In this episode of "Shakespeare Uncovered," the actress Romola Garai leads the viewer through one of Shakespeare's most complex plays from the perspective of the character Isabella.
The filmmakers have again drawn upon a range of clips from stage and television productions of "Measure for Measure." Garai begins by describing the Vienna depicted in the play as "a world on the brink of moral collapse, an the play depicts three elements of society: sex, power, and men.
For the depravity of Vienna in the play, the chief metaphor is the bawdy house. A volume of Sonnets written by the Italian author Aratino is held up as an example of Renaissance moral turpitude in Italy in a volume that included pornographic illustrations. The book was published in London, and Shakespeare refers to the artist who completed the drawings in his play "The Winter's Tale."
The filmmakers make an absurd stretch of the imagination to compare the author Will Shakespere of Stratford to Angelo when he impregnated Anne Hathaway out of wedlock in 1582. Another big leap was made in the hypothesis that the character Isabella was named after an obscure English nun prior to the Reformation; the nun's name was Isabella Shakespeare.
The area that they should have investigated was the author's knowledge of contemporary legal cases about marriage and adultery that formed the basis for "Measure for Measure." Much time is spent in analyzing Shakespeare's dialogue as a legal debate, especially in the two crucial scenes with Angelo and Isabella. The producers of the episode dropped the ball by not studying the legal precedents of the age that the author of "Measure for Measure" obviously knew. Dr. Paul Edmonson talks about how "every writer cannot keep themselves out of the work." The author of "Measure for Measure" was presenting his legal background and training in this play. The program never acknowledges that this is an author who was steeped in the law.
The strength of the program was the analysis of the moral dilemma and "what happens when lust corrupts power." The moment of truth arrives when Angelo spells it out for Isabella: "Plainly conceive, I love you." And when Isabella threatens to expose him, Angelo's chilling reply is: "Who will believe thee, Isabel?" For Garai, these words comprise "an eternal line."
The program effectively breaks down the ambiguous ending of "Measure for Measure." Garai is correct when she asserts that Isabella "must be horrified" at the Duke's brazen wedding proposal. For scholar Jonathan Bate, the ending is a "parody" of the traditional comedies that end in multiple weddings. Yet the genius of Shakespeare is that in this play, no reply is given by Isabella to the Duke.
The filmmakers have again drawn upon a range of clips from stage and television productions of "Measure for Measure." Garai begins by describing the Vienna depicted in the play as "a world on the brink of moral collapse, an the play depicts three elements of society: sex, power, and men.
For the depravity of Vienna in the play, the chief metaphor is the bawdy house. A volume of Sonnets written by the Italian author Aratino is held up as an example of Renaissance moral turpitude in Italy in a volume that included pornographic illustrations. The book was published in London, and Shakespeare refers to the artist who completed the drawings in his play "The Winter's Tale."
The filmmakers make an absurd stretch of the imagination to compare the author Will Shakespere of Stratford to Angelo when he impregnated Anne Hathaway out of wedlock in 1582. Another big leap was made in the hypothesis that the character Isabella was named after an obscure English nun prior to the Reformation; the nun's name was Isabella Shakespeare.
The area that they should have investigated was the author's knowledge of contemporary legal cases about marriage and adultery that formed the basis for "Measure for Measure." Much time is spent in analyzing Shakespeare's dialogue as a legal debate, especially in the two crucial scenes with Angelo and Isabella. The producers of the episode dropped the ball by not studying the legal precedents of the age that the author of "Measure for Measure" obviously knew. Dr. Paul Edmonson talks about how "every writer cannot keep themselves out of the work." The author of "Measure for Measure" was presenting his legal background and training in this play. The program never acknowledges that this is an author who was steeped in the law.
The strength of the program was the analysis of the moral dilemma and "what happens when lust corrupts power." The moment of truth arrives when Angelo spells it out for Isabella: "Plainly conceive, I love you." And when Isabella threatens to expose him, Angelo's chilling reply is: "Who will believe thee, Isabel?" For Garai, these words comprise "an eternal line."
The program effectively breaks down the ambiguous ending of "Measure for Measure." Garai is correct when she asserts that Isabella "must be horrified" at the Duke's brazen wedding proposal. For scholar Jonathan Bate, the ending is a "parody" of the traditional comedies that end in multiple weddings. Yet the genius of Shakespeare is that in this play, no reply is given by Isabella to the Duke.
