Measure for Measure & Othello Act Four – “O! death's a great disguiser.” & Othello Act Four - "Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing passion without some instruction"

Measure for Measure Act Four – “O! death's a great disguiser.”

Around Act Four of ‘Measure for Measure’ Shakespeare finely juggles the elements of comedy and tragedy in as the plot the Duke’s plan starts to take shape with some unexpected twists. When the Duke visits Mariana with Isabella to set up Angelo, Isabella tells of how Angelo has instructed Isabella to meet him in his garden. Isabella has already told Angelo that she will be bringing a female servant with her. The Duke introduces Mariana to Isabella and invites them to walk and talk about what they are going to do to Angelo. Mariana is reassured by the Duke that what she will do is not a sin since Angelo and her already had a marriage agreement. 

Back at the prison, Pompey is given a way out of serving a criminal sentence through agreeing to help Abhorson, the executioner, with an execution. Pompey agrees. Then the Duke (who seems to be able to move from one place to another very quickly) enters and tells the Provost that Claudio may be pardoned before morning but when the messenger from Angelo arrives, his message is the devastating command to execute Claudio by four o'clock and Barnadine in the afternoon, and to send Claudio's head to Angelo by five.The Duke (still dressed as a friar) enquires about Barnadine and when he finds that he is unrepentant, asks the Provost to put off executing Claudio and to send the shaven head of Barnadine to Angelo. 

When Abhorson is brought to the Friar (Duke) for him to offer prayers Barnadine tells them that because he was drinking all of the previous night, he is not ready to die today. Then the Provost informs the Friar (Duke) of a famous young pirate who died in the jail the previous night and they decide that they will deliver the pirate's head to Angelo instead of Barnadine's or Claudio's. 

Then Isabella enters, expecting Claudio's pardon to have been delivered but is shocked to hear that no pardon arrived and Angelo's execution order was carried out on Claudio. Why the Duke doesn't reveal all his plan to Isabella at this point and save her the grief, I don't know. It comes across as a bit strange or cruel. Isabella of course wants to confront Angelo but the Friar (Duke) says that Angelo won't let her in and that she should wait until the Duke returns and punishes Angelo and then he gives Isabella a letter to take to another friar. before she goes, Lucio enters and commiserates with Isabella over the death of Claudio and claims that the Duke would never have allowed this to happen. When Isabella leaves, Lucio raves on about the Duke's exploits with women to the Friar (the Duke in disguise) and even reveals that he was once before the Duke for getting a woman pregnant but that he denied it because he didn't want to marry the woman. 

Soon after, Angelo and Escalus have received a letter from discuss the Duke ordering them to meet him at the gates and to proclaim that anyone with any complaint should present a petition in the street. When Escalus exits, Angelo gets anxious about what complaint isabella might bring but decides that Isabella is too modest to reveal how she was dealt with by him. Angelo also reveals that the only reason he eventually put Claudio to death is that he was afraid that Claudio would seek revenge on him. 

“This deed unshapes me quite, makes me unpregnant

And dull to all proceedings. A deflower'd maid!

And by an eminent body that enforced

The law against it! But that her tender shame

Will not proclaim against her maiden loss,

How might she tongue me! Yet reason dares her no;

For my authority bears of a credent bulk,

That no particular scandal once can touch

But it confounds the breather. He should have lived,

Save that riotous youth, with dangerous sense,

Might in the times to come have ta'en revenge,

By so receiving a dishonour'd life

With ransom of such shame. Would yet he had lived!

A lack, when once our grace we have forgot,

Nothing goes right: we would, and we would not.”

We end the act with everything in place for the great revelations and the play's style moves on from the heavy events and wrestling of consciences and starts to feel more like it will reveal resolutions more conducive to a Shakespearean comedy. Friar Peter and the Duke (now dressed as himself) arrives at the gates of the town. The Duke gets Friar Peter to deliver some letters and then Varrius enters, and the Duke and him take a walk. Meanwhile Isabella and Mariana wait by the gates of the city. While Isabella afraid of openly accusing Angelo, Mariana reinforces that they should stick to the Friar's (Duke's) plan. Friar Peter comes to take the women to a place close to the Duke to prepare for the revelations and accusations.

Othello - Act Four - Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing

passion without some instruction."

Iago continues to poison Othello's ear with words that feed his growing jealousy and Othello grows frenetic in thought and utterance:

"Lie with her! lie on her! We say lie on her, 

when they belie her. Lie with her! that's fulsome...

Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing

passion without some instruction."

Then Iago advices Othello to hide and overhear a conversation which Iago will have with Cassio. Whe Cassio enters, Iago talks quietly to him about Bianca but Othello thinks they are talking about Desdemona. Bianca enters and throws the handkerchief stolen from Desdemona at Cassio because she believe it proof of him sleeping with another woman. Bianca and Cassio leave. Othello is convinced of the affair between Desdemona and Bianca. He plots to kill both Cassio and Desdemona:

"Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned to-night..."

Othello then attempts to get Emilia to admit that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. Desdemona enters and Othello abuses her, calling her a whore. She is upset but Emilia is outraged at Othello's accusations and believes that someone is poisoning Othello's mind with lies.

Soon after these events, Roderigo talks to Iago about how his efforts to win Desdemona have been in vain and Roderigo suggests that he will stop pursuing Desdemona. Iago convinces Roderigo that he will be able to bed Desdemona within two nights if he were to kill Cassio.

Othello demands that Desdemona waits for him in bed. She gets ready for bed and sings the 'Willow Song', a sad song of lost love that acts as a strong foreshadowing of Desdemona's death. Emilia and Desdemona discuss whether women can be unfaithful. Desdemona is shown to be very innocent. Emilia describes the nature of jealousy to Desdemona:
"But jealous souls will not be answer'd so;
They are not ever jealous for a cause,
But jealous for they are jealous: 'tis a monster
Begot upon itself, born of itself."