Act 2, Scene 1 — Measure for Measure

The argument Angelo orders Claudio's execution despite Escalus's plea; then Escalus sits through a farcical trial in which the malaprop-prone constable Elbow accuses Pompey, bawdy servant to a brothel, of offenses he cannot clearly articulate.

Enter Angelo, Escalus, Servants, and a Justice.

ANGELO ≋ verse

We must not make a scarecrow of the law,

Setting it up to fear the birds of prey,

And let it keep one shape till custom make it

Their perch, and not their terror.

We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey, And let it keep one shape till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.

We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey

"We must not make a scarecrow of the law" Angelo's central metaphor, introduced before Isabella even appears: a scarecrow works once, then becomes decoration. His determination to enforce the law is rooted in this image of deterrence through actual consequences.

Why it matters Angelo's opening statement is the scarecrow speech — his governing philosophy in four lines — which frames everything that follows as a consistency of principle, not cruelty.

↩ Callback to 1-3 Angelo's scarecrow metaphor echoes the Duke's own diagnosis in 1-3 — unenforced laws become decorative, mocked instead of feared. Both men are describing the same problem; Angelo is the Duke's solution.

ESCALUS ≋ verse

Ay, but yet

Let us be keen, and rather cut a little

Than fall and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman,

Whom I would save, had a most noble father.

Let but your honour know,

Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue,

That, in the working of your own affections,

Had time cohered with place, or place with wishing,

Or that the resolute acting of your blood

Could have attained th’ effect of your own purpose,

Whether you had not sometime in your life

Erred in this point which now you censure him,

And pulled the law upon you.

Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little Than fall and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman, Whom I would save, had a most noble father. Let but your honour know, Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue, That, in the working of your own affections, Had time cohered with place, or place with wishing, Or that the resolute acting of your blood Could have attained th’ effect of your own purpose, Whether you had not sometime in your life Erred in this point which now you censure him, And pulled the law upon you.

Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little Than fall and bruise to deat

"Had time cohered with place, or place with wishing" The conditions for sin: opportunity + desire + the moment all aligning. Escalus is suggesting Angelo has simply been lucky — not more virtuous, just never in the right configuration for temptation to win.

Why it matters Escalus's argument — that Angelo might himself have erred under the right circumstances — is the play's first statement of the theme that will destroy Angelo. He dismisses it in the next breath.

ANGELO ≋ verse

’Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus,

Another thing to fall. I not deny

The jury passing on the prisoner’s life

May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two

Guiltier than him they try. What’s open made to justice,

That justice seizes. What knows the laws

That thieves do pass on thieves? ’Tis very pregnant,

The jewel that we find, we stoop and take ’t,

Because we see it; but what we do not see,

We tread upon, and never think of it.

You may not so extenuate his offence

For I have had such faults; but rather tell me,

When I that censure him do so offend,

Let mine own judgement pattern out my death,

And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.

’Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, Another thing to fall. I not deny The jury passing on the prisoner’s life May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two Guiltier than him they try. What’s open made to justice, That justice seizes. What knows the laws That thieves do pass on thieves? ’Tis very pregnant, The jewel that we find, we stoop and take ’t, Because we see it; but what we do not see, We tread upon, and never think of it. You may not so extenuate his offence For I have had such faults; but rather tell me, When I that censure him do so offend, Let mine own judgement pattern out my death, And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.

’Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, Another thing to fall. I not deny The jur

"When I that censure him do so offend, / Let mine own judgement pattern out my death" Angelo's chilling self-nomination: if I ever commit this sin, use my own sentence as the template for my punishment. The audience, knowing what's coming, recognizes this as an oath Angelo will be held to — literally — in Act 5.

Why it matters Angelo's oath here — 'when I do offend, let my own judgement pattern out my death' — will be invoked literally against him in Act 5. He's writing his own sentence without knowing it.

🎭 Dramatic irony Angelo says 'When I that censure him do so offend, let mine own judgement pattern out my death' — a rhetorical declaration of incorruptibility. The audience of the whole play, knowing Act 5 is coming, hears this as Angelo writing his own indictment.

Enter Provost.

ESCALUS

Be it as your wisdom will.

ANGELO

Where is the Provost?

PROVOST

Here, if it like your honour.

ANGELO ≋ verse

See that Claudio

Be executed by nine tomorrow morning.

Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared,

For that’s the utmost of his pilgrimage.

See that Claudio Be executed by nine tomorrow morning. Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared, For that’s the utmost of his pilgrimage.

See that Claudio Be executed by nine tomorrow morning. Bring him his confessor,

[_Exit Provost._]

ESCALUS ≋ verse

Well, heaven forgive him; and forgive us all.

Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.

Some run from brakes of vice, and answer none,

And some condemned for a fault alone.

Well, heaven forgive him; and forgive us all. Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall. Some run from brakes of vice, and answer none, And some condemned for a fault alone.

Well, heaven forgive him; and forgive us all. Some rise by sin, and some by virt

"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." One of Escalus's best lines — a quiet indictment of the system he cannot change. It's almost a proverb: the moral order is inverted, the wrong people are punished.

Enter Elbow and Officers with Froth and Pompey.

First appearance

ELBOW

Elbow speaks in malapropisms — he consistently uses the opposite of the word he means. 'Benefactors' for malefactors, 'detest' for attest or respect, 'precise' for vile. He doesn't know he's doing it, which is what makes it funny and slightly heartbreaking. Watch for how his word errors accidentally reveal truths: when he says Pompey is a 'precise villain,' he's more right than he knows.

ELBOW

Come, bring them away. If these be good people in a commonweal that do

nothing but use their abuses in common houses, I know no law. Bring

them away.

Come, bring them away. If these be good people in a commonweal that do nothing but use their abuses in common houses, I know no law. Bring them away.

Come, bring them away. If these be good people in a commonweal that do nothing b

ANGELO

How now, sir, what’s your name? And what’s the matter?

ELBOW

If it please your honour, I am the poor Duke’s constable, and my name

is Elbow. I do lean upon justice, sir, and do bring in here before your

good honour two notorious benefactors.

If it please your honour, I am the poor Duke’s constable, and my name is Elbow. I do lean upon justice, sir, and do bring in here before your good honour two notorious benefactors.

If it please your honour, I am the poor Duke’s constable, and my name is Elbow.

"two notorious benefactors" Elbow means 'malefactors' — wrongdoers. He says the opposite. This first malapropism sets the comic register for everything that follows.

ANGELO

Benefactors? Well, what benefactors are they? Are they not malefactors?

ELBOW

If it please your honour, I know not well what they are, but precise

villains they are, that I am sure of, and void of all profanation in

the world that good Christians ought to have.

If it please your honour, I know not well what they are, but precise villains they are, that I am sure of, and void of all profanation in the world that good Christians ought to have.

If it please your honour, I know not well what they are, but precise villains th

"void of all profanation in the world that good Christians ought to have" Elbow means 'compassion' or 'profession of faith' — he's said the opposite. He's accidentally called them pious.

ESCALUS

This comes off well. Here’s a wise officer.

ANGELO

Go to. What quality are they of? Elbow is your name? Why dost thou not

speak, Elbow?

Go to. What quality are they of? Elbow is your name? Why dost thou not speak, Elbow?

Go to. What quality are they of? Elbow is your name? Why dost thou not speak, El

POMPEY

He cannot, sir. He’s out at elbow.

"He's out at elbow" A pun on the constable's name — 'out at elbow' meant a garment worn through at that joint, i.e., in poor condition. Pompey is saying Elbow is worn out, used up, beyond his capacity.

ANGELO

What are you, sir?

ELBOW

He, sir? A tapster, sir; parcel bawd; one that serves a bad woman;

whose house, sir, was, as they say, plucked down in the suburbs; and

now she professes a hot-house, which, I think is a very ill house too.

He, sir? A tapster, sir; parcel bawd; one that serves a bad woman; whose house, sir, was, as they say, plucked down in the suburbs; and now she professes a hot-house, which, I think is a very ill house too.

He, sir? A tapster, sir; parcel bawd; one that serves a bad woman; whose house,

"plucked down in the suburbs" Vienna's prostitution was in the suburbs, as in Elizabethan London — the Liberty of the Clink, Bankside. The houses were periodically 'plucked down' (demolished) by civic order, only to relocate.

ESCALUS

How know you that?

ELBOW

My wife, sir, whom I detest before heaven and your honour—

"whom I detest before heaven" Elbow means 'attest' or 'protest' — to swear by or affirm. He says 'detest' (to loathe). The misuse produces the opposite meaning: he's accidentally calling his wife detestable.

ESCALUS

How? Thy wife?

ELBOW

Ay, sir, whom I thank heaven is an honest woman—

ESCALUS

Dost thou detest her therefore?

ELBOW

I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well as she, that this house,

if it be not a bawd’s house, it is pity of her life, for it is a

naughty house.

I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well as she, that this house, if it be not a bawd’s house, it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty house.

I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well as she, that this house, if it be

ESCALUS

How dost thou know that, constable?

ELBOW

Marry, sir, by my wife, who, if she had been a woman cardinally given,

might have been accused in fornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness

there.

Marry, sir, by my wife, who, if she had been a woman cardinally given, might have been accused in fornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness there.

Marry, sir, by my wife, who, if she had been a woman cardinally given, might hav

"if she had been a woman cardinally given" Elbow means 'carnally given' — sexually inclined. He says 'cardinally' (pertaining to a cardinal, the church official). Another accidental malapropism.

ESCALUS

By the woman’s means?

ELBOW

Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone’s means; but as she spit in his face, so

she defied him.

Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone’s means; but as she spit in his face, so she defied him.

Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone’s means; but as she spit in his face, so she defie

POMPEY

Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so.

ELBOW

Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable man, prove it.

[_To Angelo_.] Do you hear how he misplaces?

POMPEY

Sir, she came in great with child; and longing, saving your honour’s

reverence, for stewed prunes; sir, we had but two in the house, which

at that very distant time stood, as it were, in a fruit dish, a dish of

some threepence; your honours have seen such dishes; they are not china

dishes, but very good dishes—

Sir, she came in great with child; and longing, saving your honour’s reverence, for stewed prunes; sir, we had but two in the house, which at that very distant time stood, as it were, in a fruit dish, a dish of some threepence; your honours have seen such dishes; they are not china dishes, but very good dishes—

Sir, she came in great with child; and longing, saving your honour’s reverence,

"longing, saving your honour's reverence, for stewed prunes" 'Stewed prunes' had a double meaning — a pregnancy craving, yes, but also slang for prostitutes (prunes were served in brothels). Pompey's whole testimony is operating on this double register.

ESCALUS

Go to, go to. No matter for the dish, sir.

POMPEY

No, indeed, sir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right. But to the

point. As I say, this Mistress Elbow, being, as I say, with child, and

being great-bellied, and longing, as I said, for prunes; and having but

two in the dish, as I said, Master Froth here, this very man, having

eaten the rest, as I said, and, as I say, paying for them very

honestly; for, as you know, Master Froth, I could not give you

threepence again—

No, indeed, sir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right. But to the point. As I say, this Mistress Elbow, being, as I say, with child, and being great-bellied, and longing, as I said, for prunes; and having but two in the dish, as I said, Master Froth here, this very man, having eaten the rest, as I said, and, as I say, paying for them very honestly; for, as you know, Master Froth, I could not give you threepence again—

No, indeed, sir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right. But to the point. A

First appearance

FROTH

Froth speaks almost nothing — he is presence rather than voice, an upper-class idler who stumbles through the scene agreeing with whatever was last said. His only substantial line ('I have so, because it is an open room, and good for winter') is a perfect comic non-sequitur: asked about a tavern seat, he explains it like a man reviewing a property listing. Watch for how his silence makes him funnier than his speech.

FROTH

No, indeed.

POMPEY

Very well. You being then, if you be remembered, cracking the stones of

the foresaid prunes—

Very well. You being then, if you be remembered, cracking the stones of the foresaid prunes—

Very well. You being then, if you be remembered, cracking the stones of the fore

FROTH

Ay, so I did indeed.

POMPEY

Why, very well. I telling you then, if you be remembered, that such a

one and such a one were past cure of the thing you wot of, unless they

kept very good diet, as I told you—

Why, very well. I telling you then, if you be remembered, that such a one and such a one were past cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very good diet, as I told you—

Why, very well. I telling you then, if you be remembered, that such a one and su

"past cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very good diet" Pompey is alluding to venereal disease — the standard treatment involved strict diet and sweating. The delicate circumlocution ('the thing you wot of') is both polite and damning.

FROTH

All this is true.

POMPEY

Why, very well then—

ESCALUS

Come, you are a tedious fool. To the purpose. What was done to Elbow’s

wife that he hath cause to complain of? Come me to what was done to

her.

Come, you are a tedious fool. To the purpose. What was done to Elbow’s wife that he hath cause to complain of? Come me to what was done to her.

Come, you are a tedious fool. To the purpose. What was done to Elbow’s wife that

POMPEY

Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet.

ESCALUS

No, sir, nor I mean it not.

POMPEY

Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honour’s leave. And I beseech

you, look into Master Froth here, sir, a man of fourscore pound a year;

whose father died at Hallowmas—was’t not at Hallowmas, Master Froth?

Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honour’s leave. And I beseech you, look into Master Froth here, sir, a man of fourscore pound a year; whose father died at Hallowmas—was’t not at Hallowmas, Master Froth?

Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honour’s leave. And I beseech you, look i

FROTH

All-hallond Eve.

POMPEY

Why, very well. I hope here be truths. He, sir, sitting, as I say, in a

lower chair, sir—’twas in the Bunch of Grapes, where, indeed, you have

a delight to sit, have you not?

Why, very well. I hope here be truths. He, sir, sitting, as I say, in a lower chair, sir—’twas in the Bunch of Grapes, where, indeed, you have a delight to sit, have you not?

Why, very well. I hope here be truths. He, sir, sitting, as I say, in a lower ch

FROTH

I have so, because it is an open room, and good for winter.

POMPEY

Why, very well then. I hope here be truths.

ANGELO ≋ verse

This will last out a night in Russia

When nights are longest there. I’ll take my leave,

And leave you to the hearing of the cause;

Hoping you’ll find good cause to whip them all.

This will last out a night in Russia When nights are longest there. I’ll take my leave, And leave you to the hearing of the cause; Hoping you’ll find good cause to whip them all.

This will last out a night in Russia When nights are longest there. I’ll take my

"This will last out a night in Russia" Russia was proverbial for extremely long winter nights. Angelo's dry exit line is the funniest thing he says in the play — and the only moment he seems almost human.

ESCALUS

I think no less. Good morrow to your lordship.

[_Exit Angelo._]

Now, sir, come on. What was done to Elbow’s wife, once more?

POMPEY

Once, sir? There was nothing done to her once.

"There was nothing done to her once" Pompey exploits the ambiguity — 'once' can mean 'ever' or 'a single time.' He's arguing both that nothing was done to her at all, and subtly implying she might have been a regular.

ELBOW

I beseech you, sir, ask him what this man did to my wife.

POMPEY

I beseech your honour, ask me.

ESCALUS

Well, sir, what did this gentleman to her?

POMPEY

I beseech you, sir, look in this gentleman’s face. Good Master Froth,

look upon his honour; ’tis for a good purpose.—Doth your honour mark

his face?

I beseech you, sir, look in this gentleman’s face. Good Master Froth, look upon his honour; ’tis for a good purpose.—Doth your honour mark his face?

I beseech you, sir, look in this gentleman’s face. Good Master Froth, look upon

ESCALUS

Ay, sir, very well.

POMPEY

Nay, I beseech you, mark it well.

ESCALUS

Well, I do so.

POMPEY

Doth your honour see any harm in his face?

ESCALUS

Why, no.

POMPEY

I’ll be supposed upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him.

Good, then, if his face be the worst thing about him, how could Master

Froth do the constable’s wife any harm? I would know that of your

honour.

I’ll be supposed upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him. Good, then, if his face be the worst thing about him, how could Master Froth do the constable’s wife any harm? I would know that of your honour.

I’ll be supposed upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him. Good, then,

"I'll be supposed upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him" 'Supposed upon a book' = deposed upon a book, i.e., sworn on a Bible. Pompey is constructing a formal legal argument from Froth's benign appearance — an actual rhetorical strategy that happens to be absurd.

ESCALUS

He’s in the right. Constable. What say you to it?

ELBOW

First, an it like you, the house is a respected house; next, this is a

respected fellow; and his mistress is a respected woman.

First, an it like you, the house is a respected house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his mistress is a respected woman.

First, an it like you, the house is a respected house; next, this is a respected

"a respected house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his mistress is a respected woman" Elbow means 'suspected' — disreputable, under suspicion. He says 'respected' throughout. The inversion is funnier for being sustained.

POMPEY

By this hand, sir, his wife is a more respected person than any of us

all.

By this hand, sir, his wife is a more respected person than any of us all.

ELBOW

Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet! The time is yet to come

that she was ever respected with man, woman, or child.

Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet! The time is yet to come that she was ever respected with man, woman, or child.

Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet! The time is yet to come that she

POMPEY

Sir, she was respected with him before he married with her.

ESCALUS

Which is the wiser here, Justice or Iniquity? Is this true?

"Which is the wiser here, Justice or Iniquity?" Escalus refers to allegorical figures from the old Morality plays — Vice and Justice were stock characters. He's noting that in this farce, the Vice (Pompey) is making more sense than the Justice (Elbow).

ELBOW

O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal! I respected with

her before I was married to her? If ever I was respected with her, or

she with me, let not your worship think me the poor Duke’s officer.

Prove this, thou wicked Hannibal, or I’ll have mine action of battery

on thee.

O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal! I respected with her before I was married to her? If ever I was respected with her, or she with me, let not your worship think me the poor Duke’s officer. Prove this, thou wicked Hannibal, or I’ll have mine action of battery on thee.

O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal! I respected with her befo

"wicked Hannibal" Elbow means 'cannibal' — a monster. He says 'Hannibal' (the Carthaginian general). The error makes no historical sense and is perfectly comic.

ESCALUS

If he took you a box o’ th’ ear, you might have your action of slander

too.

If he took you a box o’ th’ ear, you might have your action of slander too.

ELBOW

Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What is’t your worship’s

pleasure I shall do with this wicked caitiff?

Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What is’t your worship’s pleasure I shall do with this wicked caitiff?

Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What is’t your worship’s pleasure I sha

ESCALUS

Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in him that thou wouldst

discover if thou couldst, let him continue in his courses till thou

know’st what they are.

Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in him that thou wouldst discover if thou couldst, let him continue in his courses till thou know’st what they are.

Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in him that thou wouldst discover

ELBOW

Marry, I thank your worship for it.—Thou seest, thou wicked varlet,

now, what’s come upon thee. Thou art to continue now, thou varlet, thou

art to continue.

Marry, I thank your worship for it.—Thou seest, thou wicked varlet, now, what’s come upon thee. Thou art to continue now, thou varlet, thou art to continue.

Marry, I thank your worship for it.—Thou seest, thou wicked varlet, now, what’s

[_To Froth_.] Where were you born, friend?

FROTH

Here in Vienna, sir.

ESCALUS

Are you of fourscore pounds a year?

FROTH

Yes, an’t please you, sir.

ESCALUS

So. [_To Pompey_.] What trade are you of, sir?

POMPEY

A tapster, a poor widow’s tapster.

ESCALUS

Your mistress’ name?

POMPEY

Mistress Overdone.

ESCALUS

Hath she had any more than one husband?

POMPEY

Nine, sir; Overdone by the last.

"Nine, sir; Overdone by the last." The joke that explains her name: Mistress Overdone was overdone (worn out, surfeited) by her ninth husband. Shakespeare hid a punchline in the character's name and finally delivers it here.

Why it matters This is where we learn why she's called 'Overdone' — nine husbands, the last one did her in. It's the play's best throwaway joke.

ESCALUS

Nine?—Come hither to me, Master Froth. Master Froth, I would not have

you acquainted with tapsters; they will draw you, Master Froth, and you

will hang them. Get you gone, and let me hear no more of you.

Nine?—Come hither to me, Master Froth. Master Froth, I would not have you acquainted with tapsters; they will draw you, Master Froth, and you will hang them. Get you gone, and let me hear no more of you.

Nine?—Come hither to me, Master Froth. Master Froth, I would not have you acquai

"they will draw you, Master Froth, and you will hang them" A pun: tapsters draw ale; drawing also means attracting into danger. And Froth, as a gentleman, might bring a charge that results in a hanging — for the tapster.

FROTH

I thank your worship. For mine own part, I never come into any room in

a taphouse but I am drawn in.

I thank your worship. For mine own part, I never come into any room in a taphouse but I am drawn in.

I thank your worship. For mine own part, I never come into any room in a taphous

ESCALUS

Well, no more of it, Master Froth. Farewell.

[_Exit Froth._]

Come you hither to me, Master tapster. What’s your name, Master

tapster?

POMPEY

Pompey.

ESCALUS

What else?

POMPEY

Bum, sir.

ESCALUS

Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about you; so that, in the

beastliest sense, you are Pompey the great. Pompey, you are partly a

bawd, Pompey, howsoever you colour it in being a tapster, are you not?

Come, tell me true, it shall be the better for you.

Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about you; so that, in the beastliest sense, you are Pompey the great. Pompey, you are partly a bawd, Pompey, howsoever you colour it in being a tapster, are you not? Come, tell me true, it shall be the better for you.

Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about you; so that, in the beastliest

"your bum is the greatest thing about you" Escalus riffs on the name 'Bum' to crown Pompey as 'Pompey the Great' — the famous Roman general, now a tapster's surname joke. The dignity of historical allusion applied to a backside pun.

POMPEY

Truly, sir, I am a poor fellow that would live.

Why it matters Pompey's 'I am a poor fellow that would live' is the most economically honest sentence in the play — and a complete ethical argument in eight words.

ESCALUS

How would you live, Pompey? By being a bawd? What do you think of the

trade, Pompey? Is it a lawful trade?

How would you live, Pompey? By being a bawd? What do you think of the trade, Pompey? Is it a lawful trade?

How would you live, Pompey? By being a bawd? What do you think of the trade, Pom

POMPEY

If the law would allow it, sir.

ESCALUS

But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it shall not be allowed in

Vienna.

But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it shall not be allowed in Vienna.

POMPEY

Does your worship mean to geld and splay all the youth of the city?

"geld and splay all the youth of the city" Castrate and spay — the animals terms are deliberate and funny. Pompey is making the satirical point that if you ban sex work, you'd have to remove desire entirely to succeed.

ESCALUS

No, Pompey.

POMPEY

Truly, sir, in my poor opinion, they will to’t then. If your worship

will take order for the drabs and the knaves, you need not to fear the

bawds.

Truly, sir, in my poor opinion, they will to’t then. If your worship will take order for the drabs and the knaves, you need not to fear the bawds.

Truly, sir, in my poor opinion, they will to’t then. If your worship will take o

ESCALUS

There is pretty orders beginning, I can tell you. It is but heading and

hanging.

There is pretty orders beginning, I can tell you. It is but heading and hanging.

POMPEY

If you head and hang all that offend that way but for ten year

together, you’ll be glad to give out a commission for more heads. If

this law hold in Vienna ten year, I’ll rent the fairest house in it

after threepence a bay. If you live to see this come to pass, say

Pompey told you so.

If you head and hang all that offend that way but for ten year together, you’ll be glad to give out a commission for more heads. If this law hold in Vienna ten year, I’ll rent the fairest house in it after threepence a bay. If you live to see this come to pass, say Pompey told you so.

If you head and hang all that offend that way but for ten year together, you’ll

ESCALUS

Thank you, good Pompey; and, in requital of your prophecy, hark you: I

advise you, let me not find you before me again upon any complaint

whatsoever; no, not for dwelling where you do. If I do, Pompey, I shall

beat you to your tent, and prove a shrewd Caesar to you. In plain

dealing, Pompey, I shall have you whipped. So for this time, Pompey,

fare you well.

Thank you, good Pompey; and, in requital of your prophecy, hark you: I advise you, let me not find you before me again upon any complaint whatsoever; no, not for dwelling where you do. If I do, Pompey, I shall beat you to your tent, and prove a shrewd Caesar to you. In plain dealing, Pompey, I shall have you whipped. So for this time, Pompey, fare you well.

Thank you, good Pompey; and, in requital of your prophecy, hark you: I advise yo

"beat you to your tent, and prove a shrewd Caesar to you" Caesar defeated Pompey the Great at Pharsalus (48 BC), chasing him to his tent and eventual death. Escalus is playing with the classical name — he'll be Caesar, Pompey will be routed.

POMPEY

I thank your worship for your good counsel. [_Aside_.] But I shall

follow it as the flesh and fortune shall better determine.

Whip me? No, no; let carman whip his jade;

The valiant heart’s not whipped out of his trade.

I thank your worship for your good counsel. [_Aside_.] But I shall follow it as the flesh and fortune shall better determine. Whip me? No, no; let carman whip his jade; The valiant heart’s not whipped out of his trade.

I thank your worship for your good counsel. [_Aside_.] But I shall follow it as

[_Exit._]

ESCALUS

Come hither to me, Master Elbow. Come hither, Master Constable. How

long have you been in this place of constable?

Come hither to me, Master Elbow. Come hither, Master Constable. How long have you been in this place of constable?

Come hither to me, Master Elbow. Come hither, Master Constable. How long have yo

ELBOW

Seven year and a half, sir.

ESCALUS

I thought, by the readiness in the office, you had continued in it

sometime. You say seven years together?

I thought, by the readiness in the office, you had continued in it sometime. You say seven years together?

I thought, by the readiness in the office, you had continued in it sometime. You

ELBOW

And a half, sir.

ESCALUS

Alas, it hath been great pains to you. They do you wrong to put you so

oft upon’t. Are there not men in your ward sufficient to serve it?

Alas, it hath been great pains to you. They do you wrong to put you so oft upon’t. Are there not men in your ward sufficient to serve it?

Alas, it hath been great pains to you. They do you wrong to put you so oft upon’

ELBOW

Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters. As they are chosen, they

are glad to choose me for them; I do it for some piece of money, and go

through with all.

Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters. As they are chosen, they are glad to choose me for them; I do it for some piece of money, and go through with all.

Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters. As they are chosen, they are glad to

"they are glad to choose me for them; I do it for some piece of money" Constable duty was civic obligation in Elizabethan England — neighborhood men served in rotation. Wealthier men paid poorer ones to take their turn. Elbow is effectively a professional standin, which explains both his tenure and his incompetence.

ESCALUS ≋ verse

Look you bring me in the names of some six or seven, the most

sufficient of your parish.

Look you bring me in the names of some six or seven, the most sufficient of your parish.

Look you bring me in the names of some six or seven, the most sufficient of your

ELBOW

To your worship’s house, sir?

ESCALUS

To my house. Fare you well.

[_Exit Elbow._]

What’s o’clock, think you?

First appearance

JUSTICE

The Justice has two lines in the whole play — he's essentially a named silence, a witness to Escalus's rueful coda. When he says 'Lord Angelo is severe,' he's saying what everyone thinks and nobody says directly. His brevity is the joke.

JUSTICE

Eleven, sir.

ESCALUS

I pray you home to dinner with me.

JUSTICE

I humbly thank you.

ESCALUS ≋ verse

It grieves me for the death of Claudio,

But there’s no remedy.

It grieves me for the death of Claudio, But there’s no remedy.

JUSTICE

Lord Angelo is severe.

ESCALUS ≋ verse

It is but needful.

Mercy is not itself that oft looks so;

Pardon is still the nurse of second woe.

But yet, Poor Claudio! There’s no remedy.

Come, sir.

It is but needful. Mercy is not itself that oft looks so; Pardon is still the nurse of second woe. But yet, Poor Claudio! There’s no remedy. Come, sir.

It is but needful. Mercy is not itself that oft looks so; Pardon is still the nu

"Pardon is still the nurse of second woe" Escalus is repeating Angelo's logic back to himself — mercy enables recidivism. But the 'But yet, Poor Claudio' that follows shows he doesn't believe it, or can't make himself believe it.

[_Exeunt._]

The Reckoning

The scene snaps between two registers so sharply it's almost uncomfortable. In eleven lines, a man's death is confirmed — Escalus makes the best possible argument and Angelo shuts it down with chilling efficiency. Then for eighty lines, the play tumbles into a world of prunes, fruit dishes, Hallowmas Eve, and Pompey's magnificent circular testimony. Escalus, left alone to deal with the case Angelo abandoned with contempt, ends up almost liking Pompey — the only honest person in the room. The scene closes with Escalus privately grieving for Claudio. You leave it unsure whether to laugh or be sick about it.

If this happened today…

Picture the morning of a startup's brutal round of layoffs. The founders spend seven minutes in a conference room deciding to cut thirty percent of the team — 'the data is clear, there's no other option' — and then walk into the open-plan office and spend the next three hours dealing with a complaint from the office manager about whether the catering vendor's invoice was properly submitted, while the person being accused brings up unrelated invoices from 2019. Meanwhile, the HR director who tried to argue for an alternative restructuring is left fielding the whole absurd complaint because the founder got bored and left. That's 2-1: life-or-death decision made in minutes, then the system grinds slowly through the trivial.

Continue to 2.2 →