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Some say that nothing is black and white; there are always areas of grey. It appears as if Shakespeare held to this ideology as he structured many of his characters in this manner, one in particular, Isabella, the sister of the accused lover Claudio, in the play Measure for Measure. One may think of Isabella as a religious, temperate, virginal, innocent and holy young lady who loves her faith whole heartedly and stands only for righteousness. However, on further investigation and study, many of these commendable traits may transform and appear to be the flaws and stains on Isabellas character. Some may argue that Isabella is a good character with no flaws apart from her strong faith, while others claim that it is this strong faith which is her major defect. Isabellas many praiseworthy qualities may be easily interpreted as her stubborn, immovable faults. Her strong religious views and stance may also be interpreted as being highly pious and selfish while her innocence and extreme obsession for purity may be read as naivety, inexperienced, unloving and even hypocritical. These strong and resilient features, which paint a picture of a determined, righteous and chaste woman, may smear her as a hypocrite. One trait which is seen throughout Isabellas actions is her steadfastness in her faith. Her decision to be a nun in this era of patriarchal reign, to avail herself as a servant to God and her strong beliefs is seen as very estimable. This decision to be celibate for life clearly speaks of her devotion and love for God and her desire never to break that vow. In the play, it is this steadfast, unmoving behaviour that can be interpreted as one of her major flaws. It is because of this oath to her faith that the problem of the play ensues. Her desire and promise to be chaste and a virgin collides with her sisterly duty to save her brothers, Claudio, life. This decision to sacrifice her brother to maintain her virginal and holy state has been characterised as one of the grey areas of Isabellas character. The manner in which Shakespeare characterizes Isabella can either be seen as a scared young lady afraid of the phallic unknown and as a result strongly

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opposes Angelos sexual bribe or she can be viewed a young nun who strongly holds to her beliefs and abhors any presence or appearance of evil. It is the latter to which many critics cling to and support. Mrs. Charlotte Lennox claims that Isabella is a mere vixen in her virtue supports the latter claim and this is evident by her dialogue with Claudio in Act three, scene one (qtd in Greckle 163). Throughout these entire exchange Isabellas harsh and seemingly insensitive responses to Claudio is perceived as being out of character. Her unbending confidence in the law and belief that Claudio must be punished for his lustful crime is almost unbelievable. To think that ones sister would not lay down their chaste state for the life of their brother is truly implausible. Though a glimmer of hope is presented to her, a way of helping her brother escape his execution, from her religious view, this opportunity is unlawful and sinful to her and is not even considered. One important fact to note is that there is no inner conflict, turmoil or battle within Isabella considering this bribe to save her brother. As soon as Angelo tells her of this opportunity to save Claudio, her automatic response is negative and remains thusly for the entire play. This is exemplified in her first exchange with Claudio after her audience with Angelo the acting duke. She enters the room of Claudios jail and her first words are Lord Angelo, having affairs to heaven/Intends you for his swift ambassador/Therefore your best appointment make with speed-/To-morrow you set on (Measure for Measure 3.1.5760). In other words, she tells Claudio that he must go to his death the following day but in a loving and assuring manner, since to heaven would be his final destination. The fact that she repeats his fate plentiful times when she says Yes, thou must die (3.1.86), Be ready, Claudio, for your death to-morrow (3.1.106), fit his mind to death (2.4.187), Tis best thou diest quickly (3.1.150) and Die, perish (3.1.143) is a significant contrast to the saint which the readers thought Isabella previously to be. The lack of remorse, sadness, guilt and seemingly

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cold voice used by Isabella has fuelled critics responses like Una Ellis-Fermor who describes her as hard as icicle (qtd in Greckle 164). This senseless repetition of Claudios fate by Isabella seems insensitive and even spiteful. However Isabella seems to believe that Claudios death is the better option than her sacrificing her virginity. From her religious standpoint, it would be better for her to give up her life for her brother rather than her purity. In her eyes, the sin of fornication and lust is so abhorred that she would rather die. She calls living a life without her chastity shamed and hateful (3.1.117) and not worth her brothers life. All of these lines by Isabella cloud her initial sainthood like impression and gives her the appearance of a selfish woman. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch hints at Isabella being "something rancid in her chastity; and, on top of this, not such a saint as she looksshe is all for saving her soul, and she saves it by turning, of a sudden, into a bare procuress(qtd in Greckle 164). This is illustrated when Isabella tells Angelo, That had he twenty heads to tender down/On twenty bloody blocks, held yield them up,/Before his sister should her body stoop/To such abhorred pollution/Then Isabel live chaste and brother die; (2.4.180-185). It seems as if Isabella is looking out for her best interests, regardless of her own brothers interests. It seems as if it is his brotherly duty to die for her honor. She does not show charity and love to her brother even when he literally begs for his life and says, Sweet sister, let me live/What sin you do, to save a brothers life/That it becomes a virtue (3.1.133-136). This line is a mere reflection of Angelos words in a previous act when in a fruitless negotiation with Isabella he says, Might there not be charity in sin/To save this brothers life?(2.4.63-64). Both men are saying that in performing this sin to save anothers life, that it somewhat reduces the gravity and severity of the sin. Shakespeare uses her

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religious preference and stance to justify her sound refusal to Angelo. She uses her spiritual convictions to reject Angelo and to defend her heartless decision to send Claudio to his grave. And twere the cheaper way: Better it were a brother died at once, /Than that a sister, by redeeming him, / Should die for ever (2.4.115-118) were the words of Isabella trying to show Angelo her point of view. This passionate decline to Angelos suggestion to save her brothers life is proof of Isabellas grey character. Una Ellis-Fermor critcised Isabella and calls her fear of physical violationan obsession and blames her for having a pitiless, unimaginative, self-absorbed virtue (qtd in Greckle 164). It is these views that reiterate the point about Shakespeares characters being neither black nor white totally but having shades of grey. Isabella can be described by all these horrible epithets but one may still defend her by saying that she made her decision due to her steadfast faith and religion. On the other hand, critics and attackers of Isabella always relate to the last statement she made to Claudio after their heated discussion as proof that Isabella is not what she appears. In her choice last words to her brother after he begged her to allow Angelo to sleep with her O, you beast,/O, you faithless coward, O, dishonest wretch, /Wilt thou be made a man out of my vice?/Ist not a kind of incest to take life/From thine own sisters shame?.../Die, perish/Ill pray a thousand prayers for death,/No word to save thee( 3.1.135-146), she curses Claudio and berates him for his human survival behaviour. With this same mouth earlier she spoke of heaven and about dying nobly and with honor. With a martyrs posture she spoke previously of taking his place in death if possible with such humility and sisterly love, O, were it but my life,/Id throw it down for your deliverance/As frankly as a pin(3.1.103-105) and before that told Angelo that, I had rather give my body than soul(2.4.56) With such passion she rebukes Claudio for not valuing her virginity and for trying to save his own life which any human would

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actually try to do. Her seemingly unrealistic and fanatical religious position is evaluated by many nineteenth century critics as being too rigid (Geckle 164). One may wonder why this passion was not initially utilized during her first encounter with Angelo when she had to be constantly encouraged by Lucio to be more passionate. At Angelos first rejection of her request for mercy towards her brother she simply says, Oh just but severe law! /I had a brother, then (2.2.42-43) and actually turns to leave in defeat. One may wonder what sister would easily give up in pleading for her brothers life. Also the fact that Lucio had to be the one to encourage her to be more passionate and persuasive is somewhat astonishing. A sister would normally be the one fighting passionately and without the need of help and encouragement from another to try to save her brother. Lucio actually said, You are too cold (2.2.56) in order to coerce Isabella into fighting more heatedly for Claudios life. This inconsistency which is shown in the character gives even more substantiation to the claim of Shakespeares grey characters. There are no straight lines of characterisation in terms of Isabella. She seems to be portraying both black and white qualities. This young virgin girl is often regarded by many readers and critics as inexperienced with life, due to her harsh and indignant stance and words towards Claudio which were previously mentioned. Greckle calls Isabella is a novice (166) and others believe that she knows nothing of human sympathy or base human behaviour which may be called sin in her eyes. She is completely ignorant of human frailty and desire, which is what Claudio fell prey to, putting him in the position he was in. She has no experience in such matters thus is she unable to have the appropriate feelings of pity and understanding. According to D.A. Traversi, her inexperience and false simplicity are inadequate in the complex moral world (qtd in Geckle 165).

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Her strict viewpoint of purity, to the demise of her brother, is overlooked by some critics, however, one action which Isabella commits which is inexcusable by some and which taints her white character is her consent to the bed trick proposed by the Duke. This young woman who defied societys expectations for her life by refusing to marry and becoming a nun, she rejects the sexist role of women to be homemakers, wives and mothers. In a feminists view, one would applaud Isabella for such a commendable and brave life decision, this would be representative of the excellent white traits which she portrays freely. However as one would quickly applaud the daring move of Isabella, one could quickly stop this positive appraisal due to the following action which Isabella committed against all women in this century and in the present. In an almost hypocritical manner, Isabella refused to give herself to Angelo but allows another woman to give herself to in exchange. The same crime which would cause her soul to be dead for all eternity and would be a blemish upon her, she lets another woman take upon herself. Angelos previous betrothed, Mariana, was the unfortunate woman, although in Mariannas own eyes, she was thrilled to be the one allowed to have relations with Angelo, her true love. Isabella, knowledgeable of this fact, thought that letting Mariana take the fall justified this decision. Isabella, the saint with her respect for the commandments of God, seemingly turns a blind eye to this act to save her own virginity and in her view soul. The virtue which she is written as having is contaminated by this selfish act to protect her own self. This hypocritical behaviour is once again evidence of Isabellas character not having clear demarcations between black and white but here is showcasing the grey in its structure. William Hazlitt asserts that we do not feel the same confidence in the virtue that is sublimely good at anothers expense, as if it had been put to some less disinterested trial which basically states that although Isabella was saved from Angelo, the same virtue which she strove to protect

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cannot be viewed with the same admiration because of the compromising which had to be done to sustain this virtue (qtd in Geckles 163). Ironically, Isabella compromises her holy status in order to keep it by sacrificing Marianas body up to Angelo. The one thing which stands out in this case is that when the Duke proposes that Mariana be the one to sleep with Angelo, Isabella puts up no fight, uses no religious arguments to justify this being wrong or immoral. She simply but selfishly says, The image of it gives me content already (3.1.258-259). The same life without her purity which she called shamed and hateful, she sentenced Mariana to this fate quickly, gladly and dispassionately. In conclusion Isabella is neither black nor white; her character is shades of grey. Isabella may seem virginal, saint, very religious, righteous and holy. But in this she lacks charity and mercy, brotherly love and understanding of human nature. Knight proposes that Shakespeare is subtly showing that chastity is notthe whole of virtue and uses Isabella to prove this point. It is not easy to say that having purity and holiness is having virtue while neglecting kindness, brotherly love and compassion. As one cannot have virtue without all these qualities, hence Isabellas character is one that may be seen as flawed since she lacks some of these traits. It seems as if Shakespeares characters are not so precise in their characterization of being good and evil since these terms, even when describing human characters, are relative and subjective.

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WORKS CITED Geckle, George L.Shakespeares Isabella. Shakespeares Quarterly 22.2 (1971): 163168. PDF. Shakespeare, William. Measure for Measure. Ed. Arthur Quiller-Couch. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.