Isabella pleads with Angelo for Claudio’s life. Angelo refuses to relent but, overcome by desire for Isabella, tells her that he will consider her plea and instructs her to return the following morning.
Enter Provost ⌜and a⌝ Servant.
SERVANT 0736He’s hearing of a cause. He will come straight. 0737I’ll tell him of you. PROVOST0738Pray you do. ⌜Servant exits.⌝ 0739I’ll know 07405His pleasure. Maybe he will relent. Alas, 0741He hath but as offended in a dream. 0742All sects, all ages smack of this vice, and he 0743To die for ’t?
Enter Angelo.
ANGELO0744Now, what’s the matter, provost? PROVOST 074510Is it your will Claudio shall die tomorrow? ANGELO 0746Did not I tell thee yea? Hadst thou not order? 0747Why dost thou ask again? PROVOST0748
Lest I might be too rash. 0749Under your good correction, I have seen 075015When, after execution, judgment hath 0751Repented o’er his doom. ANGELO0752
Go to. Let that be mine. 0753Do you your office, or give up your place 0754And you shall well be spared. PROVOST075520I crave your Honor’s pardon.
p.
59
0756What shall be done, sir, with the groaning Juliet? 0757She’s very near her hour. ANGELO0758Dispose of her 0759To some more fitter place, and that with speed.
⌜Enter Servant.⌝
SERVANT 076025Here is the sister of the man condemned 0761Desires access to you. ANGELO0762Hath he a sister? PROVOST 0763Ay, my good lord, a very virtuous maid, 0764And to be shortly of a sisterhood, 076530If not already. ANGELO, ⌜to Servant⌝0766Well, let her be admitted. ⌜Servant exits.⌝ 0767See you the fornicatress be removed. 0768Let her have needful but not lavish means. 0769There shall be order for ’t.
Enter Lucio and Isabella.
PROVOST, ⌜beginning to exit⌝077035Save your Honor. ANGELO 0771Stay a little while.⌜To Isabella.⌝ You’re welcome. 0772What’s your will? ISABELLA 0773I am a woeful suitor to your Honor, 0774Please but your Honor hear me. ANGELO077540Well, what’s your 0776suit? ISABELLA 0777There is a vice that most I do abhor, 0778And most desire should meet the blow of justice, 0779For which I would not plead, but that I must;
p.
61
078045For which I must not plead, but that I am 0781At war ’twixt will and will not. ANGELO0782Well, the matter? ISABELLA 0783I have a brother is condemned to die. 0784I do beseech you let it be his fault 078550And not my brother. PROVOST, ⌜aside⌝0786Heaven give thee moving 0787graces. ANGELO 0788Condemn the fault, and not the actor of it? 0789Why, every fault’s condemned ere it be done. 079055Mine were the very cipher of a function 0791To fine the faults whose fine stands in record 0792And let go by the actor. ISABELLA0793
O just but severe law! 0794I had a brother, then. Heaven keep your Honor. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝ 079560Give ’t not o’er so. To him again, entreat him, 0796Kneel down before him, hang upon his gown. 0797You are too cold. If you should need a pin, 0798You could not with more tame a tongue desire it. 0799To him, I say. ISABELLA, ⌜to Angelo⌝ 080065Must he needs die? ANGELO0801Maiden, no remedy. ISABELLA 0802Yes, I do think that you might pardon him, 0803And neither heaven nor man grieve at the mercy. ANGELO 0804I will not do ’t. ISABELLA080570But can you if you would? ANGELO 0806Look what I will not, that I cannot do. ISABELLA 0807But might you do ’t and do the world no wrong
p.
63
0808If so your heart were touched with that remorse 0809As mine is to him? ANGELO081075He’s sentenced. ’Tis too late. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝0811
You are too cold. ISABELLA 0812Too late? Why, no. I that do speak a word 0813May call it ⌜back⌝ again. Well believe this: 0814No ceremony that to great ones longs, 081580Not the king’s crown, nor the deputed sword, 0816The marshal’s truncheon, nor the judge’s robe 0817Become them with one half so good a grace 0818As mercy does. 0819If he had been as you, and you as he, 082085You would have slipped like him, but he like you 0821Would not have been so stern. ANGELO0822Pray you begone. ISABELLA 0823I would to heaven I had your potency, 0824And you were Isabel. Should it then be thus? 082590No. I would tell what ’twere to be a judge 0826And what a prisoner. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝0827Ay, touch him; there’s the 0828vein. ANGELO 0829Your brother is a forfeit of the law, 083095And you but waste your words. ISABELLA0831Alas, alas! 0832Why all the souls that were were forfeit once, 0833And He that might the vantage best have took 0834Found out the remedy. How would you be 0835100If He which is the top of judgment should 0836But judge you as you are? O, think on that, 0837And mercy then will breathe within your lips 0838Like man new-made. ANGELO0839Be you content, fair maid. 0840105It is the law, not I, condemn your brother.
p.
65
0841Were he my kinsman, brother, or my son, 0842It should be thus with him. He must die tomorrow. ISABELLA 0843Tomorrow? O, that’s sudden! Spare him, spare him. 0844He’s not prepared for death. Even for our kitchens 0845110We kill the fowl of season. Shall we serve heaven 0846With less respect than we do minister 0847To our gross selves? Good, good my lord, bethink 0848you. 0849Who is it that hath died for this offense? 0850115There’s many have committed it. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝0851Ay, well said. ANGELO 0852The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept. 0853Those many had not dared to do that evil 0854If the first that did th’ edict infringe 0855120Had answered for his deed. Now ’tis awake, 0856Takes note of what is done, and, like a prophet, 0857Looks in a glass that shows what future evils— 0858Either now, or by remissness new-conceived, 0859And so in progress to be hatched and born— 0860125Are now to have no successive degrees 0861But, ⌜ere⌝ they live, to end. ISABELLA0862Yet show some pity. ANGELO 0863I show it most of all when I show justice, 0864For then I pity those I do not know, 0865130Which a dismissed offense would after gall, 0866And do him right that, answering one foul wrong, 0867Lives not to act another. Be satisfied; 0868Your brother dies tomorrow; be content. ISABELLA 0869So you must be the first that gives this sentence, 0870135And he that suffers. O, it is excellent 0871To have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous 0872To use it like a giant.
p.
67
LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝0873That’s well said. ISABELLA0874
Could great men thunder 0875140As Jove himself does, Jove would never be quiet, 0876For every pelting, petty officer 0877Would use his heaven for thunder, 0878Nothing but thunder. Merciful heaven, 0879Thou rather with thy sharp and sulphurous bolt 0880145Splits the unwedgeable and gnarlèd oak, 0881Than the soft myrtle. But man, proud man, 0882Dressed in a little brief authority, 0883Most ignorant of what he’s most assured, 0884His glassy essence, like an angry ape 0885150Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven 0886As makes the angels weep, who with our spleens 0887Would all themselves laugh mortal. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝ 0888O, to him, to him, wench. He will relent. 0889He’s coming. I perceive ’t. PROVOST, ⌜aside⌝0890155Pray heaven she win him. ISABELLA 0891We cannot weigh our brother with ourself. 0892Great men may jest with saints; ’tis wit in them, 0893But in the less, foul profanation. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝ 0894Thou ’rt i’ th’ right, girl. More o’ that. ISABELLA 0895160That in the captain’s but a choleric word 0896Which in the soldier is flat blasphemy. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝ 0897Art avised o’ that? More on ’t. ANGELO 0898Why do you put these sayings upon me? ISABELLA 0899Because authority, though it err like others, 0900165Hath yet a kind of medicine in itself
p.
69
0901That skins the vice o’ th’ top. Go to your bosom, 0902Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know 0903That’s like my brother’s fault. If it confess 0904A natural guiltiness such as is his, 0905170Let it not sound a thought upon your tongue 0906Against my brother’s life. ANGELO, ⌜aside⌝0907
She speaks, and ’tis such sense 0908That my sense breeds with it.⌜He begins to exit.⌝ 0909Fare you well. ISABELLA0910175Gentle my lord, turn back. ANGELO 0911I will bethink me. Come again tomorrow. ISABELLA 0912Hark how I’ll bribe you. Good my lord, turn back. ANGELO0913
How? Bribe me? ISABELLA 0914Ay, with such gifts that heaven shall share with you. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝0915180You had marred all else. ISABELLA 0916Not with fond sicles of the tested gold, 0917Or stones whose rate are either rich or poor 0918As fancy values them, but with true prayers 0919That shall be up at heaven and enter there 0920185Ere sunrise, prayers from preservèd souls, 0921From fasting maids whose minds are dedicate 0922To nothing temporal. ANGELO0923Well, come to me tomorrow. LUCIO, ⌜aside to Isabella⌝0924
Go to, ’tis well; away. ISABELLA 0925190Heaven keep your Honor safe. ANGELO, ⌜aside⌝0926Amen. 0927For I am that way going to temptation 0928Where prayers cross. ISABELLA0929At what hour tomorrow 0930195Shall I attend your Lordship? ANGELO0931
At any time ’fore noon.
p.
71
ISABELLA0932
Save your Honor. ⌜She exits, with Lucio and Provost.⌝ ANGELO0933
From thee, even from thy virtue. 0934What’s this? What’s this? Is this her fault or mine? 0935200The tempter or the tempted, who sins most, ha? 0936Not she, nor doth she tempt; but it is I 0937That, lying by the violet in the sun, 0938Do as the carrion does, not as the flower, 0939Corrupt with virtuous season. Can it be 0940205That modesty may more betray our sense 0941Than woman’s lightness? Having waste ground 0942enough, 0943Shall we desire to raze the sanctuary 0944And pitch our evils there? O fie, fie, fie! 0945210What dost thou, or what art thou, Angelo? 0946Dost thou desire her foully for those things 0947That make her good? O, let her brother live. 0948Thieves for their robbery have authority 0949When judges steal themselves. What, do I love her 0950215That I desire to hear her speak again 0951And feast upon her eyes? What is ’t I dream on? 0952O cunning enemy that, to catch a saint, 0953With saints dost bait thy hook. Most dangerous 0954Is that temptation that doth goad us on 0955220To sin in loving virtue. Never could the strumpet 0956With all her double vigor, art and nature, 0957Once stir my temper, but this virtuous maid 0958Subdues me quite. Ever till now 0959When men were fond, I smiled and wondered how. He exits.
