Quotes (Measure for Measure)

This section explains the key quotes in Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare These quotes are pivotal for understanding the major themes in Measure for Measure, such as justice, mercy, power, sin, and hypocrisy. They also reveal the complexity of the characters, particularly Angelo, Isabella, and the Duke, as they grapple with these moral and ethical dilemmas.

 “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” (Act 2, Scene 1)

Speaker: Escalus

Context: Escalus reflects on the nature of justice and power, highlighting the moral ambiguity in the play. It suggests that people often gain power through sinful acts, while virtuous individuals suffer undeserved misfortune.

Significance: This quote encapsulates one of the play's central themes — the tension between sin and virtue, and how justice is often imperfect or arbitrary.

 “We must not make a scarecrow of the law.” (Act 2, Scene 1)

Speaker: Angelo

Context: Angelo argues that the law must be enforced consistently and should not be treated as something easily disregarded, like a scarecrow in a field.

Significance: This quote shows Angelo’s initial strict view of justice and his belief in harsh punishment. It foreshadows his later hypocrisy when he fails to abide by his own moral standards.

“The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept.” (Act 2, Scene 2)

Speaker: Angelo

Context: Angelo is explaining to Isabella why Claudio must be punished. He argues that although the law has not been strictly enforced in Vienna, it still holds authority.

Significance: Angelo uses this to justify his rigid enforcement of outdated laws. His rigid stance on justice contrasts with the Duke’s more lenient approach.

“O, it is excellent / To have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous / To use it like a giant.” (Act 2, Scene 2)

Speaker: Isabella

Context: Isabella pleads with Angelo for her brother’s life, using this metaphor to criticise the abuse of power.

Significance: This quote highlights the play’s theme of power and its potential for abuse. Isabella suggests that while authority is necessary, it must be used with restraint.

“Man, proud man, / Drest in a little brief authority.” (Act 2, Scene 2)

Speaker: Isabella

Context: Continuing her plea to Angelo, Isabella reflects on the arrogance of men in power, who wield their authority carelessly.

Significance: This quote criticises the temporary nature of power and the tendency for those in power to act tyrannically. It applies directly to Angelo, who is abusing his temporary authority.

“The tempter or the tempted, who sins most?” (Act 2, Scene 2)

Speaker: Angelo

Context: Angelo, after hearing Isabella’s impassioned plea, begins to realise his lust for her and reflects on the nature of sin, questioning whether the person who tempts or the person tempted is more guilty.

Significance: This is a crucial moment for Angelo, marking the beginning of his moral decline. It also raises the theme of sexual desire and moral responsibility in the play.

 “Go to your bosom; / Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know.” (Act 2, Scene 2)

Speaker: Isabella

Context: Isabella appeals to Angelo’s conscience, urging him to reflect inwardly and consider the mercy that he himself might one day need.

Significance: This quote speaks to the theme of mercy, one of the key contrasts with justice in the play. Isabella is asking Angelo to act with compassion rather than strict adherence to the law.

 “Let me be ignorant, and in nothing good, / But graciously to know I am no better.” (Act 2, Scene 4)

Speaker: Angelo

Context: Angelo, now fully aware of his sinful desires, admits to himself that he is not as morally superior as he thought.

Significance: This is a moment of self-awareness for Angelo, as he realises his hypocrisy. It reflects the play’s exploration of human frailty and moral ambiguity.

 “I will encounter darkness as a bride, / And hug it in mine arms.” (Act 3, Scene 1)

Speaker: Claudio

Context: Believing that he is about to die, Claudio resigns himself to his fate and personifies death as a bride he is about to embrace.

Significance: This quote shows Claudio’s acceptance of death and the play’s exploration of mortality. It also contrasts with his earlier desperation, reflecting his inner turmoil.

“The miserable have no other medicine / But only hope.” (Act 3, Scene 1)

Speaker: Claudio

Context: As Claudio prepares for his execution, he reflects on the power of hope as the only comfort for those in despair.

Significance: This quote highlights the theme of hope and human suffering. It reveals Claudio’s vulnerability and the limited options available to those condemned by the law.

“Might there not be a charity in sin / To save this brother’s life?” (Act 3, Scene 1)

Speaker: Claudio

Context: Claudio, desperate to live, momentarily considers whether Isabella should give in to Angelo’s demands to save him.

Significance: This moment shows Claudio’s fear of death and raises the moral dilemma of whether one sin (Isabella sacrificing her chastity) can justify saving a life.

“He who the sword of heaven will bear / Should be as holy as severe.” (Act 3, Scene 2)

Speaker: Duke Vincentio

Context: The Duke reflects on the qualities a ruler should possess, balancing severity with holiness or morality.

Significance: This quote reflects the Duke’s own philosophy of governance and highlights the theme of justice versus mercy. It criticises Angelo’s imbalance of justice without compassion.

“Truth is truth to the end of reckoning.” (Act 5, Scene 1)

Speaker: Isabella

Context: Isabella, in the final act, insists that her accusations against Angelo are true, even if it seems no one believes her.

Significance: This quote highlights Isabella’s steadfast belief in morality and justice. It reinforces her integrity and the idea that truth will prevail in the end.

“An Angelo for Claudio, death for death!” (Act 5, Scene 1)

Speaker: Duke Vincentio

Context: The Duke declares that Angelo will be punished in the same way Claudio was, suggesting an eye-for-an-eye form of justice.

Significance: This quote mirrors the strict justice that Angelo enforced, but the Duke’s ultimate decision to show mercy highlights the play’s exploration of forgiveness and the need for balance in justice.

“I crave death more willingly than mercy.” (Act 5, Scene 1)

Speaker: Angelo

Context: After his hypocrisy is exposed, Angelo begs for death, overwhelmed by guilt.

Significance: Angelo’s request for death illustrates his remorse and recognition of his wrongdoing. It contrasts with the Duke’s decision to show him mercy, furthering the theme of justice versus forgiveness.

“They say, best men are moulded out of faults.” (Act 5, Scene 1)

Speaker: Mariana

Context: Mariana pleads with the Duke to forgive Angelo, arguing that people become better through their mistakes.

Significance: This quote reinforces the theme of mercy and the idea that even those who sin can be redeemed. It highlights the play’s complex moral landscape, where characters are not wholly good or evil.

 “Mercy is not itself, that oft looks so; / Pardon is still the nurse of second woe.” (Act 2, Scene 1)

Speaker: Escalus

Context: Escalus warns Angelo that showing too much mercy can lead to further wrongdoing, as criminals may take advantage of leniency.

Significance: This quote addresses the dangers of excessive mercy, presenting the need for a balance between leniency and punishment, a key tension in the play.

 “But man, proud man, / Most ignorant of what he’s most assured.” (Act 2, Scene 2)

Speaker: Isabella

Context: Isabella criticises men’s arrogance, suggesting that those in power are often blind to their own moral failings.

Significance: This quote reflects the play’s focus on the corrupting influence of power and the theme of hypocrisy, particularly in figures like Angelo.

“The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept.” (Act 2, Scene 2)

Speaker: Angelo

Context: Angelo justifies his strict enforcement of Vienna’s laws, which had been ignored for some time.

Significance: This quote underscores Angelo’s rigid application of justice and foreshadows the consequences of his inflexible moral stance.

 “The doubleness of the benefit defends the deceit from reproof.” (Act 3, Scene 1)

Speaker: Duke Vincentio

Context: The Duke rationalises his plan to deceive Angelo, claiming that because it results in good outcomes, it justifies the use of deception.

Significance: This quote encapsulates the Duke’s pragmatic approach to justice and highlights the moral ambiguity in the play, where ends sometimes justify means.