After hearing Lucio being compared to Lucifer our Measure for Measure lecture, a thought crossed my mind about what Shakespeare might be criticizing: God’s authority. To put it in perspective, we established that Lucio is the character that is attempting to reveal the truth, shedding light on matters as his name suggests. On a thematic level, we realize that he is “exposing the fallacy of absolutism” as Anna-Claire phrased it (sorry if I spelled your name wrong). Since we didn’t discuss what Lucio’s connection to Lucifer is, I thought about it to myself and came to the conclusion that they both are critical of the established figure of authority in their respective realms. That being said, I can’t help but believe that perhaps Shakespeare was attempting to communicate not only an anti-authoritarian message but also perhaps an anti-theistic message, claiming that it is fallacious to believe in the omnipotence of God. And for further clarification, I am not suggesting that Shakespeare is advocating atheism, but rather that he is promoting the idea that God can always be present but that doesn’t mean we should allow God’s will and authority to dictate our lives. I think we have made it pretty clear that Shakespeare wasn’t afraid to take on the state’s power in this play, but wouldn’t it be even more profound if he was actually also taking on God as well? Now I’m basing this idea merely on my reading of the play, not on any factual information about Shakespeare’s religious beliefs. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Michael Benitez
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