Discuss the ways in which Shakespeare shows characters learning about themselves
...ced rigidly have faltered, and the law is no longer upheld in the correct degree that it once was. He describes the law as being like a cane that fathers use for threatening or punishing their children into behaving, but over time, the cane has not been used, and is now mocked, rather than feared. Shakespeare’s use of metaphor in this section makes the audience assume the Duke has a firm understanding and grasp of the situation if he is able to interpret the circumstances as other things. It also creates a reflective view and in particular draws the audiences’ attention to what the Duke is saying. These metaphorical comments appear as being analytical and self-critical, suggesting the Duke is attempting to better himself by trying to makes sense of how his world exists as it is; what caused it, and possibly leading to finding a solution. This way of thinking implies to the audience a character trying to improve both himself and his surroundings. Although the Duke appears to be on a quest to put the cities laws to right, he has a clear understanding that he is the main cause of the disrepute “Sith ‘twas my fault, to give the people scope”, which carries through a sense of remorse, giving the character of the Duke motivation to put things to right. Interestingly, the Duke makes no comment on the ethical nature of his request to pose as a friar, even though posing as a friar is a sin. This makes the audience question the level of faith of the Duke, or how much he actually follows religious teachings himself. Perhaps Shakespeare was making a social remark on the true strengths or weaknesses of the religious orientation of people in high positions of authority. The creaking of religious laws would certainly make the idea of the character of the Duke as a god-like figure seem doubtful however, if this minor infringement of Christian commandment meant that a greater be achieved, then the theory may have grounds. In Act 3 Scene 1, when revealing his plan to foil Angelos’ plot to Isabella, he purposefully does not tell her he aims to spare Claudios life, so as to get the desired result at the end of the play, certifying all emotions she would feel would be genuine. In doing this, Shakespeare shows the audience the underhanded and manipulative nature of the Duke, even though his intention is to ultimately solve all peoples problems, he seems impassive towards and feelings he may hurt or people he controls to achieve his goal. This therefore makes it difficult for the audience to establish the Duke as a good or a righteous character as it is hard to distinguish whether or not his manipulative actions, however much filled with good intent, are morally and ethically wrong. In this scene, the Duke also talks with Claudio about his proposed death. However, during his entire conversation held with Claudio, the Duke does not mention anything of religious significance at all: “Be absolute for death : either death or life Shall thereby be the sweeter… …thy best of rest is sleep.” The absence of any religious symbolism is again interesting, as death is simply described as an end, and not as a mere turning point in existence. As Shakespeare has chosen not to include any religious material in this section, it suggest that he has intended not to impose any beliefs upon the audience, as he was an atheist and did not care to write about Christian views. On the other hand, Shakespeare may again, through the Duke as a representation, be showing the deceptive nature of officials, as they surround themselves with a prominent feature of society (e.g. religion, science) but in fact are frauds and are simply figureheads of power wishing for control. In the final scene in the play, Act 5 Scene 1, the Duke reveals all and sorts out everything, including Angelos’ punishment, marrying Mariana. Lucio, after being completely deceived by the Duke, and enticed by him to call him (disguised as a friar) a liar, was sentenced to marry the prostitute which he had gotten pregnant. Isabella is unexpentantly reunited with Claudio after finding out his life has been spared by the Duke. Also, in the final speech, the Duke proposes to Isabella: “Dear Isabel, I have a motion much imports your good, Whereto if you’ll a willing ear incline; What’s mine is yours, and what is yours mine.” Although all problems or troubles have been resolved, the audience is left with a sense of wanting. It seems unusual that a play so fraught with deceit and misleading can be resolved so easily by one sly character that has overlooked everything all the way through the play. It is possible to connect Shakespeares’ character of the Duke with a god-like figure. The Duke spends most of the play, except the beginning and end, hiding in secret, and whose true identity is known by only a few. He appears to be quite an omniscient presence throughout, scheming and plotting plans and seeing everything as it occurs, but only stepping in to intervene not as himself, but as his alias, Friar Lodowick.. At the end of the play, he reveals himself to everyone, punishing the bad, and praising the good, but ultimately finding mercy to spare the lives of all. Although he has the power, he does not seem to use it fo...