“All shadow and silence in it” (3.1.247-48): Reticence in Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure’s notoriously ambivalent ending, particularly with Isabella’s lack of response to the Duke’s twice-repeated marriage proposal, has caused a wealth of critical comments. It seems that most critics have failed to notice that the silence at the close of the play is actually made pal...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Centre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte"
2013-01-01
|
| Series: | Sillages Critiques |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2635 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832578597823447040 |
|---|---|
| author | Denis Lagae-Devoldere |
| author_facet | Denis Lagae-Devoldere |
| author_sort | Denis Lagae-Devoldere |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Measure for Measure’s notoriously ambivalent ending, particularly with Isabella’s lack of response to the Duke’s twice-repeated marriage proposal, has caused a wealth of critical comments. It seems that most critics have failed to notice that the silence at the close of the play is actually made palpable throughout the course of the dramatic action: the silence(s) surrounding the “open” ending makes manifest what has been hinted at and toyed with. The bed-trick, one of the play’s central episodes – in both senses of its plot-related importance and its significant structural position – may be construed as a powerful marker of the interplay between silence and discourse, redeployed in specific stage terms. Shakespeare’s last comedy may thus be seen as an exploitation and exploration of aposiopesis in all its varied structural, dramatic, linguistic, political or philosophical nuances or “measures.” Measure for Measure, a play about the failure of rhetorical persuasion, turns reticence into emphasis. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-75982e54cddb46129ecfb8dcae9e4968 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1272-3819 1969-6302 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Centre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte" |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sillages Critiques |
| spelling | doaj-art-75982e54cddb46129ecfb8dcae9e49682025-01-30T13:46:40ZengCentre de Recherche "Texte et Critique de Texte"Sillages Critiques1272-38191969-63022013-01-011510.4000/sillagescritiques.2635“All shadow and silence in it” (3.1.247-48): Reticence in Measure for MeasureDenis Lagae-DevoldereMeasure for Measure’s notoriously ambivalent ending, particularly with Isabella’s lack of response to the Duke’s twice-repeated marriage proposal, has caused a wealth of critical comments. It seems that most critics have failed to notice that the silence at the close of the play is actually made palpable throughout the course of the dramatic action: the silence(s) surrounding the “open” ending makes manifest what has been hinted at and toyed with. The bed-trick, one of the play’s central episodes – in both senses of its plot-related importance and its significant structural position – may be construed as a powerful marker of the interplay between silence and discourse, redeployed in specific stage terms. Shakespeare’s last comedy may thus be seen as an exploitation and exploration of aposiopesis in all its varied structural, dramatic, linguistic, political or philosophical nuances or “measures.” Measure for Measure, a play about the failure of rhetorical persuasion, turns reticence into emphasis.https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2635silencetropesbed-trickreticenceaposiopesisbeheading |
| spellingShingle | Denis Lagae-Devoldere “All shadow and silence in it” (3.1.247-48): Reticence in Measure for Measure Sillages Critiques silence tropes bed-trick reticence aposiopesis beheading |
| title | “All shadow and silence in it” (3.1.247-48): Reticence in Measure for Measure |
| title_full | “All shadow and silence in it” (3.1.247-48): Reticence in Measure for Measure |
| title_fullStr | “All shadow and silence in it” (3.1.247-48): Reticence in Measure for Measure |
| title_full_unstemmed | “All shadow and silence in it” (3.1.247-48): Reticence in Measure for Measure |
| title_short | “All shadow and silence in it” (3.1.247-48): Reticence in Measure for Measure |
| title_sort | all shadow and silence in it 3 1 247 48 reticence in measure for measure |
| topic | silence tropes bed-trick reticence aposiopesis beheading |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/2635 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT denislagaedevoldere allshadowandsilenceinit3124748reticenceinmeasureformeasure |