, Madison claims, is well equipped to reduce the malignant effects of faction. The method of representation that the Constitution details prevents “the public good [being] disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties”, with fortune favoring the “the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority”. It is necessary to note that Madison refrains from mentioning specific individuals and events throughout the essay; doing so reinforces the concept of republican democracy in that each individual, and not specific men, possesses the ability to influence public policy. Madison furthermore defines a faction to demonstrate his understanding, and that of the public’s, in the presence of a disease others deem detrimental to the preservation of the general public’s rights and interests. Madison does not present a distinct, succinct thesis in Federalist No. 10, though a statement resembling a thesis follows the definition of a faction. Madison states, “There are two methods of curing the
Shakespeare's comedies A Midsummers Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing have many parallels while Measure for Measure is a problem play with a completely different tone. Comparing and contrasting these three plays provides insights into the views of Shakespeare concerning comedy.
...onnects his audience to the characters and although the play is written for the Elizabethan era, it remains pertinent by invoking the notion of human nature. He implements themes of love, anger, and impulsiveness and demonstrates the influence these emotions have on human behavior. It is evident that because human nature is constant, people have and will continue to be affected by these emotions.
From this slender evidence, along with liberal and dubious readings of the plays and sonnets, scholars have created a robust portrait of the Shakespeares' unhappy domestic life - a "marriage of evil auspices," as one scholar put it. Rather than inhibiting biographers, the lack of information seems to have freed many of them to project their own fantasies onto the relationship. The prevailing image of Ann Hathaway is that of an illiterate seductress who beguiled the young Shakespeare, conceived a child and ensnared him in a loveless union.
In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, there are many instances when Shakespeare expressed his way of viewing his thoughts. Antonio who rescues Sebastian, whose ship has wrecked becomes attached to him and pleads “If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your servant” (Act II, scene 1, lines 33–34). Shakespeare leads the audience to feel a sort of homosexual feeling of passion between these characters. This was Shakespeare’s way of exploring his mind and sexuality. Since h...
What is so interesting about Shakespeare's first play, The Comedy of Errors, are the elements it shares with his last plays. The romances of his final period (Pericles, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest) all borrowed from the romantic tradition, particularly the Plautine romances. So here, as in the later plays, we have reunions of lost children and parents, husbands and wives; we have adventures and wanderings, and the danger of death (which in this play is not as real to us as it is in the romances). Yet, for all these similarities, the plot of The Comedy of Errors is as simple as the plots of the later plays are complex. It is as though Shakespeare's odyssey through the human psyche in tragedy and comedy brought him back to his beginnings with a sharper sense of yearning, poignancy, and the feeling of loss. But to dismiss this play as merely a simplistic romp through a complicated set of maneuvers is to miss the pure theatrical feast it offers on the stage - the wit and humor of a master wordsmith, the improbability of a plot that sweeps...
Form is absolutely essential to it. It should have the dignity of a ceremony, as well as its unreality, and should combine the insincere character of a romantic play with the wit and beauty that makes such plays delightful to us. (142)
In the play text version of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, William Shakespeare emphasizes the idea that human beings are not without fault; they are fallible, but when treated with love, shown confidence, and entrusted with loyalty, it is possible for individuals to achieve realistic and lasting relationships. Both the play text and the live performance underscore that idea that the limits of friendship, loyalty, love and human theatrics come at the expense of male aggression and confused boundaries, as is evident by Proteus and his behavior throughout much of the play. The constant dichotomy of loyalty to oneself and loyalty to others is also exemplified through Proteus’ actions, as are the struggles that ensue as a result of the consequences. In appropriate and rightful fashion, the Elizabethan play concludes when the Duke declares that Valentine can replace Thurio as the rightful suitor for his daughter’s hand. In the end, friendship and love conquer jealousy and deceit together – and this bond is held together by the loyalty that is renewed amongst lovers and friends. The live adaptati...
Since the early 1990’s, “Queer Theory”, or queer study, has emerged and become very common in influential readings throughout literature. Many scholars apply this poststructuralist theory when criticizing works within the Renaissance period, including the works of William Shakespeare. Twelfth Night continues to be a commonly reviewed work when discussing the recurring homoerotic themes throughout Shakespeare’s works. Though Twelfth Night is often used for the discussion of homosexual interaction in Shakespeare, the conclusions drawn from these possible same-sex attractions are still divided and unclear. Regardless of this division, there is a large amount of substance that supports the unquestionably present homosexual relations in the play.
While roaming the hills around an isolated home, a young boy named Henry, displayed rather unusual characteristics associated with his behaviors. What seemed like a cute and innocent boy was nothing but a face of hidden evil. Henry was a very free-spirited and often wild 12 year old boy who enjoyed engaging in daring activities while experiencing adrenaline rushes. His behaviors and curiosities seemed to be limitless, to the point where it brought forth a bit of suspicion. At this age, these types of behaviors may seem “normal” for a young boy like Henry; behaviors that display some hyperactivity, and self-exploration. However, Henry’s attitude and behaviors took a quick turn as his real intentions and motives became ever so clear. Henry is a young boy who grew up in a rather large home, set on top of a hill, overlooking the ocean in the state of Maine. He comes from two loving parents, a mother and father, and has a younger sister who looks up to him. He also had a younger brother named Richard, who died a while back from “accidently” drowning in the bathtub. Despite the tragic loss, he seemed to have a stable family lifestyle.
Transcending the Societal Role of Women: The Revolution of Natural Love in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night