To Angelo
ANGELO I was, my lord.
DUKE Go take her hence, and marry her instantly.--
Do you the office405, friar, which consummate,
Return him here again.-- Go with him, provost.
Exeunt [Angelo, Mariana, Friar Peter and Provost]
ESCALUS My lord, I am more amazed at his dishonour
Than at the strangeness of it408.
DUKE Come hither, Isabel.
Your friar is now your prince. As I was then
Advertising411 and holy to your business,
Not changing heart with habit412, I am still
Attorneyed413 at your service.
ISABELLA O give me pardon
That I, your vassal415, have employed and pained
Your unknown sovereignty.
DUKE You are pardoned, Isabel:
And now, dear maid, be you as free418 to us.
Your brother's death, I know, sits at your heart,
And you may marvel why I obscured420 myself,
Labouring to save his life, and would not rather
Make rash remonstrance422 of my hidden power
Than let him so be lost423. O most kind maid,
It was the swift celerity424 of his death,
Which I did think with slower foot came on,
That brained426 my purpose. But, peace be with him.
That life is better life, past fearing death,
Than that which lives to fear. Make it your comfort,
So429 happy is your brother.
ISABELLA I do, my lord.
Enter Angelo, Mariana, [Friar] Peter [and] Provost
DUKE For this new-married man approaching here,
Whose salt432 imagination yet hath wronged
Your well defended honour, you must pardon
For Mariana's sake. But as he adjudged434 your brother,
Being criminal, in double violation
Of sacred chastity and of promise-breach
Thereon dependent436 for your brother's life,
The very mercy of the law cries out
Most audible, even from his proper439 tongue,
'An Angelo for Claudio, death for death!'
Haste still441 pays haste, and leisure answers leisure,
Like doth quit442 like, and measure still for measure.
Then, Angelo, thy fault's thus manifested,
Which, though thou wouldst deny, denies thee vantage444.
We do condemn thee to the very block445
Where Claudio stooped to death, and with like haste.
Away with him!
MARIANA O my most gracious lord,
I hope you will not mock449 me with a husband.
DUKE It is your husband mocked you with a husband.
Consenting to the safeguard of your honour,
I thought your marriage fit, else imputation,
For that he knew you452, might reproach your life
And choke your good to come. For454 his possessions,
Although by confiscation they are ours,
We do instate456 and widow you withal,
To buy you a better husband.
MARIANA O my dear lord,
I crave no other, nor no better man.
DUKE Never crave him, we are definitive460.
MARIANA Gentle my liege--
Kneels
DUKE You do but lose your labour462.
Away with him to death.-- Now, sir, to you.
To Lucio
MARIANA O my good lord! Sweet Isabel, take my part,
Lend me your knees, and all my life to come
I'll lend you all my life to do you service.
DUKE Against all sense467 you do importune her.
Should she kneel down in mercy of this fact468,
Her brother's ghost his paved bed469 would break,
And take her hence in horror.
MARIANA Isabel,
Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me,
Hold up your hands, say nothing, I'll speak all.
They say best men are moulded out of faults,
And for the most475 become much more the better
For being a little bad: so may my husband.
O Isabel, will you not lend a knee?
DUKE He dies for Claudio's death.
ISABELLA Most bounteous sir,
Look, if it please you, on this man condemned,
Kneels
As if my brother lived. I partly think
A due sincerity governed his deeds,
Till he did look on me: since it is so,
Let him not die. My brother had but484 justice,
In that he did the thing for which he died.
For Angelo,
His act did not o'ertake his bad intent487,
And must be buried but as an intent
That perished by the way. Thoughts are no subjects489,
Intents but merely thoughts.
MARIANA Merely, my lord.
DUKE Your suit's unprofitable492. Stand up, I say.
They stand
I have bethought me of another fault.
Provost, how came it Claudio was beheaded
At an unusual hour?
PROVOST It was commanded so.
DUKE Had you a special warrant for the deed?
PROVOST No, my good lord, it was by private message.
DUKE For which I do discharge you of your office.
Give up your keys.
PROVOST Pardon me, noble lord,
I thought it was a fault, but knew it not502,
Yet did repent me after more advice503,
For testimony whereof, one in the prison,
That should by private order else have died,
I have reserved506 alive.
DUKE What's he?
PROVOST His name is Barnardine.
DUKE I would thou hadst done so by Claudio.
Go fetch him hither, let me look upon him.
[Exit Provost]
ESCALUS I am sorry, one so learned and so wise
As you, Lord Angelo, have still512 appeared,
Should slip so grossly, both in the heat of blood513
And lack of tempered514 judgement afterward.
ANGELO I am sorry that such sorrow I procure515,
And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart
That I crave death more willingly than mercy,
'Tis my deserving, and I do entreat it.
Enter Provost, Barnardine, Claudio [muffled, and] Julietta
DUKE Which is that Barnardine?
PROVOST This, my lord.
DUKE There was a friar told me of this man.
Sirrah, thou art said to have a stubborn soul
That apprehends523 no further than this world,
And squar'st524 thy life according. Thou'rt condemned,
But, for those earthly faults, I quit525 them all,
And pray thee take this mercy to provide
For better times to come. Friar, advise him,
I leave him to your hand. What muffled528 fellow's that?
PROVOST This is another prisoner that I saved,
Who should have died when Claudio lost his head,
As like almost to Claudio as himself.
Unmuffles Claudio
DUKE If he be like your brother, for his sake
To Isabella
Is he pardoned. And, for your lovely sake,
Give me your hand and say you will be mine,
He is my brother too. But fitter time for that.
By this Lord Angelo perceives he's safe,
Methinks I see a quickening537 in his eye.
Well, Angelo, your evil quits538 you well:
Look539 that you love your wife, her worth worth yours.
I find an apt remission540 in myself.
And yet here's one in place541 I cannot pardon.
You, sirrah, that knew me for a fool, a coward,
To Lucio
One all of luxury543, an as
s, a madman --
Wherein have I so deserved of you,
That you extol545 me thus?
LUCIO 'Faith, my lord. I spoke it but according to the trick546.
If you will hang me for it, you may, but I had rather it would
please you I might be whipped.
DUKE Whipped first, sir, and hanged after.
Proclaim it, provost, round about the city:
If any woman wronged by this lewd fellow --
As I have heard him swear himself there's one
Whom he begot with child -- let her appear,
And he shall marry her. The nuptial finished,
Let him be whipped and hanged.
LUCIO I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a
whore. Your highness said even now, I made you a duke. Good
my lord, do not recompense me in making me a cuckold558.
DUKE Upon mine honour, thou shalt marry her.
Thy slanders I forgive, and therewithal560
Remit561 thy other forfeits. Take him to prison,
And see our pleasure herein executed562.
LUCIO Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death563,
whipping, and hanging.
DUKE Slandering a prince deserves it.
[Exeunt Officers with Lucio]
She, Claudio, that you wronged, look you restore566.
Joy to you, Mariana. Love her, Angelo:
I have confessed her568 and I know her virtue.
Thanks, good friend Escalus, for thy much goodness,
There's more behind570 that is more gratulate.
Thanks, provost, for thy care and secrecy,
We shall employ thee in a worthier place.
Forgive him, Angelo, that brought you home
The head of Ragozine for Claudio's,
Th'offence pardons itself. Dear Isabel,
I have a motion much imports your good576,
Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline,
What's mine is yours and what is yours is mine.
So, bring579 us to our palace, where we'll show
What's yet behind580, that's meet you all should know.
[Exeunt]
TEXTUAL NOTES
F = First Folio text of 1623, the only authority for the play
F2 = a correction introduced in the Second Folio text of 1632
Ed = a correction introduced by a later editor
SD = stage direction
SH = speech heading (i.e. speaker's name)
List of parts based on "Names of All the Actors" (reordered) at end of F text
1.1.74 relish spelled rallish in F 80 SD Exit = F2. F places SD after line 79
1.2.55 SH MISTRESS OVERDONE = Ed. F = Bawd. (throughout) 77 SH POMPEY = Ed. F = Clo. or Clow. (throughout)
1.3.19 morality = Ed. F = mortality
1.4.11 and witless = F2. F = witlesse 22 fourteen = F Some eds emend to nineteen 28 Becomes more = Ed. F = More 46 in = F. Some eds emend to me or it 50 me = Ed. F omits
1.5.2 SH FRANCISCA = Ed. F = Nun 58 giving-out = F. Some eds emend to givings-out
2.1.13 your = Ed. F = our
2.2.75 back again = F2. F = againe 118 now = F. Some eds emend to new or raw 121 ere = Ed. F = here 135 ne'er = F2 F = neuer
2.4.9 seared = Ed. F = feard 57 or = Ed. F = and 84 me be = F2. F = be
3.1.29 sire = Ed. F = fire 54 me ... them = Ed. F = them to hear me 74 Though = Ed. F = Through 99 enew = Ed. F = emmew 143 penury = F2. F = periury 225 by oath = F2. F = oath 297 eat, array = Ed. F = eate away 311 Free from = F2. F = From 409 dearer = Ed. F = deare 434 now ... yet = F. Some eds emend to not past it yet, 469 See = Ed. F = Sea 474 it is = Ed. F = as it is
4.1.24 well come = F. Some eds emend to welcome 62 quests = F2. F = Quest
4.2.42-44 = F. Some eds assign the speech to Abhorson 94 Happily Spelled Happely in F 100 Assigned to the Provost =Ed. F assigns to the Duke lordship's = Ed. F = Lords 101 Assigned to the Duke =Ed. F assigns to the Provost
4.3.14 Forthright = Ed. F = Forthlight Shoe-tie spelled Shootie in F 86 yonder = Ed. F = yond 128 convent spelled Couent in F
4.4.4 redeliver = Ed. F = re-liuer
4.5.6 Flavius' = Ed. F = Flavia's 8 Valentius = Ed. F = Valencius
5.1.14 me = Ed. F = we 188 her = F2 F = your 455 confiscation = F2. F = confutation 580 that's = F2. F = that
SCENE-BY-SCENE ANALYSIS
ACT 1 SCENE 1
The themes of law, power, and justice are established as the Duke of Vienna appoints Angelo as his substitute in his absence. This begins a series of character pairings and exchanges, generating questions on the nature of identity, linked to the theme of "disguise." Escalus expresses the "worth" of Angelo, which raises issues of the monetary or social "value" of individuals. Angelo arrives and the duke places him in charge of "Mortality and mercy in Vienna," a phrase that reflects the main concerns of the play, suggesting that this is not a conventional comedy. Angelo asks to be given some lesser test of his "mettle," but the duke insists that he has chosen Angelo and must leave at once. The theme of secrecy/concealment is evident, as the duke's destiny is unclear and his departure is deliberately private from his people.
ACT 1 SCENE 2
A second set of characters who generate much of the play's low, bawdy humor is introduced. Their setting is the taverns and brothels inhabited by pimps and prostitutes, a constant reminder of the theme of sex. The presence of prostitution also raises issues concerning human "worth," particularly that of women and their status and power within society.
Lucio is engaged in banter with two gentlemen when Mistress Overdone interrupts them to say that Claudio has been arrested for getting Juliet pregnant, thereby breaking Vienna's laws on premarital sex. Pompey, a bawd, comes to tell Mistress Overdone of a proclamation that all the brothels in Vienna are to be "plucked down," another sign of the changes under Angelo's rule. Mistress Overdone worries what will become of her, but Pompey reassures her that, though she changes her place, she "need not change [her] trade"--a bawdy quip, but perhaps also a reference to the constancy of identity beneath the various disguises/assumed identities throughout.
ACT 1 SCENE 3
The Provost leads Claudio to prison accompanied by Juliet, Lucio, and the gentlemen. Claudio protests at being shown "to th'world," but the Provost explains that these are Angelo's orders, an ironically public display of justice that contrasts with his later, concealed offenses. Lucio asks Claudio what he has done, and Claudio replies, "What but to speak of would offend again," raising the theme of speech and the potential power of words. He explains to Lucio that Juliet is pregnant but that they are "upon a true contract." They have been prevented from marrying because Juliet's relatives oppose the match and have retained her dowry, a circumstance that reinforces the pecuniary element to relationships, in marriage as well as prostitution. Claudio describes how laws of Vienna that were forgotten under the duke have been resurrected. This means he could face the death penalty for Juliet's pregnancy.
He asks Lucio to ask his sister, Isabella, who is about to enter a convent, to plead with Angelo on his behalf. He is confident in her ability to persuade him because of her youth and skill in the use of the "prosperous art" of language. Isabella's choice of chastity sets her apart from the other women in the play in sexual terms, and this reference to her command over language forms a stark contrast to Juliet, who has remained silent, perhaps a visual symbol of her powerlessness. Her pregnancy also serves as a thematic visual representation: the presence of both an impending birth and execution during the play provide constant reminders of the themes of life and death.
ACT 1 SCENE 4
The duke asks Friar Thomas for "secret harbour" at the monastery. He explains that his love of a reclusive existence has meant that the "strict statutes and most biting laws" of Vienna have been allowed to slip and the city has become a corrupt place where "liberty plucks justice by the nose." He feels that it would be hypocrisy to try to enforce these laws himself, having
given his people their liberty in the first place, and so he is leaving it to Angelo. He asks to be disguised as a friar, so that he can return to Vienna and secretly watch Angelo's progress: he wishes to see the effects of power on the "precise" (meaning puritanical) Angelo. This demonstrates the complicated characterization of the duke: he acknowledges his weak leadership and is addressing this, but in a way that absolves him of responsibility for any consequences. There also seem to be personal motives behind his behavior, with his "experiment" concerning the effects of power on the individual. The duke's exchange of roles reinforces the themes of switched identities and disguise.
ACT 1 SCENE 5
Isabella questions Francisca about life in the convent, expressing her desire for a life of "strict restraint," creating an ironic parallel with the self-disciplined Angelo. Lucio calls out, and Francisca sends Isabella to the door to learn why he is there. Lucio explains that Claudio is in prison for getting Juliet "with child." He describes Angelo in terms that support his characterization so far: his blood is "snow-broth" and he "never feels / The wanton stings and motions of the sense." He tells Isabella that "All hope is gone," unless she can "soften Angelo," as a warrant has been issued for Claudio's execution. He urges her to use her "power," although, ironically, it is a power that seems to come from female submission: the moving image of a "maiden" who "weep[s] and kneel[s]." Isabella agrees.
ACT 2 SCENE 1
Lines 1-43: Angelo argues that the law should not become a "scarecrow" for criminals to "perch" on rather than fear. Escalus agrees, but suggests that they could be more lenient, pleading on Claudio's behalf. He asks Angelo to remember that, at some point in his life, he may have "Erred" in the same way, but Angelo is unmoved, declaring that " 'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus / Another thing to fall." He adds that if he should ever commit the same crime as Claudio, then he would expect the same punishment. He orders that Claudio is executed by nine o'clock the next morning.
Lines 44-265: Elbow brings Pompey and Froth before Angelo and the scene takes a comic turn, contrasting with the preceding conversation. The themes remain the same, however: sex, corruption, and the law, emphasizing the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Humor is generated through the character of Elbow, a figure of fun with limited understanding and confusing habits of speech--malapropisms such as "benefactors" instead of "malefactors," for example. The confusion he creates is compounded by the foolishness of Froth and the innuendo and wordplay of Pompey, who is scornful of Elbow and his vague accusations. After a frustrating attempt to understand Elbow's purpose and conversation, Angelo leaves Escalus to deal with them. Escalus' attempts at interrogation are hindered by their nonsense and Pompey's increasingly bawdy humor. He eventually dismisses Froth and Pompey with a warning and instructs Elbow to bring him some names of other men who might become constables. The scene ends on a serious note as he grieves over Claudio's sentence.