Measure for Measure and Conflict

1244 Words5 Pages
To what extent do you agree with the claim that in Measure for Measure there is an almost Tragic Conflict between Anarchy and Order? In order to address the issues of tragedy, chaos and order, it's necessary to define the words. Tragedy can easily be seen as something that has a very devastating, sad and often inevitable ending, resulting in death, as Aristotelian tragedy defined it. Order and chaos seem to oppose one another by definition, yet the two do not conflict, instead springing from one another in the play. I only agree in part with the statement, as there is not necessarily a conflict between anarchy and order, in Measure for Measure, but instead it is more likely that anarchy is the result of attempts to uphold order, stemming from the attempts to create the enforcement of order. Angelo claims to be "tempted" by Isabella, whose only present as a result of Angelo's attempts to bestow order and justice on Claudio, branding the law as something other then the “scarecrow” it has become. It appears tragic and inevitable that his attempts to bring order will only result in a chaotic anarchy. It is clear that the chaotic nature of the future events are the result of attempts to bring order, therefore the anarchy relies on the attempts to bring together order and the two are not necessarily in conflict. It could be argued that the Christian morals of the time imply that it is necessary to live in structured societies in order to suppress the inherent evil of humans. This would imply that the attempt to strive towards good would be inevitable and the outcomes are therefore far more tragic. It could instead be interpreted that anarchy has triumphed over order and that, consequently, the attempts to uphold order are no proof enough to claim that order is still surviving in conflict. Angelo states that
Open Document