English 433
Dr. Desmet
Summer 1996
a. Heaven and Hell
1. In many ways, Measure for Measure takes for granted the Christian schema of good and evil about which other plays, such as Macbeth and King Lear, seem more skeptical. There is a lot of Christian vocabulary, but given that Measure is a problem comedy, is this framework really taken for granted? Wordcrunch on some of these terms to see whether the attribution of good and evil is a statement of a theological fact (some characters are good, others naturally bad) or whether these terms of value can be misconstrued or can shift from one character to another. Is there a firm belief in divinity and heaven or does it waver?
angel* and devil*You might also try the F2 function to see if angel and devil appear as a pair, defining the division of the world into absolute good and evil.
saint*
divine
damn*
evil* and good*
heaven (there are about 45 references!)
2. A particularly frequent word group centers on grace. (Do grace* and gracious*. Grace is the free gift of God's mercy (loosely speaking) that we receive without earning or deserving. Where does grace come from in this play? Who is it associated with?
3. There are also a few words that involve more of an emotional judgment of others' morality. Look to see how important these words are:
foul*What do these words mean in their contexts? When do people call each other false, foul, and abominable?
false*
abominable
4. Finally, look up the word from which this play takes its title: MEASURE. What is the
bible verse being alluded to here? How often does the word appear in the play?
b. Earthly Justice
1. This play deals with the mechanics of earthly law in a pretty technical way. To judge the relationship between judging an act and its actor or the person who committed the crime, look up these words:
act*
actor
2. Angelo says that his strict application of the law to Claudio's case is justice. Isabella disagrees. What is the relationship between law and justice? Wordcrunch "law*" and justic*.
3. The play also considers the possibility and problem of perjury in a legal system without the overriding power of God and fear of damnation. Look up these words to see who commits this particular crime. Why would he be susceptible to this crime?
forswear
forsworn
4. Measure for Measure represents both the crime of fornication and the exactment of punishment in economic terms. An out-of-wedlock child is a species of counterfeiting and paying for crime is a forfeiture. How does this intrusion of economics into a play about devils and angels influence your understanding of its justice? Look up:
commission
forfeit*
recompense*
usury
usuries
coin*
5. There are some words which link heavenly and earthly justice. They are:
confess
repent
What does this overlap in frameworks for justice tell you about the relationship between the two kinds of justice? Is the best human justice also divine?
6. Another problem in the human judicial system is the nature of authority. Look up this word to see why authority might lead to injustice rather than justice.
7. What does it mean that at least in Elbow's vocabulary, a benefactor and a malefactor can be confused or that the categories could be reversed?
8. Finally, what does the play say about one person's right to judge another at all?
Wordcrunch on judg*.
a. Marriage One of the critical cruxes of Measure for Measure involves the legality and legitimacy of Claudio's marriage to Juliet and of Mariana's betrothal to Angelo. Wordcrunch on these terms to find the important discussions of both the legality of these liaisons:
affianc*
betrothed
denunciation
dowry
wife
b. Virginity and Chastity
1. Another well-known crux of the play is the legitimacy of Isabella's choice of chastity over her brother. Advocates of the position that Isabella should have sacrificed her viraginity to save Claudio's life argue that there is a difference between virginity and chastity. Virginity is a state of physical intactness, chastity a state of mind that does not depend on physical technicalities. (You can be chaste in marriage, for instance.) Wordcrunch on
virgin*
chaste
chastity
maid*
After doing the Wordcruncher, I was less sure that there is a real distinction between them. If there isn't, then Isabella's insistence on keeping her virginity is correct and right. Look also to see who talks about virginity and chastity. Who is obsessed with the topic?
2. Look also at the relationship between these words and the virtue to which Claudio appeals in order to convince Isabella to sleep with Angelo: Charity. Many critics agree with him that Isabella's refusal to yield up her virginity is an uncharitable act, unworthy of a nun. What is the relation between charity and chastity in this play? Wordcrunch on charit*.
3. There are also some related male virtues. Who is credited with abstinence or continence and how are these virtues or conditions related to virginity and chastity? What does it mean to be born between two stock-fish?
4. Finally, look up the word virgin-violator. This is the only time this handy epithet
appears in all of Shakespeare's work!
c. Crime and Vice
1. This play is a veritable anthology of sexual crimes and vices. Look them up to see if there is any hierarchy of sexual crime and licentious behavior. What penalties must be paid for these particular crimes? Are some worse than others?
usury
adult* (as in adultery)
cuckold*
fornication
bawd* lechery
lecherous
vice*
unclean*
liberty
license lust
2. What is the difference between a vice or sexual crime and a sin? Wordcrunch on "sin."
3. Only one person in the play refers to sexual vice in terms of the shocking crime of incest. What is the logic of this equation and why should this particular character see sexual license as a species of incest?
4. Wordcrunch on drunk to see what one character is associated with drunkenness in this play.
5. In Measure for Measure there are also some crimes and vices that are more political or theological in nature. Are they more or less forgivable than sexual crimes?
calumny
slander*
sland*
blasphem*
6. Finally, there are some shifting words that suggest ways in which behavior can be described without being legally or theologically condemned in the most rigorous way:
fault*Look to see who uses this relatively amoral vocabulary. My favorite word in this group is "fault." Use the OED to see what meanings "fault" has. What does it mean that Claudio's crime is described as a fault?
frail*
blemish
(sweet) uncleanness
7. There are human motives behind both good and bad acts in this play. Some of the more interesting words that complicate the good and evil framework for evaluating human behavior are:
affect* (affection should be familiar from WT)Wordcrunch also on heart* to see how the human heart can be a source of both good and evil. How do these forces complicate the very idea of judging human acts?
blood*
fantastical (The Duke's behavior is fantastical, according to Lucio)
8. Measure for Measure provides an interesting catalogue of the professions that surround the business of sexual vice. Check out these terms for sex workers and entrepreneurs:
knaveWhat does it mean that the Duke himself becomes associated with these professionals?
bawd*
flesh-monger
medlar*
whore*
giglets
tapster*
drab* stew*
1. This play is a comedy in at least one sense, because no one actually dies. Yet the words dies and death occur frequently. Wordcrunch on death* and die* to see what imaginative role death plays in the moral world of this play. Who fears it and who doesn't? Why?
2. The plot of Measure for Measure relies heavily on clothing and disguise. Wordcrunch on
disguise* (you'll get some stage directions here, that will show you how disguise appears physically on the stage)
habit (as in the nun's clothing)
What is the relation between truth and clothing or appearance?
3. In my explorations I realized that eyes and faces were important, if sometimes misleading indexes to a character's moral nature. Wordcrunch on
eye*Who is good at reading faces correctly and who is not?
face*