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Essay / A Critic's View of Isabella: Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
“Different audiences respond to Isabella in different ways. » Show how Shakespeare's presentation of Isabella could lead to a wide range of responses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The mere mention of Isabella's name seems to strike an indignant fear in the literary critic's heart. His character divides them into factions with opposing interpretations, just as his moral dilemma divides the audience. In Quiller-Couch's words, critics make her "two opposing women and praise or blame her accordingly." As Measure For Measure has aged, new dimensions of moral outrage and blind exoneration have been added to this complexity, which is, essentially, the confused reactions of writers and audiences to Isabella's decision in the face of "sadism » by Angelo. -Couch (1922), there is a "rancid" element in Isabella's chastity which surfaces when she transforms into a "mere matchmaker" substituting Marianna's shameful body for her own. It highlights the gap between Isabelle's moral "right choice" and her own deplorable self-preservation. Rosalind Miles (1976) also notes his "unscrupulous desire to place another head on the block intended for him" after the unwavering rightness of his decision to refuse Angelo. This could perhaps be seen as evidence of Isabelle's fall from grace. Is it possible that she came to the wrong conclusion about her dilemma? Mary Suddard (1909) came to a completely opposite conclusion when faced with the same play. She describes how Isabelle is a representation of “puritanism at its most favorable…intense in her moderation, passionate in her self-control.” This particularly puritanical paradox is confronted with "real life" and the full consequences of human frailty and immorality, before reaching a new moral level where Isabella's first training at the convent was "not only transcended but unconsciously condemned. The noble rules of Isabella's faith are transformed into narrow constraints, just as the locked gates and walled gardens of her walls are, at the end of the play, about to be replaced by the Duke's palace of light . Many critics are quick to condemn Isabelle for her behavior. “triumphant preservation of chastity” (Ellis-Fermor 1936). More shocking to Mrs Lennox in 1753 was Isabella's abuse of her brother: "This torrent of abusive language, these crude and unfeminine reflections on her mother's virtue, her exultant cruelty towards the dying youth are the ways of an affected prude, scandalous in her mind. his apparent virtue; not a pious, innocent and tender spirit. » Mrs Lennox proclaims Isabella "a vixen" for her cruelty and ferocity in Act 3, and perhaps she is right in thinking that, whatever her distress, Isabella's rage at the desperate attempts of Claudio was doomed to failure. to save his life could not be exonerated. Nevertheless, JW Lever (1965) tried, pointing out that this was "her second male solicitation in a short time" and that the trusted brother she was counting on for rescue betrayed her, thus dashing her hopes of salvation . Thus, the once clear waters of social acceptance are muddied again. He suggests, however, that although Isabella pleads for her brother's life, her actions go against her true beliefs, managing to comment on the extremely unusual form of Isabella's plea for mercy. Far from trying to justify her brother, she questions Angelo's ability to judge other human beings and.