Measure for Measure Essay: The Virtuous Vanity of Isabella

1498 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women in Shakespeare

The Virtuous Vanity of Isabella in Measure for Measure

Shakespeare's work, Measure for Measure, puts the "problem" in "problem play" as it, examines the difference between law and justice, virtue and goodness. It's a case study of abuse of power that has a particularly contemporary resonance. Isabella is a very intriguing Shakespearean female. She is one of the few intelligent females who are also innocent and holy. Measure for Measure focuses primarily on her moral dilemma. Does she save her brother and give up her valued chastity or does she save her own soul while allowing her brother to die? By playing on Elizabethan viewpoints concerning women, nuns, and chastity, Shakespeare uses Isabella in developing his plot and theme. While Isabella is chaste and merciful in all outward appearances, she is unwilling to give up her virginity to Angelo in exchange for Claudio's life, yet she is ready to sacrifice Mariana's chastity for the cause. Isabella is so virtuous that it becomes a vanity for her.

Sanctimonious, hypocritical, intelligent, beautiful, Isabella, who is a representative of restraint in the text. She actually goes overboard in her desire for strictness, as shown when she asks one of the nuns if she could not have more strict restraint as one of the sisters there. This recalls the theme of indulgence and restraint, but since Isabella is too much drawn to one of the poles, she will have to become more moderate in order to become truly human.

Isabella is immediately established as a rare female character when her brother describes her with the statement, "she has prosperous art/ when she will play with reason and discourse, and well she can persuade"(Shakespeare 1.2.161-163)." Women in ...

... middle of paper ...

...e of the play.

Works Cited and Consulted:

Charlton, H. B. Shakespearean Comedy. London: Methuen, 1938.

Knight, G. Wilson. The Wheel of Fire: Essays in Interpretation of Shakespeare's Sombre Tragedies. London: Oxford UP, 1930.

Leech, Clifford. "The 'Meaning' of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 3 (1950): 69-71.

New American Standard Bible. Reference ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1975.

Pope, Elizabeth Marie. "The Renaissance Background of Measure for Measure." Shakespeare Survey 2 (1949): 66-82.

Rossiter, A. P. Angel with Horns and Other Shakespeare Lectures. Ed. Graham Storey. London: Longmans, Green, 1961.

Shakespeare, William. William Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Ed. Alfred Harbage. 1969. Baltimore: Penguin, 1971.

Sypher, Wylie. "Shakespeare as Casuist: Measure for Measure." The Sewanee Review 58 (1950): 262-80.

Show More
Related

  • 12 Modern Labors of Hercules

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 12th labor that Eurystheus would give Hercules would be to do 100 push-ups, 200 pull-ups, 300 sit-ups, and 400 body-squats. Hercules did the work out in sets of 10. He would do 10 push-ups, 20 pull-ups, 30 sit-ups, and 40 body-squats 10 times. It took Hercules one hour to finish the work out. Hercules threw up after finishing the workout. Eurystheus congratulated Hercules for finishing the 12 labors and told him that he was forgiven for the murder of his wife and children. Eurystheus asked Hercules what he was going to do since he was finished with all the labors and Hercules replied back saying that he was going to Disney World.

    Read More

  • Dickens' Use of the Supernatural in A Christmas Carol

    2377 Words  | 5 Pages

    being seduced to. It has been said by many at the time that sex was

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Macbeth - The Proud Characters of Macbeth and Duncan

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Clark, W.G., and W. Aldis Wirhgt, eds. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol 2. USA: Nd. 2 vols.

    Read More

  • The Character of Emilia in Othello

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    The definition of Renaissance women is fundamentally important in William Shakespeare's play Othello. One of the major causes of Othello's tragedy is his belief that Desdemona is not chaste. According to the men of the Renaissance, chastity, silence, and obedience are three attributes that define Renaissance women. Although Othello takes place during the Renaissance, the women in the play, Bianca, Desdemona and Emilia, defy traditional norms by lacking at least one of the major attributes defining women; Bianca's lack of chastity is clearly displayed when she unlawfully sleeps with Cassio; Desdemona's lack of silence is clearly displayed when she constantly urges Othello to give Cassio's position back. However, in the last two acts, Emilia displays the strongest challenge to the definition of Renaissance women as silent, chaste, and obedient, mainly to defend Desdemona.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Othello's Speech

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cohen, Walter, J.E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus. The Norton Shakespeare. Vol. 2 Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. New York, London. 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1

    Read More

  • Comparing Sexuality in All's Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, and Troilus and Cressida

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    Any generalization of these three plays - even a necessarily broad category like "problem plays" - is inherently . . . well, problematic.  The three plays are very dissimilar in tone, plot, and characterization.  It is possible, however, to identify a few key commonalities between the three plays, and, more generally, in the cycle of work that includes Hamlet and Othello.  The sheer carnality of each of these plays is difficult to ignore.  Taken as a whole, whether or not one accepts the canonical chronology, these plays represent the evolution of a coherent view of female sexuality that contributes not only to the dramatic action of each play, but to a larger underlying thematic concern.  Thus book-ended by two great tragedies, with which they share some common ideology, the problem plays offer an unparalleled opportunity to explore the concept of female sexualit...

    Read More

  • Measure for Measure Essay: Isabella’s Moral Dilemma

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    "O cunning enemy that, to catch a saint, with saints dost bait thy hook." A disturbing tale of suspense, dark comedy and corruption, Shakespeare's Measure for Measure explores sexuality, morality and the law, exposing the abuse of authority in high places amid the seething underworld of Vienna. This essay will explore Isabella’s moral dilemma.

    Read More

  • A Feminist Reading of the Tempest

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miranda’s character in the play represents the ideal woman of Elizabethan era. She is portrayed as a goddess among the men. “Most sure, the goddess/Oh whom these airs attend!”(1.2.425-426). Fer...

    Read More

  • Iago as the Perfect Villain of Shakespeare's Othello

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.

    Read More

  • Freedom and Servitude in Shakespeare's The Tempest

    3352 Words  | 7 Pages

    James, D.G. (Excerpt from a series of lectures delivered in 1965 at University College, London.) The Shakespeare Criticism Volume 8. Gale Research Inc., Detroit. 1989: 429-434.

    Read More

  • The Language of Romeo and Juliet in the Balcony Scene

    1884 Words  | 4 Pages

    Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday

    Read More

  • The Role of Language in Shakespeare's Play The Tempest

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Knight,G.Wilson. “The Shakespearean Superman: An essay on The Tempest.” The Crown of life: Essays in Interpretation of Shakespeare’s Final Plays. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1947. 203-255

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Interpretation of Women in "Measure for Measure"

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    Isabella is used in the play as an example of a perfect woman to the Jacobean society, as she is the epitome of purity and chastity within the play, and the fact that she wants to become a nun shows her to be a very religious person, which is what would have been important to Shakespeare's audience. At the same time, Isabella shows herself to be someone who is very easily controlled, especially by the men in the play, such as agreeing with the plan when the Duke disguised as the friar suggests using Mariana to sleep with Angelo instead. Although this is still wrong according to Isabella's belief...

    Read More

  • Analysis of Poetry of the Romantic Genre

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    Blake uses imagery of blood of a soldier on the walls of the palace to

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play, The Merchant of Venice drastically altered the perception of women during the time as Shakespeare makes women during the Italian Renaissance appear independent and intellectual, such as the beautiful Portia and the young Jessica. This play shows that women are not only beautiful people to look at but also powerful and intelligent individuals. The characteristics of the women in this play show the possibilities of equality between men and

    Read More

More about Measure for Measure Essay: The Virtuous Vanity of Isabella

Open Document