I think this video clip from the play does a fabulous job of illustrating this biblical tension:
Measure for Measure: Act II, Scene II
I'm torn between the following two theses for this paper, because I'm so interested in both topics:
A study of the King James Bible is essential to understanding
Shakespeare’s play, Measure for Measure,
as the plot and character interaction centers on biblical themes and ideals, including references to the Law of
Moses vs. Christ’s Beatitudes in challenging the roles of justice and mercy in
righteous leadership and marriage, and the questioning the censure of females for Eve’s influence in the Fall.
Understanding the conflict between traditional
marriage customs of the Renaissance period, which allowed for sexual
intercourse and the mutual declaration of marital commitment as a type of
“common law” marriage, and the recently instated Puritan Manifesto, which
called for a “purging” of the people through strict adherence to biblical
teachings and greater enforcement of moral codes, including marriage, is
crucial to deciphering the differing attitudes of Claudio and Angelo towards
what constitutes “legal” marriage in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure.
If I can find a way to combine these ideas, that would be fabulous, but I'm still working on developing a concise thesis (I have a problem with wordiness, as you can see) that will allow for that. Any suggestions?
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I didn't post my other "proto-papers" previously with this last post, since I'm more interested in the ones I mentioned above, but here are my other possibilities:
Text:
A study of the complete text or traditional performances of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure in comparison with the Marowitz performance of the play will reveal the dramatic effect a producer’s editing can have on the perception of the performance and message of the work itself. While Shakespeare’s complete text supports ideals of justice, mercy, and forgiveness, the Marowitz version edits the text—cutting scenes and even removing characters and attributing certain lines to different characters than originally intended—so as to convey an opposite message emphasizing governmental corruption.
Source:
Marowitz, Charles. “Measure for Measure.” The Marowitz Shakespeare. New York: Marion Boyars, 1978.
Criticism:
In his essay, Alberto Cacicedo criticizes Shakespeare’s portrayal of women as being inherently contaminated through Eve’s “original sin,” perceived in the play as sexuality, and needing to be “redeemed” through marriage to a self-sacrificing man who is willing to accept the “necessary evil” of complying in that sin with her. Although Cacicedo makes some valid claims about the perception of women during Shakespeare’s time, however, he over-imposes these ideas into the text of Measure for Measure, and fails to recognize the moral strength, intelligence, and influence of female characters such as Isabella in this and other of Shakespeare’s plays, which demonstrate that Shakespeare’s respect for women and possibly his desire to challenge the commonly held prejudices and injustices of his day by drawing attention to the dilemmas generated by them through his works.
Source:
Cacicedo, Alberto. “’She is Fast My Wife’: Sex, Marriage, and Ducal Authority in Measure for Measure.” Shakespeare Studies, Vol. 23. 1995.
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I didn't post my other "proto-papers" previously with this last post, since I'm more interested in the ones I mentioned above, but here are my other possibilities:
Text:
A study of the complete text or traditional performances of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure in comparison with the Marowitz performance of the play will reveal the dramatic effect a producer’s editing can have on the perception of the performance and message of the work itself. While Shakespeare’s complete text supports ideals of justice, mercy, and forgiveness, the Marowitz version edits the text—cutting scenes and even removing characters and attributing certain lines to different characters than originally intended—so as to convey an opposite message emphasizing governmental corruption.
Source:
Marowitz, Charles. “Measure for Measure.” The Marowitz Shakespeare. New York: Marion Boyars, 1978.
Criticism:
In his essay, Alberto Cacicedo criticizes Shakespeare’s portrayal of women as being inherently contaminated through Eve’s “original sin,” perceived in the play as sexuality, and needing to be “redeemed” through marriage to a self-sacrificing man who is willing to accept the “necessary evil” of complying in that sin with her. Although Cacicedo makes some valid claims about the perception of women during Shakespeare’s time, however, he over-imposes these ideas into the text of Measure for Measure, and fails to recognize the moral strength, intelligence, and influence of female characters such as Isabella in this and other of Shakespeare’s plays, which demonstrate that Shakespeare’s respect for women and possibly his desire to challenge the commonly held prejudices and injustices of his day by drawing attention to the dilemmas generated by them through his works.
Source:
Cacicedo, Alberto. “’She is Fast My Wife’: Sex, Marriage, and Ducal Authority in Measure for Measure.” Shakespeare Studies, Vol. 23. 1995.
I can't help with wordiness. I myself fall prey to that vice as well. Nevertheless, I was wondering if you wanted to include contemporary issues like same-sex marriage in your discussion of the second thesis. Maybe you could explore how Shakespeare can be applied to those sorts of issues. Production history might be an interesting avenue for research. That is a pretty charged topic but it might be an intriguing exercise.
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