Measure for Measure: Basic Historical Context Flashcards
Views on women
Female chastity highly valued
Patriarchal society
Fickle female stereotype
Women thought to be deceitful
Women seen as inherently sinful - comes from Eve
Eloquence seen as bad
Views on marriage
Legal promise of marriage and consummation was all it took - however this was not considered ideal compared to a proper marriage ceremony
Different variations of the play
Mariana as an addition
Isabella begs for Angelo’s mercy before she knows her brother is saved
Isabella has sex and marries Angelo in the original
Sometimes the Duke has a much greater role
Claudio’s crime was rape in the original
Shakespeare
Invented over 1700 words
One of the world’s greatest writers
Lived more than 400 years ago
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Wrote plays and also poetry
Married Anne Hathaway
Grew up in Tudor England in the time of Queen Elizabeth I
No records of what Shakespeare did between 1585-1592
Measure for Measure was released in 1603
Views on sex
Attempts made to tackle promiscuity in Southwark by closing brothels
Loss of reason equated to acting more like a beast
High value placed on female purity/virginity
The Chain of Being was a hierarchy that God, Angels, Man, Women, Animals
It was thought that men could easily become beastial
Passion was seen to impact reasonable judgement
King James + the Divine Right of Kings
James used to go to the stock exchange in disguise
King James particularly believed in Divine Appointment
Monarchs were seen as God’s deputies on earth
James was known to manipulate processes of justice
It was treason to act against the Monarch
Critics have argued that Shakespeare wrote the character of the Duke to flatter the king
The Duke in MFM has overarching power
The Genre of Measure for Measure
Part comedy, part tragedy
Problem play
Distance created between siblings and engaged couples
The “bed trick” was common in plays at the time
The Bible
The play reflects Jesus’ teachings in SOTM
“With what measure you meet, it shall be measured unto you again”
“Judge and you too will be judged”
Other
Machiavelli (The Prince) - contained ideas about it being better to be feared than loved (although ideally leaders should be both). It also suggests that a prince should have a deputy to carry out immoral acts, although examples can be made
The South Bank area was notorious for vagrancy and prostitution
It was a common complaint that magistrates didn’t enforce laws enough
1603 - royal proclamation to pull down brothels within a 3 mile radius of London
Puritan Attitudes
Equated the theatre to prostitution
Supported harsh punishments for fornication and adultery
Condemned Southwark’s “moral degeneracy”
Disagreed with any activity they believed could lead to damnation e.g. drinking and gambling
Wanted adultery to be punishable by death
16th and 17th Century zealots commented on how lightly “whoredom” was treated
