Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare Essay

I am always tell by you Mariana I am directed by you Isabella. Both these lines ar addressed to the Duke. What do they suggest near wo manpower status in this play? What other evidence can you fetch to support your view? time for rate is a play indite by William Shakespeare in the seventeenth century which crucially presents the role of women. Women were viewed as pure and were not expected to be promiscuous, simply dependent on men with few options or selects.Shakespeares interpretation of women in flier for Measure very much reflects societys sagaciousness of women at the time, where men had more freedom and should be given more evaluate than women. The society at that time was a patriarchal one, where a staminate was a considered a God like figure and ultimately the leader, and infra him was the king and past the nobles. However, although the society gave men more rights than women, Measure for Measure demonstrates that men withal had more responsibilities.This i s shown through the situation with Claudio and Juliet, as although they are both equally to blame for Juliets pregnancy, it is Claudio facing the death penalty. The women of Measure for Measure are genearned run averagelly quite low in the ranks of enormousness and respect they are not spoken of with any importance. Juliet is the object of Claudios sexual release and Mariana is the long lost forgotten fiancee of Angelo, who was put away by him when she lost her dowry in a shipwreck.The only woman who kind of breaks the trend of the lowly women is Isabella, who has the courage to stand up to Angelo for her chastity. In the get-go half she is pushed between Angelo and Claudio patch she decides what to do and refuses to respond Angelos advances, then in the second half, she takes her orders from the Duke which shows that on the other hand she is assuage obedient toward the Duke, following all of his instructions. In Act V, Scene 1, the Duke shows his opinion of women when talking to Mariana, he says Why, you are nothing then neither maid, leave behind nor wife.According to the Dukes point of view, the other woman who rightfully is free is Mistress Overdone as she earns her own money and is able-bodied to get some freedom at least she doesnt take up to stay at home cooking. The main female character in Measure for Measure is Isabella she represents a very pure female character. This is first seen at the start of the play by the fact that she is training to break a nun and by the strong Christian values she appears to corroborate. This is then emphasized later when she is told her brothers career forget be saved if he agrees to sleep with Angelo.She refuses this offer, placing her chastity and her Christian values higher up her own life. This illustrates that a womans purity is highly valued, while a woman being promiscuous is not accepted. Mariana is another female character in the play and she is quite different to Isabella. None of these ternion men, Angelo, Claudio or the Duke, seem to think that her Choice matters- her body is to be bargained for whether for lust, life or love.When the duke asks Mariana to allow him a private discussion with Isabella, she replies, I am always bound to you, as if she is speaking to an old friend. And again, when the duke tells her he regard her, she answers that she knows it and has found it to be true, suggesting a long-term relationship. This statement also shows that she is his subject. The adjectival bound means that she is obliged to do as he wishes and also compelled to do so. She uses the adverb always to him which shows that she will always follow his example and will do his will in any condition.Her absolute trust is manifested when she agrees to will her chastity as the Friar asks. In the Jacobean society Shakespeare lived in, women would have always done as they were bid by order of men, but especially if the order was given by a man of religion. These words show the absolu te compliance that the Duke is able to gain through enough a disguise (pseudo-)friar. The Duke abuses this religious power to gain insight into hatfuls souls for his own ends.He knows that Angelo wishes Isabella to give up the treasures of her body and uses the cardinal women to gain more power over Angelo. The same applies to when Isabella says to the Duke, I am directed by you, this statement also shows how women respected men and how men were above in authority. As mentioned above, there are no unaffiliated women in Measure for Measure, this is not strange, considering the setting and Shakespeares own era there are prostitutes and nuns who are given no chance to watch their own lives most of all they seem to have no choice in any matter.