The Marriage Contracts in Measure for Measure: A Reconsideration

Summary

To judge from the continuing spate of publications on the topic, there seems to be no end to the disagreement over the nature and dramatic significance of the marriage contracts in Measure for Measure – that of Claudio and Juliet, and that between the Deputy Angelo and Mariana. The action of the play is set in motion when Claudio is sentenced to death by Angelo for the crime of fornication, even though he protests his innocence on the grounds that he and Juliet were truly man and wife by a clandestine wedding contract, and that they had kept their union secret only for fear of antagonizing the friends of Juliet, who controlled her dowry (I, ii, 145–55). The first problem is as to the validity of Claudio’s defence. Later, when his sister Isabella appeals to the Deputy to show mercy, she is told that she can save her brother’s life only by submitting to Angelo sexually. The second problem arises when the Duke assures Mariana, a lady once betrothed to Angelo and still in love with him, that she could - without sinning – take Isabella’s place at the proposed assignation with Angelo. The Duke’s assurance that she would not be guilty of fornication in doing so is based on the circumstance that she was formerly contracted to marry Angelo (III, i, 213–30). Why will Mariana be guiltless, if Juliet and Claudio are guilty?