Measure for Measure - Angelo

Middleditch, freudian critic on Angelo’s id and superego (and his evilness)

His id has not taken over; his true villany arises from his maintained illusion of the super-ego

what is middleditch saying in the above

Angelo is essentially the master manipulator of M4M - and his feigned morality makes him all the more evilness.

Critic the critic (middleditch)

Correct in painting him as a villain, but gives him too much slack - Isabella has no presence of the id or super-ego, transcending freudian ideals and making freudian theory a bit redundant for M4M especially angelo and isabella’s relationship

Coleridge, 19th century, anti-angelo quote

Angelo’s cruelty and lust is damnable

Angelo and the play’s theme of justice (coleridge)

our feelings of justice are greatly wounded in Angelo’s escape

critic the critic (coleridge)

Not much to say… he is entirely correct - Angelo is a big fat liar and lustful freak ( but we can argue that the Duke is just as bad - making his harsh criticism of Angelo slightly unjustified)

what is the central debate/theme of the play (according to middleditch)

Measure for measure becomes a play about balance, not just the forces of liberty and justice but the opposing forces within all of us

Schanzer, 20th century critic on Angelo (also Isabella)

Angelo and Isabella lack perosnality and cling to the rules. They do not make any true actions.

Schanzer 20th century (more on Angelo and Isabella)

They are simply pawns for the duke

Critic the critic (Schanzer)

Angelo defies social code whilst being a conformist (so doesn’t exactly cling to the rules). However, can argue I and A essentially do nothing throughout M4M and Duke is the vehicle to move the story (mostly agreement w/him)

J.W. Lever (20th century) - Angelo’s character as an archetype.

Angelo is the stock dramatic character of the corrupt magistrate, and would’ve been recognised as such by a jacobean audience.

J.W. Lever (20th century) what does angelo stand for

He stands for the old law before Christian liberty and morality

Critic the critic (lever)

Pair with middleditch - who says Angelo (and the play) stand for balance, whereas lever says old law over liberty and morality. Excuses Angelo’s behaviours as apart of archaic tradition - anti-feminist and accepting that Jacobean society was inherently misogynistic.

W. Sypher (20th century) On Angelo & genre in one

The situation of Angelo, not the character of Angelo is the play’s comedy

Sypher critic the critic

N/A for the moment,,,, come back to when revising themes

Aronson, 20th century, what does shakespeare try to do with Angelo’s character

Demonstrate the split personality between public & private. “Shakespeare portrays the man’s inability to live up to the mask he has portrayed to the rest of the world”

critic the critic - aronson

Mostly correct - his reading of Angelo shows him to be a failure (theme of appearance vs. reality). Cannot become what he projects himself as —> possible link to superego?

G. Wilson Knight (early 20th Century) - quote defending Angelo & excusing his mistake under the duke

“A is a man of spotless reputation & integrity who has no fears of the justice of enforcing obidience. The Duke’s plan is therefore a trap/scheme to test if extreme ascetic righteousness can withstand the test of power”

Critic the critic - Wilson Knight

Defends Angelo’s actions in power as extreme righteousness & excuses his morally dubious actions. Focuses on Angelo in the political and public sphere to judge his morality rather than his inner self.

Eagleton, 20th Century - what actually is angelo

Angelo is a man trying to uphold the law, yet by doing so puts women in a situation the law tried to avoid.

Eagleton, 20th century - whats the problem w angelo/why is he doing that

Angelo’s strong will [re. Isabella] is where problems arise, as we question why/what his motivations are

Critic the critic (Eagleton) (think justice aka the photo)

Eagleton alludes to Angelo’s motivations being his creepiness, and also hints at his 1 dimensional outlook on things - justice clouds his vision. Could question the success of being set on justice

A2 S4 quote for Angelo being manipulative and icky

Who will believe thee Isabella… my false o’erweighs your true

A2S2 for Angelo’s cold hearted, justice driven character

It is the law, not I, that condemns your brother

A2S1 quote from Justice (random) on public perception of angelo

Lord Angelo is severe

Marianna’s opinion on Angelo

that cruel angelo

Angelo’s strict and unforgiving view on justice/the law (the photo is a hint)

we must not make a scarecrow of the law

A2S2 quote from Angelo about sin, justice and also moral dilemma of the play (can be read with feminist undertones)

“The tempter or tempted, who sins most, ha”

Angelo is cold and unemotive (literally)

A man whose blood is very snow broth

Angelo is cold, unemotive and doesn’t have urges/desires (pair this with Middleditch & Freud)

one who never feels the wanton stings and motions of the sense

A2S1 Angelo saying he is above temptation

Tis one thing to be tempted, another thing to fall

A2S4 angelo’s ego is getting out of hand (use for feminist reading, looking at power imbalances)

I [am] the voice of the recorded law

2019 DT+ (Doran’s) production of M4M’s stylistic choice for Angelo

He wore a chastity belt that he purposefully harmed himself with - showing his forceful repression of earthly desires (connect with middleditch & forcibly hiding the id with super-ego).

Alt. reading is that Angelo is punishing himself for being human, something that he gets over as the play progresses and he develops as a character

A5 S1 Angelo quote (search up what this acc means cus im a bit confused…)

I crave death more willingly than mercy

A5 S1 Angelo quote (him being lowkey vain and also shows evolution of his character - becoming more ‘human’)

They say the best men are moulded out of faults.

Isabella A5S1 talking about Angelo’s lust

To his concupiscible intemperate lust

Isabella 2.2

Oh it is excelletn to have a giants strength but it is tyrannous as a giant