Measure for Measure Lies and Deceit Quotes Page 1
(Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Riverside edition.
| Quote #1 Supply me with the habit and instruct me |
When the Duke admits that he's suspicious of Angelo, we have to wonder what kind of a man would leave his dukedom in Angelo's hands while he traipses around pretending to be a friar.
Brain Snack: Some literary critics read the Duke's behavior as an allusion to King James I's style of government. As scholar Marjorie Garber points out, it was well known that James (a deeply religious guy who sat on the throne when Shakespeare wrote Measure for Measure) liked to spy on his subjects.
| Quote #2 ISABELLA |
When corrupt Angelo warns Isabella not to tattle on him because he'll deny everything and nobody will believe Isabella over him, we learn something about the relationship between power and gender. Isabella is a mere woman and Angelo is a man in a position of great authority. Yet, when Duke Vincentio overhears Isabella talking to Claudio about Angelo's proposition, he does believe her.
| Quote #3 Haste you speedily |
Shakespeare sure does like the "bed trick" as a plot device, wouldn't you say? Here, the Duke advises Isabella to agree to a secret rendezvous with Angelo, but to send Mariana in her place.
Brain Snack: Something similar goes down in Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well (c.1604), where Bertram thinks he's hooking up with Diana but is tricked into sleeping with Helena. There's also a bed trick in the Bible, when Leah is substituted for Rachel on Jacob's wedding night in Genesis 29. Check out "Quotes: Marriage" if you want to know more about this.
