Remember, we'll do an in-class writing over Act 5 on Friday, so I won't post questions after class. The questions below, as always, are about today's reading and discussion (Wednesday).
Answer two of the following:
Q1: Though we have no idea what Shakespeare really intended with this play, when it was first published in the Folio of his completed works, Measure for Measure was listed as a comedy. Why do you think this is, based on our reading so far? Does it suggest a certain dark humor in the play? Or a sense that we shouldn't take the moral implications and "dark corners" of the play too seriously? Or does the play offer the laughter of a Fool, who tells us the truth while seeming to be absurd?
Q2: Why do you think Isabella, who defies both her brother and Angelo, is so compliant to the Duke's wishes? Consider that even after she learns that Claudio has been killed, and the Duke tells her to keep up the facade, she replies, "I am directed by you" (4.3). Why would she be directed by him, a random Friar who has a dubious plan that seemingly fails to work?
Q3: What role does Lucio seem to perform in this play? He's a totally inconsequential character, and yet, as he tells the Duke, "I am a kind of burr; I shall stick" (4.3). Why do you think Shakespeare found his character attractive?
Q4: We discussed the Duke's connection between both King Lear and Hamlet in class today, which brings up a big point: do you think the Duke is mad? Angelo certainly thinks so, saying that "His actions show much like to madness" (4.4). Is there more method or madness in his actions so far? Does he seem to have a calculated, long-term plan? Or is he just making this up and he goes?
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