Angelo's 'Preparing For Measure'

English 2 FC Anne Zhang
Measure For Measure 4/2/12 Encountering love, one of the hugest side-effects for either/both participants is change. The playboy or womanizer quits his ways after meeting a special someone. The villain who only wants to cause harm to the whole world finds himself reversing and re-adjusting his life goals because of his insignificant other. (Of course the genders could be reversed.) Or in Angelo's case, the great leader well known for being cold-blooded with no emotions unexpectedly feels lust, love and longing-all so foreign to him-when he meets someone who doesn't immediately accept his decisions. When Angelo and Isabella spar with their words, Angelo is surprised at Isabella's passion and determination,
So tired of the law being too lenient on sinners, once Angelo comes into power in place of the Duke, he immediately looks for criminals. Claudio, Isabella's brother, unexpectedly becomes his victim when he is caught getting Juliet, his fiancee, pregnant. They are not yet married, and so it is considered illegal. Without a care for Claudio, but with the mindset of showing who's in charge now, Angelo sets out to have Claudio executed as an example for anyone who commits the same sin. Even though Claudio is more innocent than those who go to whorehouses, because at least he was about to get married, Angelo does not budge with his decision to condemn Claudio. Described by the Duke, Angelo is "a man of stricture and firm abstinence, "(I.3.13). He has many restrictions on himself and has no problem restraining himself from indulging in anything. In the Duke's eyes, he is a great leader because he believes his judgement would not be clouded by his emotions or desires. That is until he meets Isabella, when he starts to
Once Angelo realizes that the sister of a man he condemned wants him to spare her brother, he is adamant and sticks to his decision. That is until Isabella's stubbornness and determination-so like his own-shines through her argument. Mixed with Isabella's intellectual analogies, her passion, her pureness, and her looks-Angelo is hooked. During their argument, Angelo repeatedly tries to tell Isabella that there is no other way through: "Maiden, no remedy" (II.2.66) or "He's sentenced. 'Tis too late" (II.2.75). Even saying that Claudio dying is a good thing because he will set an example for others who may commit the same sin-indirectly saving them from facing the same consequences Claudio will face. However, Isabella charges on and relentlessly tries different approaches to win Angelo over. She says analogies like "Even for our kitchens we kill the fowl of season" (II.2.109-110) as in referring to her brother not prepared for death, asking Angelo to show him mercy, like when people kill only the fowl that are in their best condition to eat or ready to kill. She also mentions sayings like "No ceremony that to great ones longs, not the king's crown, nor the deputed sword, the marshal's truncheon, nor the judge's robe become them with one half so good a grace as mercy does" (II.2.79-83). She's explaining to him that someone with power is not