Measure for Measure: Act 5 Scene 1 line 456-461 (Isabella)

This passage was pointed out by Professor Cunningham in lecture on Thursday. She mentioned the importance of female speech and how it resists the inferiority of women in society and especially in the public.
In this passage, Isabella is responding to the Duke's order of Angelo's punishment. She is pleading for his life and asks the Duke to pardon Angelo because she believes that he had sincere intentions prior to "look[ing]" at her. Isabella is confident to suggest against the Duke's order and displays her view of the law and justice. She does this by comparing Claudio's crime with Angelo's. She states that "My brother had but justice, / In that he did the thing for which he died." This is a simple truth because Claudio did break a law even though he had good intentions of marrying Juliet. However Isabella then says, "For Angelo, / His act did not o'ertake his bad intent, / And must be buried but as an intent / That perished by the way". Isabella is pointing out a distinction between intent and action. Since Angelo did not fulfill his intention of sleeping with Isabella, Isabella does not believe that he deserves to die. Here, Isabella voices out her acceptance of Claudio's punishment and Vienna's firm law. She also is a believer of punishment for bad action only, and not for bad intentions. However, if Claudio had really been killed for his crime, what would that say about his good intentions of marrying Juliet? Is intention important at all when it comes to enforcing the law? Isabella's plea for Angelo's death, even after his pursuit of sleeping with her shows her forgiveness for Angelo. Shakespeare addresses these issues and raises the questions: Should all bad intentions without complete action be looked at like Isabella had? What is the relationship between intent and action when it comes to the law?
(Su)