Act II, Scene 4 — Angelo's Ultimatum
from Measure for Measure
Written by William Shakespeare
Angelo, acting as the deputy of Vienna, reveals his corrupt nature to Isabella. He offers to spare her brother Claudio's life only if she agrees to sleep with him, confidently asserting that his high reputation will protect him from any accusations she might make.
ANGELO: Who will believe thee, Isabel?
My unsoil’d name, th’austereness of my life,
My vouch against you, and my place i’th’ state,
Will so your accusation overweigh
That you shall stifle in your own report
And smell of calumny. I have begun,
And now I give my sensual race the rein.
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More from Measure for Measure
Act III, Scene 1 — Claudio's Fear of Death
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Claudio expresses his visceral and overwhelming terror of death to his sister, Isabella. He vividly imagines the physical decay of the body and the potential spiritual torments of the afterlife, concluding that even the most miserable life is preferable to the unknown horrors of the grave.
Isabella's Plea for Mercy
from Measure for Measure
Isabella pleads with the cold-hearted judge Angelo to spare her brother's life, arguing against the hypocrisy of men in power. She contrasts the divine mercy of Heaven with the petty, destructive authority exercised by mortal men who forget their own fragile nature.
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