DUKE VINCENTIO Flashcards
introduction
Duke Vincentio is the Supreme Authority figure in Vienna, Shakespeare presents him to be highly complex, multi-faceted, unpredictable, moral yet flawed character. his role in simple words in the play is as a religious mastermind. Literary Critic, Goldberg refers to him as analogous to god.
Language and Style
the Duke speaks eloquently, with poetic soliloquies reoccurring throughout the play. this displays his great wisdom and knowledge. Shakespeare often has his upper social background characters speak in verse. this tells the audience of the character- in this case the Duke’s elaborate social position.
he speaks with determination, showing strength of character and morality. the inner rhymings in his words and the elevated speech all add to the dramatisation of his royalty and wisdom.
Duke as a Mastermind
The Duke, much like Friar Lawrence from Romeo and Juliet is a religious mastermind. from the first act itself he implements his first grand plan, to use his Deputy Angelo to reinstate the laws of Vienna.
one of the speculated reasons for the Duke to be leaving absolute authority to Angelo is that he was previously suspicious of his virtue(knowledge of mariana) this means not only was the transfer of authority a ploy to come back to a disciplined city with his hands clean, it was also a ploy to have his suspicions confirmed perhaps for the sake of exposing him through a grand public gesture.
he controls almost every aspect of the play and any variables are quickly neutralised. to give credit where credit is due; despite the moral ambiguity the Duke is smart, thinks on his toes and his sense of foresight is commendable. a lack of any of these intellectual abilities would lead his plans to fail miserably.
therefore his obvious fondness of grand gestures and elaborate schemes can deduce his poignant selfishness in much of the play.
Personally i believe that the duke is more of an anti-hero than the glorified protagonist that he is presented to be. his initial scheme(Angelo reinstate the laws of Vienna) paints him as a Machiavellian character (elaborate) manipulating and using others for his own benefit is a common occurrence for the duke. His plan was always to present himself as a great, virtuous, merciful, clever and cunning leader, so when the debacle between Isabella and Angelo fell into his lap he tries his best to dramatise it further. He lies to Isabella regarding Claudio’s death so that her devastation would add to the build up to the climax.
even directly referred to as a divine being near the end of the play, it further cements the fact that Shakespeare intended to present him as a godly figure.
he directly influences the actions and emotions of his subjects and delegates to manipulate the situation into his desired outcome.
by the end the duke’s grand plan overshadows everyone else and he is at the center. symbolizing how his surroundings revolve around him. he is the sole perpetrator, the voice of justice, mercy and equity. in the end he is the one who manages to leave the biggest impression. displaying himself as benevolent, just, clever and wise and acquiring a submissive and virtuous wife.
The sensationalism of this grand criscendo that he had orchestrated not only made the issue of the moral decay in Vienna a notable one, he also dramatised and explicated the need for law and order while at the same time, emphasising mercy and forgiveness.
Flaws
although the duke is overtly presented to be wise, clever, virtuous and just- he is incredibly flawed at the core of himself.
- Manipulative
much of his manipulation is for his own entertainment, it is clear he enjoys seeing the game play out, all his fellow characters puppets for his sake. Hazlit comments he is more absorbed in his own plots and gravity than anxious for the well being of the state. rather than quickly dissolving the situation putting Isabella, Claudio and Julietta at peace he decides to plan a grand scheme where he would seem an even greater and benevolent hero. - Overly-Sensitive to perception
the very reason he chooses to leave Vienna in the hands of Angelo in the first place or atleast, as he claims it to be explicates his cowardly nature. rather than mending his own errors he hands it over to a cold blooded, subhuman to be inanely harsh with his subjects to reinstate the strict laws of Vienna only to return and rule the state left fixed for him. he himself says he does not want to seem a tyrant, in cruder words he is afraid of criticism. where is his virtue now? using his deputy as a scapegoat for his own sake displays an assertive selfishness.
we can see his sensitivity to slander further displayed with his interactions with Lucio- clearly displaying how hurt he feels.
- moral ambiguity
there is a moral ambiguity in alot of his actions throughout the play. his initial motivation is an obvious one, other than this- acting cruel to Isabella, misinforming her of her brother’s death, etc.
Saviour Complex
this is a very obvious one, the dramatic confrontation of his own contriving is enough to deduce the Duke has a Saviour Complex. he in his absolute authority serves absolute justice in accordance with absolute mercy- displaying his benevolence by setting an example of absolute equity.
Comparisons
- King James I
the Duke is very akin to the then newly crowned king of England.
* emphasizing the need to weigh justice with mercy
* sensitive to slander
* grand gestures
* do not like being in front of the public - Friar Lawrence- Romeo and Juliet
* religious mastermind
* problem solver - Iago- Othello
* lesser version of the duke- attempts to manipulate all the characters mainly for his own benefit however he is unapologetically evil and irredeemable- the duke is morally gray, and overall tries to do good. - Viola- Twelfth Night; Rosalind and Celia- As You Like It
* them of disguise and deception - Prospero- The Tempest
* Royal mastermind, manipulative
* disguise and deception (forced instead of spontaneous)
Surveillance and Disguise
the Duke’s undercover surveillance of his people and the Christian morality that regards sex as guilt both keep the population of Vienna under a sinister form of ideological control
the Duke’s surveillance can be seen as a version of the 19th-century Panopticon, an invention of a vantage point from which a large area can be surveilled and controlled
The Duke as a device by Shakespeare
an ironic possibility is that the Duke’s frequent inconsistencies or illogical actions perhaps gives us reason to believe The Duke himself was a puppet of Shakespeare, who needed a device which would help carry the plot forward. (misinforming Isabella, proposing to Isabella with no previous hints at any romantic developments, quote by Angelo describing his erraticism-
“In most uneven and distracted manner. His actions
show much like to madness” the hidden message could allude to his unevenness as a character). Shakespeare manipulates the Duke to manipulate others- a course of recursive manipulation. This also adds to the theory that The Duke is used by Shakespeare as a deus ex machina. Despite all sensationalism he is reduced to a device to tie up all the plot lines, restore all peace and harmony despite partially perpetrating the chaos to begin with.
Audience Reaction
None of the characters seem to be actually likeable
Conclusion
The Duke is flawed in his own right that is one of the very things that make him more human than god. no matter how much he aspires to be akin to a divine being he is still fairly mortal due to his intentions.
the appeal of his character is not merely his wit and his influential talent it is rather for me, how he is just as complex and flawed as the others with the facade of being more alleviated or virtuous.
