Sexuality in Measure for Measure
Uploaded by mebassakwards on Oct 26, 2011
This paper discusses specific questions about the way in which Shakespeare handles sexuality in this, one of his darkest comedies. (5.5 pages; 1 source; end notes)
I Introduction
“Measure for Measure” is one of Shakespeare’s “problem” plays. It’s the last of his comedies, and a very dark “comedy” it is too, particularly because of the disturbing last scene. All the loose ends are tied up, but the resolution seems forced and inappropriate, particularly as Angelo, who has behaved abominably, apparently finds happiness. One critic suggests that Shakespeare was tiring of comedies at the time, and that “Measure for Measure” looks forward to the great tragedies rather than back to the fun of the earlier works.
In addition, the main characters are not particularly likeable: Angelo is revealed to be a hypocrite and sensualist; and the Duke gives Angelo the dirty work to do in enforcing unpopular laws while he disguises himself as a friar to see how his subjects react to the new regulations. Angelo, in effect, will be the one who takes the blame.
The scene is Vienna, and Shakespeare never shifts from that locale. In many of the other comedies, there are two principal locations: the real world and a heightened world in which extraordinary events take place: Athens, and the enchanted wood outside the city in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” for example. But here Shakespeare stays in the city, exploring its corruption and focusing on the sensuality of the Viennese and the problems it causes. It gives the play a more realistic, even claustrophobic, feel than we get in the other comedies, which allow us to escape from reality.
Perhaps because it is realistic, sexuality is the keynote of the play; I would argue that most humans think about sex more than anything else, and that preoccupation is certainly present here. Angelo becomes obsessed with Isabella, a young nun; Isabella’s brother Claudio has impregnated his common-law wife Juliet, and her pregnancy has resulted in his death sentence; and the Duke, inexplicably, falls in love with Isabella. There is a character named “Mistress Overdone” who is the madam of a house of pleasure, and who doesn’t disguise her occupation. Shakespeare’s plays are often very bawdy, but they are also frequently full of true love and captivating lovers: Romeo and Juliet; Beatrice and Benedick; Antony and Cleopatra. ...