Isabella is the strongest female character in "Measure for Measure". She discusses with Angelo on an equal level and is not undermined by his authority. His strength as a character comes from several sources; his chastity is one of the most significant. Isabella's chastity provides her with a tool that most of the other women in this play lack, since they have all been sexually dominated by men. Her status as a nun also helps Isabella convince others of the correctness of her beliefs since she can appropriate Christian doctrine as her own. Despite these two powers, it is her ability to manipulate two sets of laws, human and divine, and apply them to her advantage, that truly allows her to continue to participate in situations typically attributed to males. Ultimately, Isabella manages to achieve her goal without compromising her values, but ultimately bends to male authority, implicitly accepting the Duke's marriage proposal. Regardless of the male-dominated conclusion, Isabella's powers of chastity, speech, and interpretation of the law give her the opportunity to advance the plot to free her brother and argue with male authority, two events in which a woman's participation it was inconceivable in this. period of time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One of Isabella's most unique characteristics is her chastity. She renounced her sexual life to become a nun of the religious order of Santa Chiara. This decision elevates Isabella's status in society due to the importance placed on chastity as a symbol of purity and legitimacy of birth at the time. “In a patriarchal society, men have the privilege of authority, but, somewhat paradoxically, that authority depends on the chastity of women” (Baines, 286). When an unmarried woman is chaste she guarantees the legitimacy of her children, thus ensuring the patriarchy of the family. Purity of blood relations was an important issue in Shakespeare's time, and therefore it was a woman's responsibility to be chaste to preserve the family's honor as well as her own. The Duke exemplifies this mentality by confessing Juliet and declaring her sexual inclination "a graver sin" (37, 29) than that of Claudio, who was equally responsible for her pregnancy. Excessive sexual license in Vienna leads the Duke to impose chastity through a law that values ​​it above human life. The new valorization of chastity in Vienna increases the respect that Isabella's chaste status receives in Viennese society; this is made evident in Lucius' praise as "a thing enchanted and holy, for thy renunciation an immortal spirit.." (17, 34) Isabella's position as a nun also allows her to challenge Angelo by using Christian doctrine in defense of faith of his brother. life. Doctrine is one of the few elements of authority that even Angelo must obey, since God's laws apply to everyone, including those who hold the highest authority on earth. At Isabella's first meeting with Angelo, she condemns the ease with which Angelo judges others and tries to dissuade his harsh judgment towards Claudio by asking him "How would you be, if he, who is the pinnacle of judgment, were not to judge you as you are? " (33, 76) Here Isabella is trying to make Angelo identify with Claudio by implying that even Angelo himself is not free from sin. This view of all human beings as sinners and therefore unfit to judge comes directly from the Christian proverb "let him who has not sinned cast the first stone". Angelo cannot deny the imposition ofreligious doctrine on Isabella's part and defends herself by citing earthly laws as responsible for her brother's condemnation. Isabella distorts Christian law and interprets it to her advantage. Although her brother has committed the sin of premarital sex, she tries to convince Angelo that exoneration "is no sin, but charity" (42, 63). After Angelo proposes the idea of ​​an "obligatory sin" to save Claudio's life, Isabella changes her perspective on Claudio's death and tries to use religious justification to excuse her from giving up. his chastity. “Isn't it a kind of incest to take the life of one's sister in shame?” (53, 138) Here Isabella uses the definition of all Christians as brothers to transform Angelo's proposal into a social sin, that of incest. This could also be interpreted on a more personal level, since Claudio takes advantage of Isabella's sex to get Angelo to forgive him. In both cases, the use of incest is highlighted, a sin in Christian doctrine an exemplary model of Christian worship gives her the opportunity to use Christian doctrine as laws that empower and validate her actions and opinions. Isabella, despite wanting to be part of the religious world, continues to value the norms imposed by Viennese society. She uses these rules as arguments in defense of her brother, referring to the power of authority since "that in the captain is an angry word, that in the soldier is a clear blasphemy" (35, 130). Isabella focuses on the ability of authority to corrupt the laws of society for its own benefit, a common practice at the time, but still a taboo topic to discuss. Her separation from that world due to the convent allows her to violate such matters without fear of repercussions, since she does not intend to marry and become part of Viennese society. He knows how authority hides behind the laws and for this reason he questions Angelo about the legal possibilities of freeing his brother, "but you could do it and not do anything bad in the world..." (32, 53) The question of illegality, keystone Viennese society is also important to Isabella. “I would rather my brother die according to the law than my son be born illegitimately” (55, 187). Although Isabella seems willing to ignore society's judgment, which would condemn Claudio to death, the dishonor of having an illegitimate child supersedes her affection for her brother. This shows Isabella's true respect for upholding certain standards of Viennese society; she wants to be held in an exemplary position by this society and is not willing to sacrifice this status for her brother. Isabella uses both divine and human law to justify herself, usually invalidating one set of laws to further validate the other. His decision to "live chaste and, brother, die: more than our brother is our chastity" (47, 183) constitutes an example of his use of religion to validate his chastity, while at the same time invalidating the moral law that would encourage her to sacrifice her chastity for Claudio's life. Nuns participate in a "marriage" with Christ; by giving herself to Angelo, Isabella would abandon the opportunity to join the sisterhood. It would thus pollute his soul, which should be the purest element of his being. Isabella thinks "better for a brother to die immediately, rather than for a sister, redeeming him, to die forever" (44, 106). Isabella has decided to elevate the value of her soul above that of Claudio's body. This position could be considered hypocritical. If the purity of the soul were greater than that of the body, by giving herself to Angelo Isabella would save her brother's body and would not have to put his soul at risk. This act would be a sacrifice of his body,similar to the bodily sacrifice of Jesus, imposed on her by others, without the participation of her soul. Despite Isabella's repeated allusions to the death of her soul, it is the fear of dishonor and rejection from both divine and Viennese society that truly motivates her to reject Angelo's offer. Isabella also rejects a series of laws to further her purpose when Mariana begs her to forgive Angelo, to avoid his death. Isabella convinces the Duke to exonerate Angelo by arguing that "thoughts are not subjects, intents but simply thoughts" (106, 451). DaAngelo was unsuccessful in his attempt at illicit sex. Isabella believes he shouldn't be charged. This reasoning, while permissible in human law, where charges are reduced if the actual act does not take place, is unacceptable by Christian standards. In the book of Matthew Jesus tells his worshipers that whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Therefore, Christianity condemns thought as forcefully as action, but Isabella chooses to ignore this and convince the Duke using society's laws regarding guilt. Isabella needs the support of a given set of laws to persuade the male characters of the accuracy of her claims, yet she is willing to use divine and human law interchangeably to achieve the desired outcome, keeping both her chastity and his honor. Despite the allure of chastity as a rare value in Viennese society, Isabella neither understands nor recognizes men's attraction to her. He has chosen to consecrate his life to God, and it is this "marriage" that he considers holy, not the union between man and woman encouraged by society. She might be seen as apprehensive about men, desiring "severer control over the sisterhood" (16.4) and telling Lucius that "of my power, alas, I doubt" (19.77) when it concerns her ability to convince Angelo to free his brother. This may be a factor in Isabella's decision to join a convent; isolation from men would prevent her from suffering the dishonor so common among most of the female characters in this play, who are subjugated by men. At the end of the play, Isabella begins to understand the power she holds over men and defends Angelo by claiming that "a due sincerity governed his actions until he looked upon me" (105, 444). She now recognizes the power of her beauty and chaste nature in influencing the actions of men. Isabella's newfound understanding does not indicate her acquiescence in the social union the Duke offers her, "what is mine is yours and what is yours is mine" (109, 535) . The unusual silence that follows after the Duke's marriage proposal signals Isabella's dissatisfaction with the idea of ​​marrying him. The Duke is responsible for saving her brother's life, which puts Isabella in his debt. Her initial duty, to preserve her chastity and consecrate her life to God, will now be neglected as Isabella will be subjected to the Duke's authority. This moment marks one of the most significant changes in Isabella's personality. The imminent loss of chastity, a characteristic that increased her power and value, destroys Isabella. Now she must succumb to the authority of a male, the very idea she has fought against throughout the show. Marriage represents both a loss of chastity and value for Isabella, who must reject her religious ideals and thus lower her status from a pure worshiper of God to an ordinary woman who bends under the authority of a male. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay The speech of.