Measure for Measure & Othello Act Two - “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall...” & Othello "Reputation, reputation, reputation! O I have lost my reputation..."Act Two

Measure for Measure Act Two & Othello Act Two 

Measure for Measure
“Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.”

Shakespeare is a magician with dramatic intention and tension. Just when the plot starts to get intricate, he adds extra layers, characters and even comic relief to divert our attention away while he starts to work his magic. Escalus is meeting with Angelo and he advises him that they must not be a firm but a little subtle in their enforcement of the law and like a gardener pruning a tree “…cut a little…” . The case of Claudio is raised by Escalus and he aks for pity since he infers that all men sometimes stray from the righteous path. But Angelo claims that temptation and yielding are two different things, "Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, another thing to fall…"  Angelo claims that the law should remain strong amongst the wavering of lawmakers and criminals, and then summons the provost and reinforces that Claudio is going to be executed early the next day before nine o'clock.

Comic relief elbows its way into the room with the entrance of Elbow, Pompey and Froth. Elbow is the Duke constable and he claims to have brought two "notorious benefactors" to Angelo whereby Angelo corrects him by asking whether they are not "malefactors" and Elbow bends to even greater word play and confusion. It finally transpires that Elbow had found Pompey and Froth at a brothel and then Froth confesses that he works for Mistress Overdone who runs the brothel. The two are warned by Escalus that prostitution is illegal and punishable occupation, and are told not to go near the brothel again. Escalus then asks Elbow to gather the names of worthy people and ends the scene seeing Claudio’s death as inevitable.

Angelo is visited by the Provost who tries to convince him to show clemency to Claudio especially since Juliet is about to have her baby soon. Just then, a servant enters to announce that Isabella (Claudio’s sister) is at the door. Isabella is shown in and starts by telling that although she judges Claudio's fornication as sinful, that she has come to ask for clemency for Claudio by asking for Angelo to condemn his fault instead of Claudio himself. Angelo is steadfast. Lucio urges Isabella to continue her pleas and to kneel before Angelo and touch him. She does but Angelo continues to state that Claudio must die. Isabella pleads for mercy and encouraged by  Lucio, touches Angelo once more and asks him whether he would treat his own relatives in this way. Angelo  eventually says that he will think more about that matter and asks Isabella to return the next day. Isabella is pleased and says she will pray for him.

When Isabella leaves we hear a soliloquy from Angelo where he shows that he sexually desires Isabella and questions what he feels and what he should do next: "Dost thou desire her foully for those things that make her good? Oh, let her brother live. . ."

It is like unexpected magic when we find the Duke, who has disguised himself as a friar, visiting prisoners in the prison. The Duke (as a priest) absolves Juliet of her sin and aks her if she loves the man who impregnated her, and the Duke then asks Juliet whether the sex was consensual to which she agrees and the Duke says that he will visit Claudio, but tells Juliet that Claudio is scheduled to die tomorrow. The Duke is the only character who appears in almost every location in the play; his hand is active everywhere, and he is pulling most of the strings.

We return to Angelo who is torn between his desire to enforce the laws around fornication and his sexual desire for Isabella. When Isabella arrives, he tells her that Claudio will still die but puts the question to Isabella whether she would give up her virginity to save her brother: "Which had you rather: the most just law now took your brother's life; or, to redeem him, give up your body to such sweet uncleanness as she that he hath stained?" Isabella ironically answers that: "I had rather give my body than my soul…” Angelo then answers with the question, "Might there not be a charity in sin to save this brother's life?" to which Isabella innocently replies that pardoning her brother would be worth a sin. Angelo then makes it clear that he is offering to pardon her brother if she has sex with him and Isabella firmly replies that says that she would rather seek death than commit such a sin. Isabel then claims that she will blackmail him if he does not pardon Claudio and reveal to everyone what he Angelo has asked to which Angelo replies that no-one would believe her. Angelo says he will give her one day to consider his proposal and he exits. Alone, Isabella contemplates her situation and decides to visit her brother who she knows will agree that she should remain chaste and give her some conciliation before he dies. 

Othello Act Two - "Reputation, reputation, reputation! O I have lost my reputation..."

The team arrive in Cyprus. Cassio plays up to the ladies. Iago starts to build his plan to use Cassio to bring Othello down. The audience meets Emelia (Iago's wife) for the first time. When Iago pours insults on his wife, Desdemona comes to her defence. Then Othello arrives back to tell everyone that he has defeated the Turkish fleet. He and Desdemona are back together and their love and passion is obvious. Iago takes Roderigo aside and convinces him that Desdemona is in love with Cassio and Roderigo agrees to start a fight with Cassio when Cassio is on his night watch duty. Iago reveals to the audience that he admires but hates Othello, is in love with Desdemona and that he thinks his own wife has slept with Othello. 
"The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not,
Is of a constant, loving noble nature,
And I dare think he'll prove to Desdemona
A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too,
Not out of absolute lust...
But partly to diet my revenge,
For that I do suspect the lusty Moor
Hath leaped into my seat. The thought whereof
Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards,
And nothing can or shall content my soul
Till I am evened with him, wife for wife..."

Later, after Iago has made Cassio drink too much, Cassio waxes lyrically about Desdemona. Iago then tells the governor of Cyprus Montano that he is concerned with Cassio's ever growing drinking problem. When Roderigo starts a fight with Cassio, Montano steps in and accuses Cassio of being a drunkard and Cassio attacks Montano and Montano is injured. Othello enters and intervenes and stops the fight. Iago is asked what started the fight and after initially standing up for Cassio, he reveals what happened. Cassio is removed from his duties. When everyone else has left, Iago convinces Cassio to make a plea to Desdemona since she is the only one that Othello will listen to. But Iago has more to his plan which he reveals to the audience:
"When devils will the blackest sins put on,
They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,
As I do now: for whiles this honest fool
Plies Desdemona to repair his fortunes
And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,
I'll pour the pestilence into his ear,
That she repeals him for her body lust;
And by how much she strives to do him good,
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch,
And out of her own goodness make a net
That shall enmesh them all."

When Roderigo returns feeling that he has been used, Iago encourages him to stay in Cyprus stating that he believes that eventually Desdemona will be his. Iago changes his plan to include his own wife.
"Two things are to be done:
My wife must move for Cassio to her mistress;
I'll set her on;
Myself the while to draw the Moor apart.
And bring him jump when he may Cassio find
Soliciting his wife: ay, that's the way
Dull not device by coldness and delay."