Shakespeare's Monologues
Shakespeare's Monologues
Isabella is Claudio's sister. She is is training to become a nun. She is religious, strong-willed, patient, and has a great deal of love for her brother.
Angelo has sentenced Claudio to die. Isabella come's to Angelo asking if there is any way to save her brother's life. Angelo says having sex with him is the only way she can save her brother. She says that she will tell the world of Angelo's hypocrisy, but he convinces her that no one will believe her. She mulls over her options and makes the decision that she will keep her chastity and her brother must be sentenced to death.
Character description, monologue synopsis, and monologue scoring provided by Michaela Buckley as a part of the Spring 2019 THT 352 class.
To whom should I complain? Did I tell this,
Who would believe me? O perilous mouths,
That bear in them one and the self-same tongue,
Either of condemnation or approof;
Bidding the law make court'sy to their will:
Hooking both right and wrong to the appetite,
To follow as it draws! I'll to my brother:
Though he hath fallen by prompture of the blood,
Yet hath he in him such a mind of honour.
That, had he twenty heads to tender down
On twenty bloody blocks, he'ld yield them up,
Before his sister should her body stoop
To such abhorr'd pollution.
Then, Isabel, live chaste, and, brother, die:
More than our brother is our chastity.
I'll tell him yet of Angelo's request,
And fit his mind to death, for his soul's rest.
| Number of Syllables | Scored Text | Meaning of Beat |
| 10 | To whom should I complain? Did I tell this, | Beginning of beat one: To search |
| 10 | Who would believe me? O perilous mouths, | Beginning of beat two: To chastise |
| 10 | That bear in them one in the self-same tongue | |
| 10 | Either of condemnation or approof | |
| 12 | Bidding the law to make curtesy to their will | |
| 11 | Hooking both right and wrong to the appetite | |
| 11 | To follow as it draws! I'll to my brother, | Beginning of beat three: To rationalize |
| 12 | Though he hath fallen by prompture of the blood | |
| 11 | Yet hath he in him such a mind of honour, | |
| 10 | That had he twenty heads to tender down | |
| 10 | On twenty bloody blocks, he'd yeild them up, | |
| 10 | Before his sister should her body stoop | |
| 7 | To such abhorr'd pollution | |
| 10 | Then Isabel, live chaste, and, brother, die | Beginning of beat four: To Proclaim |
| 10 | More than our brother is our chastity | |
| 10 | I'll tell him yet of Angelo's request | |
| 10 | And fit his mind to death, for his soul's rest |
Definitions from David & Ben Crystal / Shakespeare's Words are under copyright, and may not be used without their express permission. All other definitions are from sources in the public domain.
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