"We must not make a scarecrow of the Law"

Act 2, scene 1 opens with Angelo stating: "We must not make a scarecrow of the Law, / Setting it up to fear the birds of prey, / And let it keep one shape, till custom make it / Their perch and not their terror." These lines create a wonderful emblematic expression of Law, its purpose, implementation, and effect. I couldn't help but see the old Porky Pig cartoon where the crows are mocking the scarecrow in Porky's corn field and are having a grand old time! But seriously, this creates a profound picture of the Law as a deterrence and people as birds of prey. What is drawn out of this picture is how Angelo views the purpose of law and human nature. If the scarecrow never moves, i.e., the law is never enforced, the birds of prey (humans) will convert it into a comfortable perch. Thus, the law is no longer a viable means by which social order is maintained. It is significant that Angelo views humans as birds of prey. This strips humanity of moral conscience, turning them into pragmatic predators instead. Ironically, while Angelo speaks these lines he is yet void of moral values himself and uses his political power in true Machiavellian fashion. He, like a bird of prey, has no moral question to ask himself with regard to how he rules or applies the law. This is obvious when he attempts to use extortion to gain sex. However, it is also found in how he fails to consider important mitigating facts in Claudio's case. Namely, he does not consider that Claudio and Juliet have vowed to marry, and that killing him is more detrimental to stable society than the crime he committed. By killing Claudio, Angelo deprives Juliet and the unborn child of a husband/father and the financial support he would provide. Intervention by the Duke, of course, prevents this from happening. Bottom line is: Claudio uses his skill in cunning and duplicity to get what he wants, and he is more interested in final outcome than in the moral questions/issues that are of consequence. This emblem of the scarecrow and the birds of prey, then, acts to show the two thematic extremes which the play seems to be interested in working through: 1) no enforcement so no power of law; 2) abuse of power.