Essay on Exercise of Authority in Measure for Measure

The RemyCake bakery created a cohesive team and an established clientele and became a staple within the community. Their exemplary customer service and the charismatic presence of their founders created a unique work and customer environment. However, with the recent retirement of the RemyCake bakery founder, a number of issues have arisen. Our Task Force identified the origin of their organizational issues. The following summary addresses and provides solutions for the RemyCake Bakery’s issues of ineffective leadership style, lack of organizational hierarchy, under-developed employee training program, and poor communication at all levels.

Harry L. Watson’s book, “Liberty and Power, The Politics of Jacksonian America”, takes an analytical look at America and her politics during the Age of Jackson. Watson uses the economy and the ideological mindset of the people, to support a powerful argument about the beginning of American political parties and their importance in defining the political direction of the country. Watson argues that economic inequalities caused by the “Market Revolution” and a threat to American liberty caused Americans to organize politically in support of a

Louis XIV, Peter the Great, and Tokugawa Ieyasu all considered their own power and strengthened their states in many different ways but their actions were all similar. They united their states, introduced reforms and assessed their power and the effect that they could have on others. Although their techniques were different, the ways these monarchs ruled their states show great similarities.

The prince is introduced as the person who tries to maintain order and peace in Verona; he does this firstly by calling to the mob. “Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,” By addressing them as rebellious he shows them as being outside of the law. He also threatens them with torture to control the citizens so he has to address them with ferocity. This is something that the audience would relate to because peace existed at his time during Elizabeth’s rule. However to remain in power

Of course, one may just as easily argue that the Duke's newfound 'morality' is a direct result of the realisation that he, like the "rod" of the law, is perhaps "more mocked than feared" (I.iii.28). This interpretation is given credence when we consider the possibility that Lucio's remarks regarding the Duke may to some degree be representative of a general spirit of disdain rather than just a humorous product of his bawdy and irreverent nature. Neither must we forget the Duke's own avowal which is couched in very negative (and martial) terms:

How ironic that Claudio’s quick decision to shame Hero at the alter shows his extreme lack of honor and virtue.  Rather than stand by his fiancée’s side, he chooses to believe a rumor and instantly disowns her.

Claudio's sister Isabella is dragged out of the convent to plead for him, on the assumption that her superior virtue might move Angelo's heart to pardon her brother. Does it? No. Rather, it pierces right through Angelo's cold Puritanism and sets his heart and other bits on fire. We see through this carefully controlled man into the roaring pit that he has tried so hard to conceal. He falls a victim to the very passion he is prosecuting in Claudio; in doing so, he comes to represent the conflict between good and evil in Vienna as he struggles with the knowledge that he cannot control his own desires.

Angelo has even fooled those within the lower class strata into thinking that he is pure and holy. Lucio is one of the first to complain to Isabella about Angelo's purity:

The citizens of Vienna having lived under relaxed laws have grown accustomed to breaking them, and Escalus, an old lord with experience in government, warned Angelo (in vain) of the consequences of harsh action; however, Angelo would not be deterred. An excellent insight to Angelo's style of law enforcement comes from the convicted brother of Isabella, Claudio. While in prison and given to many thoughts, Claudio speculates on the motives of Angelo:

Her honor is disgraced for her “actions” and Claudio will no longer accept her as his wife because of the dishonor she has caused him.

Authority cannot exist without obedience. Society is built on this small, but important concept. Without authority and its required obedience, there would only be anarchy and chaos. But how much is too much, or too little? There is a fine line between following blindly and irrational refusal to obey those in a meaningful position of authority. Obedience to authority is a real and powerful force that should be understood and respected in order to handle each situation in the best possible manner.

Today our society raises us to believe that obedience is good and disobedience is bad. We are taught that we should all do what we’re told and that the people that are disobedient are almost always bad people. Society tells us this, but it is not true. Most people will even be obedient to the point of causing harm to others, because to be disobedient requires the courage to be alone against authority. In Stanley Milgram’s "Perils of Obedience" experiment, his studies showed that sixty percent of ordinary people would agree to obey an authority figure even to the point of severely hurting another human being. (Milgram 347).

Duke is portrayed as being a very controlling gentleman. He thinks that no one but himself has the authority to

Barnardine’s character demonstrates the change in the Duke’s severity through his years as a ruler by highlighting how clueless the Duke actually is regarding Barnardine’s situation. In the first scene of act one, the Duke is portrayed as the embodiment of responsibility. As he leaves for his fake vacation, he makes certain to leave someone to fill his position in his absence. Moreover, Angelo seems like the right choice. The Duke’s praises, Angelo’s gracefulness, even his angelic name, provide the reader with a sense of trust. Although the Duke is

Angelo doesn't want to be married and neither does Lucio. Therefore the Duke uses marriage as a punishment instead of death. He commands Angelo with the imperative 'look that you love your wife' and tells the provost to 'proclaim it? around the city'- that any woman disvalued by Lucio should come forward.