NOTE: Be sure to read past Act 1 through Act 2.2 since Act 1 is very short in this play, and a better cut-off point is Act 2.2.
Since we couldn't watch Act 1 in class today (!!), here are some notes that might help you in your reading of the play. Also note the scene summaries at the beginning each scene in the Folder edition of the play--they can be very helpful!
Act 1.1: The DUKE is giving his power to ANGELO to see if he can tame the people's taste for vice and debauchery, which has gotten out of hand. He thinks it's unfair to suddenly introduce harsh laws since he more or less let such behavior flourish under his reign. ESCALUS is his second-in-command who learns about this first, and is told to assist Angelo.
Act 1.2: LUCIO is a man-about-town and a friend to CLAUDIO. He learns that the brothels are being closed and anyone who commits a sin, such as sex before marriage, will be punished severely. Claudio has been accused of just such a crime, since he slept with his fiancee, JULIET, out of wedlock. He speaks with Claudio on the way to prison, and Claudio entreats him to talk to his sister, ISABELLA, before she takes holy orders as a nun. If anyone can convince Angelo to save his life, she can.
Act 1.3: the DUKE talks with FRIAR THOMAS, who helps him disguise himself as a fellow brother. The Duke explains why he has skipped out of town, only to return secretly to watch Angelo's affairs. He believes that Angelo is an extremely virtuous man who might, if possible, be too virtuous. So he wants to test him.
Act 1.4: Lucio convinces Isabella to entreat Angelo to save her brother's life.
Act 2.1: A long, 'comic' scene, where Angelo and Escalus hear the testimony of ELBOW, an officer, against FROTH and POMPEY. Elbow has the very comic ailment known as "malapropism," which means when a character uses a negative word for a positive meaning. For example, he often calls his superiors "vagrants," and calls the criminals "benefactors" (instead of malefactors). He goes on and on and doesn't make a very convincing case against the pair, whom he thinks have debauched his wife (which they don't exactly deny). Escalus finally sends him away with not much accomplished.
Act 2.2: The 'big' scene where Isabella petitions Angelo, at first unsucessfully, but gradually more and more persuasively until he relents--almost. He tells her to come back tomorrow, and then has a soliloquy which shows how attracted he is to her 'virtue.' Note Isabella's language in this scene, which is extraordinarily powerful and some of Shakespeare's greatest writing. She clearly blows him out of the water.
REMEMBER: No questions until after class on Wednesday. Then I'll give you "post reading/discussion questions," and you can answer them anytime between Wednesday and Friday. This way, you can focus on reading and not have to scramble to finish the questions right after class. Remember, too, that Paper #3 is due on Friday!
See you next week!
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