Lord Angelo In Measure For Measure

We all make mistakes, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure covers the story of a young man name Claudio that who impregnates a woman that he is not married to. This leads the authorities to find out and he is sentenced to death for fornification by Lord Angelo who is currently ruling in place of the Duke who left the city of Vienna recently. In reality, the Duke lied about where he was going and disguises himself. The disguised Duke will be a powerful force to be reckoned with, his extreme subtly allows him to control and manipulate the situation freely. At this time Claudio appeals to his sister Isabella, an aspiring nun to use her good virtue to appeal to Lord Angelo. At first Angelo has a heart of stone and is unmoved by her pleas for her brother’s life, he asks her to return tomorrow. Shortly after their meeting Lord Angelo realizes that he lusts for Isabella. The next day, he tries to explain to her that if she sacrifices her virtue she can save her brother’s life, she’s naive and eventually Angelo states his intentions clearly. This sets up the primary dynamic for the play. Measure for Measure is named appropriately because it follows the actions or measures of the Duke throughout the play, although this is likely folly …show more content…
However, before that occurs much of what transpires is driven by the manipulation of the Duke. He is a very deceptive man and rather skilled with subtly as well. He starts the play off by lying to Lord Angelo about why he’s leaving Vienna which leads to a trail of manipulation of the affairs, get it affairs because it’s about sex outside of marriage haha, within the play. By the end of the play he also manages a number of tasks in his favor such as arranging his own marriage. I think we can all learn a lot from the Duke, subtly, deception and manipulation are astronomically wondrous ways of getting what you want in