Shakespeares' Worst Character To Date.

                     
                     I don't mind reading Shakespeare. In fact, I often enjoy his work. To be honest, when it comes right down to it, my favorite thing about his writings are usually the characters.
                    So, let's talk about Angelo in Measure for Measure. In my head, Shakespeare could not have written a worse villain. He is smarmy, conniving, dirty, power hungry, and overall, he just gives off a general feeling of "ew". I almost wanted to wash my hands after reading his lines. One of the things that got to me the most was when he turns to Isabella and says "The only way to save your brother is to give me your virginity". My initial reaction to this scene was: Sorry, what? Are you kidding me? No. Ridiculous. Only a total creep without any game would propose that as a suitable arrangement. (This is actually pretty word for word, you can ask my roommate).
                    Though Angelo is pretty much as miserable a character as you can get, he is a great foil for Isabella, Claudio's sister. She is a strong, independent character who reminds me of a modern day feminist who would rather march the white house than accept a less than desirable fate. She is intelligent, quick witted, self aware, and most importantly, she knows her worth as a woman. Having a jerky, moral-less asshole stand opposite her really brings out her strengths as a character.
                   The ending of this play is what makes everything that happens in the middle of it it okay. I do feel like what happens to Angelo at the end is justly deserved, though I do feel badly for Mariana. No one deserves to be shackled to that jerk for the rest of their earthly life, but she seems to be happy with her outcome.

 Some final thoughts on the play: 1) I thought that the Duke, though his actions don't always make sense, was one of the best parts of the play, and that he was hysterical, 2) Angelo is probably the least satisfying character I have ever read. I hate him.