The Justice In Marriage

The Justice in Marriage

In William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure

The room is silent, except for the soft creaking of the walls bulging outward, trying to contain the built-up tension. The judge shuffles his papers, clears his throat, and announces his verdict. Cheers explode from one half of the courtroom, and sobs erupt from the other. The decision is believed to be fair by some, including the judge, and unjust by the rest. The definition of justice has been questioned for hundreds of years, because its meaning changes, depending on who is asked. Justice is an abstraction, and, therefore, cannot be defined. In his play Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare uses four couples to represent the three cases of justice: crime and punishment, given a second chance, and an eye for an eye, all determined the "judge," Duke Vincentio.

Sighs of relief in a courtroom signal joyous victory for a client. However, in Measure for Measure, the gentleman Lucio and the temporary Duke Angelo are cries of disappointment among the triumphant. Lucio breaks the law when he sleeps with a prostitute and impregnates her. At the end of the play, Duke Vincentio punishes Lucio for his illegal action, in a way Lucio finds worse than execution. He is told he must marry the prostitute he slept with, and he responds, "Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging" (V.i.522-523). Lucio believes being tortured holds the same agony as marrying a whore. This belief reflects his arrogance, however, he lowered himself enough to sleep with her in the first place. Lucio is a lecherous character, joking about venereal diseases with his comrades when he is introduced to the play. The punishment he should receive is execution, but the Duke finds his decision a proper chastisement. Angelo is also pardoned death for sleeping with a woman without being married to her. The Duke tricks Angelo into sleeping with his former fiancй, and uses the illegal action to arrange him to marry the woman he previously refused. In the days of Shakespeare, death was usually the punishment for breaking the law. Laws must be enforced, and it appears Lucio and Angelo struck some luck when the Duke spared his life, even if their new circumstances are upsetting. The men may believe dying a better future than spending their lives with women they do not care to be with, but because they performed illegal actions, they should not get away without any punishment. Lucio and Angelo end up in the same position as another man in the play, however, this man receives the pardon Lucio and Angelo would, literally, die for.

It is rare for someone to break a crime, be charged for it, and let off the hook. Claudio is in jail because he slept with Juliet, the woman he planned to marry. Isabella, his sister, visits him in jail and tells him she could give up her virginity to save him, not thinking Claudio will allow such an act, however, he responds:

Sweet sister, let me live.

What sin you do to save a brother's life,

Nature dispenses with the deed so far,

That it becomes virtue (III.i. 132-135).

Claudio is desperate to save himself, even if it means manipulating his sister into giving up her virtue, which is most important to her. Claudio knows what he and Juliet did was against the law, but does not believe execution is a just punishment, because they planned on marrying. This scene is remarkably similar to Plato's The Last Days of Socrates, when Socrates is in jail for acting in a way he believed right, but not by society. He is to be executed, but, unlike Claudio, believes his punishment is proper because he does not obey the social contract he holds with Athens. Claudio does not realize he has obligations as a citizen, or if he does, he does not take them seriously. He breaks the laws, breaking his contract as a citizen, and, therefore, must be punished. However, his execution is delayed, and at the play's end, Duke Vincentio announces Claudio is pardoned and able to marry Juliet. Claudio receives a second chance to obey the laws, and is free from any legal binds. This is a joyous moment for Claudio and Juliet, however, a confusing instant for Isabella, as Duke Vincentio announces (making reference to her),

If he be like your brother, for his sake

Is he pardon'd, and for your lovely sake,

Give me your hand, and say you will be mine,

He is my brother too (V.i.490-493).

Isabella is suddenly confronted with a decision she must make that will change her entire life. She planned on becoming a nun, her image as virtuous most important to her, but she is offered the hand of a Duke. She may have wanted to become a nun simply because she could not find a man she wanted to be with, and decided to embrace her chastity. Now she has a man asking for her to give up what she wants for herself in order to be a wife. The Duke seems selfish to ask Isabella to give up her purity, and to expect her to happily agree and give him her hand is unjustified. A thief may be to have his hand cut off as a just "eye for an eye" punishment. The robber benefits from the pleasure he gets from whatever he stole, but he loses his hand in return. Isabella must decide if giving up her virtue is worth marrying Duke Vincentio, or if denying the Duke is worth becoming a nun. She