Redemption and damnation in Measure for Measure and Othello Measure for Measure and Othello are closely related. There is a thesis-antithesis connection between these two works. Much more than simply sharing a trait or source, the two constitute a paired study of the processes of redemption and damnation. Measure for measure counterbalance Otello. Observing the text of each work, parallel and contrasting circumstances and characteristics are found which lead us to interpret each work in the light of the other. First degree: the question of overtaking. In the opening scene of Measure for Measure, Escalus is most explicitly passed over for the position of deputy. The Duke praises Escalus as unrivaled in his knowledge of government and then declares without explanation that he will relinquish his duties and appoint Angelo as his deputy. Escalus, in response to the Duke's request to express his opinion on the choice, expresses approval - as he more or less should under the circumstances - but at no subsequent moment shows any hurt pride at not having been chosen. In the first scene of Othello Iago declares to Roderigo, to whom he rarely tells the truth, that he does not want to favor Othello's interests as in the case of this sudden escape because, having been passed over by Othello for the position of lieutenant, he feels embittered and wishes to avenge his wounded pride. The superficiality of Iago's speciously proclaimed motif - did the "greats" of the city really petition for Iago's candidacy as Othello? - is accentuated by the contrast with Escalus's benevolent acceptance when in reality he is ignored. Second instance: intercession of women. In Measure for Measure Isabella pleads with Angelo to revoke his death sentence on Cla...... middle of the page ......is in Measure for Measure, and it makes a difference. Works Cited Barish, Jonas A Antitheatrical prejudice. Berkeley: U of California P, 1981.Battenhouse, Roy C. “Measure for Measure and the Christian Doctrine of the Atonement.” PMLA 61 (1946): 1035-36.Bentley, Eric. "Henrik Ibsen: A Personal Statement." Columbia University Forum, I (Winter 1957): 11-18. Rpt. In Ibsen: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Rolfe Fjelde. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1965. 83-92. Evans, GB, ed. The bank of the Shakespeare River. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1974.Gurr, Andrew. The Shakespearean scene 1574-1642. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1970.Leggatt, Alexander. “Measure-for-measure substitution.” Shakespeare Quarterly 39 (Fall 1988): 342-59.Mahood, M. M. Shakespeare's Wordplay. London: Methuen, 1957.