There are also moments of great comedy, such as when Lucio is sentenced;
V.1 line 502 “Lucio :But I had rather it would please you that I might be whipped,
Duke: whipped first sir, then hanged after”
I feel that this last act of Measure for Measure is an incredibly satisfactory ending, it solves many of the simple and obvious problems. However it leaves some problems for you to contemplate.
There are many problems solved by the last act of Measure for Measure, and much justice doled out. I will attempt to summarise the main issues that are resolved.
Most prominent in the act is Isabella’s victory over Angelo. With the help of Marianna and Vincentio she succeeds in proving that Angelo indeed did proposition and then blackmail her. He is exposed as the lying, dishonourable man that he has become. It gives the reader no little satisfaction to see him brought down off his high horse and be forced to account for his misdeeds. Especially because this contrasts so strongly with his actions at the beginning of the act when he is accosted by Isabella before the Duke, when he uses his status to refute her;
V.1 line 36 “and she will speak most bitterly and strange”
It is a very satisfying conclusion to this thread of the storyline when Angelo is sentenced by the Duke.
The revelation of the Friar’s true identity as Duke Vincentio is both highly comical and quite serious. This unveiling is the tool by which all of the other problems are solved. We knew that it was going to happen, however it is still a relief when it does occur, because from that moment the reader knows that all the wrongs will be righted. Shakepeare ensures that we aren’t bored for a minute and ensures that the manner of the revelation is most comical;
V.1 lines 348-351 “Lucio: Come, sir; come, sir; come, sir; foh, sir! Why, you
bald-pated, lying rascal, you must be hooded, must
you? Show your knave's visage, with a pox to you!
show your sheep-biting face, and be hanged an hour!
Will't not off?
He pulls off the friars hood and discovers the duke”
Once the Duke has been unmasked, the first thing that he does is to order Angelo to wed Marianna. This is a satisfactory resolution to Marianna’s plight because she was previously rejected by Angelo, Marianna then pleads for Angelo’s life. The fact that Isabella joins in the pleas for her tormentor’s life shows that her character has matured over the course of the play. At the beginning she had to be encouraged to plead for her own brother’s life;
II.2 lines 42-46 “Isabella: O just but severe law!
I had a brother, then. Heaven keep your honour!
Lucio: [Aside to Isabella] Give't not o'er so: to him
again, entreat him;
Kneel down before him, hang upon his gown:
You are too cold; if you should need a pin,
You could not with more tame a tongue desire it:
To him, I say!”
However, here she is pleading on behalf of a man just as guilty, if not more so than her brother was. This resolves the matter of Isabella’s compassion. She has been portrayed earlier in the play as cold and unfeeling, however here we see that her character has evolved. This is an incredibly important issue that Shakespeare so effortlessly resolves and it increases the quality of the play’s conclusion. It is satisfying in a play when you feel that the characters have matured throughout it.
Angelo’s life is spared and we also are shown that his character is reformed. The strength of his remorse is powerful and leads us to believe that he will be more empathetic towards others in the future.
V.1 line 471- 474 “I am sorry that such sorrow I procure,
And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart,
That I crave death more willingly than mercy,
‘Tis my deserving, and I do entreat it”
The third of the major revelations in this act and the last serious issue to be solved is the re-emergence of Claudio. He is shown to be alive and is instructed by the duke to marry his love, Julietta;
V.1 line 522 “She, Claudio, that you wronged, look you restore”
This resolves the main theme of anxiety within the play. Claudio is no longer presumed dead by Isabella and Vincentio pardons Angelo because the sentence that he prescribed, namely;
V.1 line 439 “He dies for Claudio”
is no longer relevant.
The last subject that is wrapped up in Measure for Measure is the punishment of Lucio. This is highly amusing to the audience and is a satisfactory conclusion to this character’s role in the play. He has some good deeds to his credit, such as ensuring that Isabella pleads for Claudio’s life. He has however been fraudulent and currish in other matters, such as his mockery of Pompey as he is being taken to prison, or his slandering of the Duke. Although both of these are excellent comic scenes they show a less amiable side to his character. The final punishment of marrying a ‘punk’ is both fitting and hilarious. Shakespeare deals with him well.
I have dealt with many themes of the plot which were solved in the last act. However there are three major problems that are both created and left unresolved by the last act of Measure for Measure.
The first, most obvious and most pressing quandary is whether Isabella marries the Duke or not. The closing speech of the Duke shows that he clearly believes that she will acquiesce to his request;
V.1 lines 531-536 “Dear Isabel,
I have a motion much imports your good;
Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline,
What's mine is yours and what is yours is mine.
So, bring us to our palace; where we'll show
What's yet behind, that's meet you all should know.”
However, the audience may remain unclear as to whether she does accept his offer. The staging of the play often suggests acquiescence however this is just convention, the NT staging of the play showed her looking distraught at the suggestion.
Isabella does not say anything after the offer is made and if she were going to accept the offer, then surely Shakespeare would have her say so? Additionally it seems hard to believe that she would forsake her convent life in favour of the luxuriant life of being a duchess. Thirdly, although Isabella is clearly much indebted to Vincentio, that doesn’t mean that she will want to marry him. He is normally portrayed as a much older character, whereas Isabella is usually cast as young and elegant. This doesn’t seem like an obvious match.
The second, less obvious problem is whether Marianna will be happy with Angelo. It is clear that she loves him far more than he loves her, if indeed he does at all. A relationship like that is not stable. Although we are shown some evidence of a character reformation on his part, we cannot be sure that it has really taken place. Even if he was a perfectly tempered man, to be coerced into marriage isn’t the best formula for success. It is quite possible that he will abandon her and she will revert to her life of self-pity and dejection in her moated grange.
The last problem is whether the relationship between Claudio and Isabella will recover. She berated him very severely for suggesting that she acquiesce to Angelo’s demands, when a gentle let down might have been more in order. He in turn was absolutely distraught that he had weakened enough to ask her to do such a thing. I do think that they will make it up, however it would have been comforting to see them on good terms.
Overall I do think that this last act of Measure for Measure is a satisfactory conclusion to the play. A number of plot lines reach their climax and are resolved. Although it does leave a couple of major, and one minor problem unresolved, they do not detract from its sufficiency. Far from detracting from its adequacy, I feel that these unresolved difficulties increase its merits as an ending to the play. They leave something for the audience to think about and ensures that the ending is not too simplistic. Shakespeare does not treat us like children and spell out every last detail. To my mind, leaving some aspects of the conclusion to the audience’s own judgement makes this play more sophisticated and far less shallow than some of his comedies. This play ends on a positive note with two couples more or less successfully matched and order restored to Vienna, whilst it leaves the theatre goer to mull over the final fate of Isabella and Vincentio.
