238 MEASURE FOR MEASURE
that they have much in common, but
the context in which they first meet
is crucial in defining the dynamic
of their relationship. Isabella finds
herself before a figure of immense
authority, and faces the challenge
of persuading him to overturn the
death sentence he has placed on
her brother. Two strictly principled
individuals must find it within
themselves to forgive a sinful act.
Shakespeare lends Isabella a
powerfully persuasive voice. Her
speeches suggest a keen intellect
and a compassionate heart. She
finds ways to prick Angelo’s
conscience, to unearth doubts and
anxiety. “If he had been as you and
you as he, / You would have slipped
like him, but he, like you, / Would
not have been so stern” (2.2.66–68).
At other times her speeches remind
Angelo of his shared humanity: “Go
to your bosom; / Knock there, and
ask your heart what it doth know /
That’s like my brother’s fault?”
(2.2.140–142). Ultimately, her words
have the desired effect—to shame
Angelo into reconsideration: “O, it
is excellent / To have a giant’s
strength, but it is tyrannous / To
use it like a giant” (2.2.109–111).Persuasive power
The question for readers and
audiences is whether it is Isabella’s
words alone, or also her physical
appearance that affect Angelo.
With Lucio and the Provost present,
Angelo maintains his image of
the stern authoritarian, but his
behavior alters dramatically when
Isabella returns as instructed for
their second meeting, in private.
When she returns, Isabella
promises to “bribe” (2.2.149)
Angelo, but as she goes on to
explain “Not with fond shekels ofthe tested gold, / Or stones, whose
rate are either rich or poor / As
fancy values them; but with true
prayers, / That shall be up at
heaven and enter there / Ere
sunrise” (2.2.153–157). Is Isabella’s
“bribe” completely innocent, or
is there a sense in which she
manipulates her womanliness as
Lucio has instructed her to? Her
brother had confidence in her
chances of getting his death
sentence overturned because he
believed that “in her youth / There
is a prone and speechless dialect /
Such as move men” (1.2.170–172).
Whether Isabella “moves”
Angelo, or whether he discovers
unknown passions within is a
matter of debate. Either way,
Angelo moves from being a law
enforcer to a corrupt abuser of
power: “I have begun, / And now I
give my sensual race the rein. / Fit
thy consent to my sharp appetite. /
...Redeem thy brother / By yielding
up thy body to my will, / Or else he
must not only die the death, / But
thy unkindness shall his death
draw out / To ling’ring sufferance”You bid me seek redemption
of the devil.
Isabella
Act 5, Scene 1This early 19th-century engraving
depicts the moment in Act 5, Scene 1
when Mariana takes off her veil: “My
husband bids me; now I will unmask.”
Unveiled, she denounces “cruel Angelo.”Sweet sister, let me live.
Claudio
Act 3, Scene 1