Measure for measure quotes Flashcards
What does the Duke mean by ‘We have with special soul elected him… lent him our terror, dress’d him with our love’?
It highlights the irony of ‘terror’ as the Duke lacks absolute power and uses imagery of clothing to suggest Angelo is in disguise. The term ‘lent’ implies a temporary sharing of power, while ‘special soul’ connotes Divine Right.
What does the Duke express about his feelings towards the people?
‘I love the people,/But do not like to stage me to their eyes’ suggests discomfort with crowds, similar to James I, who was said to have spied on people in disguise.
What is the significance of the Duke’s statement ‘I will, as ‘twere a brother of your order,/Visit both prince and people’?
It indicates the Duke’s disguise and raises questions about the morality of using friar clothes for deception.
What does the Duke mean by ‘Be absolute for death; either death or life shall thereby be the sweeter’?
This imperative suggests the Duke is telling Claudio to prepare for death, which is ironic as it conceals his true intention to prevent Claudio’s death.
What does ‘The hand that hath made you fair hath made you good’ imply?
It suggests the Duke’s attraction to Isabella’s virtue and foreshadows a potential proposal.
What is the audience’s perception of the Duke’s motives in ‘the love I have in doing good’?
The audience questions whether the Duke is genuine in his intentions.
What does the Duke’s list in ‘by this, is your brother saved, your honour untainted, the poor Mariana advantaged, and the corrupt deputy scaled’ signify?
It suggests that the Duke’s plan works on multiple fronts, bringing justice to Angelo, helping Mariana, and saving Claudio, while not acknowledging the problematic nature of the bed trick.
What does the Duke mean when he says to Pompey, ‘Go mend, go mend!’?
It reflects the Duke’s opposition to Pompey’s behavior while condoning the bed trick and manipulating other characters.
What does Lucio’s comment ‘The duke yet would have dark deeds darkly answered; he would never bring them to light’ suggest?
It critiques the Duke, implying that all rulers are corrupt, with dramatic irony as Lucio speaks to the disguised Duke.
What does Escalus mean by describing the Duke as ‘a gentleman of all temperance’?
It indicates that Escalus holds the Duke in high esteem.
What is the significance of the Duke’s soliloquy ‘He who the sword of heaven will bear/Should be as holy as severe’?
It comments on leadership, with ‘sword of heaven’ connoting Divine Right, presenting an ironic image of the Duke as an ideal ruler.
What does the Duke’s line ‘Come, let us go/Our corn’s to reap, for yet our tithes to sow’ signify?
It ends the scene with a rhyming couplet and natural imagery, creating a sense of finality and fruition.
What does the Duke mean by ‘This is his pardon, purchased by such sin/For which the pardoner himself is in’?
It shows the Duke as a manipulator, indicating he is not fully in control as he expects a pardon that does not come.
What is the implication of the Duke’s readiness to have Barnardine executed in ‘Call your executioner, and off with Barnardine’s head’?
It shows the Duke trying to act as a Duke despite giving up his role, which is unusual behavior for a ‘friar’ to condemn someone to death.
What does the Duke’s line ‘O, ‘tis an accident that heaven provides! Dispatch it presently; the hour draws on’ reveal?
It is an imperative statement where the Duke acts as a leader while in disguise, reveling in manipulation, which is morally questionable.
What does ‘I will keep her ignorant of her good, To make her heavenly comforts of despair, When it is least expected’ indicate about the Duke’s actions?
It shows the Duke manipulating Isabella by not informing her that her brother is still alive, raising questions about his motives.
What does the Duke’s statement ‘I am bound to enter publicly’ suggest?
It indicates a shift from the beginning of the play, where the Duke desires a large public reception, questioning his true intentions.
What does the Duke say to Angelo that reveals dramatic irony?
‘we hear/Such goodness of your justice, that our soul/Cannot but yield you forth to public thanks’ elevates Angelo’s status, making his fall more climactic.
What does the Duke tell Isabella regarding justice?
‘Lord Angelo shall give you justice’ implies irony in Isabella’s unawareness of the true nature of justice in the play.
What does the Duke’s comment ‘Away with her! Poor soul,/She speaks this in the infirmity of sense’ imply?
It reveals the Duke’s cruel suggestion about Isabella’s sanity, setting up for his later actions against Angelo.
What does the Duke mean by ‘Her madness hath the oddest frame of sense’?
It indicates the Duke’s manipulation of the conversation, beginning to turn against Angelo.
What does Lucio call the Duke that adds a comic element?
‘meddling friar’ exposes the Duke’s behavior in a humorous light.
What does the Duke mean by ‘In this I’ll be impartial; be you judge/Of your own cause’?
It forces Angelo to be his own judge, raising questions about the Duke’s questionable methods of rule.
What does the Duke’s metaphor ‘My business in this state/Made me a looker on here in Vienna,/Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble/Till it o’er-run the stew’ summarize?
It summarizes the injustices of Vienna, highlighting the irony of the Duke’s responsibility while remaining a passive observer.
What does the Duke’s statement ‘I protest I love the duke as I love myself’ reveal?
It showcases dramatic irony and the role of disguises and deception in the play.
What does the Duke’s imperative ‘Give me your hand and say you will be mine’ suggest?
It indicates that the Duke arguably manipulates Isabella in a similar way she does, silencing her and linking to the MeToo movement.
What does the Duke’s statement to Lucio reveal about his pride?
‘Whipt first, sir, and hanged after….Slandering a prince deserves it’ shows weakness in the Duke’s rule, as he reacts to Lucio’s insults.
What does the Duke mean by ‘So, bring us to our palace; where we’ll show/What’s yet behind, that’s meet you all should know’?
It indicates a problematic ending, suggesting there is more to be revealed about the Duke’s plans and intentions.
What does Escalus say about Angelo in Act I?
‘If any in Vienna be of worth/To undergo such ample grace and honour,/It is Lord Angelo’ sets Angelo on a pedestal, suggesting a fall due to his name’s connection to a fallen angel.
What does Angelo mean by ‘Let there be some more test of my metal/Before so noble and so great a figure/Be stamped upon it’?
It indicates that Angelo is not prepared for his role, evoking sympathy as he is young and impressionable.
What does the Duke’s comment ‘your soul seems so good’ imply about his judgment?
It raises questions about the Duke’s morality and spirituality as a judge of character.
What does Angelo mean by ‘demigod Authority’?
It suggests that rulers act as God’s mouthpiece on earth, questioning the justice of such authority.
What does Angelo’s statement ‘A man of stricture and firm abstinence’ reveal?
It shows the Duke’s perception of Angelo’s qualities, which is ironic as Angelo fails to uphold them.
What does Angelo mean by ‘scarce confesses/That his blood flows’?
It depicts him as lacking empathy and humanity.
What does Angelo suggest with ‘We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey’?
It implies that people become complacent when the law is constant.
What does Angelo mean by ‘Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, Another thing to fall’?
It reflects on human fallibility, suggesting he resists temptation while ironically ‘falls’ himself.
What does Angelo’s command ‘Dispose of her/To some more fitter place, and that with speed’ indicate?
It shows his harsh and callous attitude towards Juliet, reflecting an archaic view on sexual deviance.
What does Angelo mean when he says ‘It is the law, not I condemn your brother’?
He tries to detach himself from the law, indicating a problematic stance.
What does Angelo’s statement ‘The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept’ suggest?
It reveals his lack of courage in convictions and insight into the law under the Duke.
What does Angelo command Isabella with ‘Be satisfied/Your brother dies to-morrow; be content’?
It reflects his harsh enforcement of the law.
What does Angelo mean by ‘She speaks, and ‘tis/Such sense, that my sense breeds with it’?
It indicates Isabella’s influence on him, both intellectually and sexually.
What does Angelo’s rhetorical question ‘What’s this, what’s this? Is this her fault or mine? The tempter or the tempted, who sins most?’ reveal?
It shows his internal conflict and uncertainty about responsibility.
What does Angelo’s plea ‘O, let her brother live’ indicate?
It reflects his indecision and suggests Isabella’s influence on him.
What does Angelo mean by ‘When I would pray and think, I think and pray/To several subjects. Heaven hath my empty words’?
It juxtaposes ‘pray’ and ‘think’, showing his struggle between logic and religious ideals.
What does Angelo’s statement ‘in my heart the strong and swelling evil/Of my conception’ imply?
It reveals his sexual desire, even while he is praying.
What does Angelo mean by ‘Might there not be a charity in sin/To save this brother’s life?’?
He manipulates Isabella, appealing to her charitable nature while subverting Christian morality.
What does Angelo’s comment ‘either you are ignorant,/Or seem so craftily; and that’s not good’ suggest?
It shows his uncertainty about Isabella’s intentions and recognizes her as his intellectual equal.
What does Angelo mean by ‘You must lay down the treasures of your body’?
It indicates his objectification of Isabella.
What does Angelo’s statement ‘We are all frail’ reveal?
It shows his awareness of human fallibility and the impossibility of complete repression.
What does Angelo’s declaration ‘Plainly conceive, I love you’ indicate?
It shows his directness with Isabella, no longer suppressing his desire.
What does Angelo mean by ‘He shall not [die], Isabel, if you give me love’?
It reflects his manipulation of Isabella, using his power for sexual gain.
What does Angelo’s statement ‘Who will believe thee, Isabel?/My unsoil’d name, the austereness of my life,/My vouch against you, and my place i’ the state’ reveal?
It highlights his hubris and the imbalance of power, linking to the MeToo movement.
What does Angelo mean by ‘now I give my sensual race the rein’?
It indicates he is no longer denying his humanity.
What does Angelo’s statement ‘Say what you can, my false o’erweighs your true’ imply?
It reflects his position of power and abuse of authority.
What does the Duke’s comment ‘This well seeming Angelo’ suggest?
It reveals the theme of deception and highlights Angelo’s mistreatment of Mariana.
What does Lucio’s statement ‘his urine is congealed ice; that I know to be true’ imply?
It further emphasizes Angelo’s inhumanity.
What does the Duke mean by ‘O, what may man within him hide, Though angel on the outward side!’?
It reflects on the imagery of deception and corruption, linking to Angelo’s name.
What does Angelo’s command ‘for my better satisfaction, let me have Claudio’s head sent me by five..’ reveal?
It shows his cruelty and insistence on Claudio’s execution.
What does Angelo’s exclamation ‘A deflower’d maid! And by an eminent body that enforced/The law against it!’ indicate?
It reveals his guilt and hypocrisy regarding his own behavior.
What does Angelo’s statement ‘He should have lived’ imply?
It shows his regret in a modal verb.
