ABSTRACT
It is hard to classify Measure for Measure since it is neither a comedy nor a tragedy. It is of psychoanalytic interest because it deals with the need for and the disappointment in the harshness of the superego, as well as the development of the relationship of Isabella and Angelo, who are both in search of a stricter superego. The speech is sufficiently enigmatic that one does not know whether Claudio anticipates the price Isabella will be asked to pay to win his pardon. Isabella, mirroring the duke, is not asking for more freedom but more restrictions as a pre-condition for her joining the nunnery. Subtly, Shakespeare shows us that the duke, Angelo, and Isabella have in common a need and search for a harsher superego. Lucio is successful and Isabella resumes her pleading. The technique Isabella used was emphasising the similarities between Claudio and Angelo, with Claudio being less harsh.
