We have some hypocrites on our hands...

    I'm just going to be blunt here and say that the hypocrisy in this play is getting me very frustrated. I'm beginning to see why critics say Measure for Measure is a "problem play." The characters are full of contradictions, and Shakespeare leaves me with so many questions after each scene.

     It is hard to draw conclusions and see the character's reasoning for their actions through the first few scenes because we don't have a prologue. I am still wondering why the Duke is stepping down, and why he appointed Angelo--it just doesn't make sense. In Act 1 Scene 3 the Duke says he can't balance his personal character and his public duties, reasoning his resignation. This is questionable to me. He says that he had trouble enforcing the law in Vienna, as chaos ruled over authority. If he had trouble enforcing the laws and eventually gave up, then how could it have affected his character? If we had a prologue, we may have been able to understand why he is making such sudden decisions. We also learn that the Duke appoints Angelo because he holds high morals, is trustworthy, and is talented.  If these are the reasons the Duke says he chose Angelo to rule, then how come he want's to investigate his true nature by disguising himself as a friar? It's pretty ironic that the Duke want's to see Angelo's true character while concealing himself in the process.

     While the Duke is ironic, I think Angelo is the biggest hypocrite of them all. In Act 1, the Duke compares Angelo to gold coins, as coins were seen as "fine," angelic, and genuine. But by Act 2, it was obvious that Angelo is none of these things. When Angelo meets Isabella, he is unmoved by her begging of him to have mercy on Claudio. He believes that instilling the law will prevent "future evils" (98), but as Isabella talks to him, he responds in an arrogant tone, suggesting that the power has gone to his head. What frustrated me the most, however, was that Angelo is attracted to Isabella. But it's what he is attracted to that is the most maddening: her virtue. He states, "Shall we desire to raze the sanctuary / And pitch our evils there? Dost thou desire her foully for those things / That make her good?" (175-76, 178-179). Angelo is saying that he is attracted to Isabella's chastity. He desires her dignity, but ultimately wants to destroy it. This makes Angelo evil in my view, because destroying her virtue would destroy her life as a nun. And, does Angelo realize that if he had relations with Isabella, that he would be hypocritical in how he is dealing with the relationship between Claudio and Juliet?

    I guess the comparison of Angelo to an angel-like gold coin is ironic. As he showed in Act 2, he lacks morals and is evil-spited. Will Angelo's annoyingly hypocritical and evil nature be revealed?

I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I can't promise anything.