Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Significance of Measure for Measure

In lecture, Professor Little pointed out that the title, Measure for Measure, arises from a combination of the Old Testament’s law of retribution (lex talionis – “an eye for an eye…”) and the New Testament’s Matthew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Though the Duke at first appears to ascribe to the Old Testament’s lex talionis, when he says, “An Angelo for Claudio, death for death!” (5.1.412), we are clued into the possibility that this command may be reversed—first of all, we know that Claudio is still alive, and secondly, we know that the title reflects not only the Old Testament verse but the New Testament’s law of mercy, and we have yet to see the latter come into play. Soon enough, we witness the presence of the New Testament’s law of mercy represented in the figure of Isabella, who pleads for Angelo’s life, and asks the Duke to sentence Angelo on an individual case, “as if my brother lived. I partly think / A due sincerity governed his deeds, / Till he did look on me” (5.1.448-450). If she followed the Old Testament’s “eye for an eye” retribution law, she would think the Duke issued a suitable sentence. Yet she argues for Angelo’s life, even after he attempted to violate her chastity. We see Angelo even agreeing with the Duke’s death sentence, for he says “I crave death more willingly than mercy” (5.1.479). If we view Angelo as figure who, like the Old Testament, follows the letter of the law, and Isabella as the figure who practices the New Testament’s law of mercy, we could conclude that the play ultimately argues in favor of the latter over the former.

Emily Chang
Section 1C, Aaron Gorelik

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