The First Folio is the sole authority for this play. And the print house copy appears to have been Ralph Crane’s transcript of a late prompt-book.
The traditional division of ACTS & SCENES is almost that of the FOLIO. The only difference being (ever since Nicholas Rowe in 1709) that the Folio’s 1.2 & 1.3 have been revised into a single scene (1.2) because — even though the stage is “cleared” momentarily — there is no change of “location”.
The Folio’s divisions may be the result of Crane’s sophistication and thereby reflect a somewhat more “literary” than theatrical approach.
Nevertheless, we will keep to our own chosen approach and thereby stick with the FOLIO’s division of ACTS & SCENES.
1.1: line 1 (reads “Act 1 scene 1 begins at line 1″)
1.2: line 95
1.3: line 205
1.4: line 288
1.5: line 347
2.1: line 449
2.2: line 731
2.3: line 951
2.4: line 1001
3.1: line 1202
4.1: line 1768
4.2: line 1855
4.3: line 2076
4.4: line 2271
4.5: line 2306
4.6: line 2323
5.1: line 2345
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Entrances & exits of Characters
According to their order of appearance.
• (2,85) reads “enters at line 2, exits at line 85″.
• DISGUISED as “Friar Ludowick” (952,2270) (2656,2737)
is inserted at the end of DUKE VINCENTIO’s list to indicate the precise “durations” of his being disguised as Friar Ludowick.
• PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS are capitalized.
DUKE VINCENTIO (of Vienna)
(2,85) (289,346) (952,996) (1203,1767) (1776,1854) (1929,2075) (2126,2270) (2307,2322) (2346,2637) (2656,2938) DISGUISED as “Friar Ludowick” (952,2270) (2656,2737)
ESCALUS (a lord of Vienna)
(2,94) (450,730) (1676,1745) (2272,2289) (2346,2938)
ANGELO (deputy of Vincentio)
(2,94) (450,589) (740,950) (1002,1184) (2272,2305) (2346,2762) (2786,2938)
LUCIO (a Fantastick, friend of Claudio & Isabella)
(96,171) (206,287) (354,448) (767,924) (1529,1670) (2241,2270) (2346,2923)
Bawd (a.k.a. Mistress Overdone)
(137,204) (1676,1693)
CLOWN (Pompey)
(175,204) (495,700) (1490,1574) (1856,1913) (2077,2146)
PROVOST
(206,287) (483,490) (732,924) (952,1000) (1203,1400) (1676,1745) (1856,1884) (1901,2075) (2144,2174) (2185,2190) (2346,2631) (2656,2762) (2786,2866) (2875,2938)
CLAUDIO (a young gentleman)
(206,287) (1203,1400) (1917,1926) (2875,2938)
JULIET (beloved of Claudio)
(206,287) (962,1000) (2875,2938)
Friar Thomas
(2875,2938)
ISABELLA (sister of Claudio)
(348,448) (767,924) (1034,1201) (1248,1489) (1791,1833) (1840,1854) (2191,2251) (2324,2344) (2367,2494) (2656,2938)
Justice
(450,730)
Elbow (a constable)
(495,718) (1490,1574)
Froth
(495,658)
MARIANA (betrothed to Angelo)
(1769,1796) (1822,1833) (1840,1854) (2324,2344) (2540,2762) (2786,2938)
Abhorson (the executioner)
(1874,1913) (2096,2146)
Barnardine (a criminal on death row)
(2101,2143) (2875,2938)
Friar Peter
(2307,2322) (2334,2344) (2367,2762) (2786,2938)
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The play has two main (intermixed) plots:
• The first plot consists in the duke’s deputy ANGELO proposing to ISABELLA that he forgive her brother CLAUDIO (who is condemned to death for “lechery”) providing that she sleeps with him (i.e. Angelo).
• The second plot consists in that of the “hidden DUKE” spying on how his city (Vienna) is run by Angelo in his absence.
ISABELLA’s dilemma will be resolved by the hidden DUKE himself who will organize a “bed trick”; whereby ANGELO will think that he is lying with Isabella when he will in fact be lying with his betrothed MARIANA (whom he had erstwhile repudiated).
For a playwright, the challenge in using such a bedtrick as a catastasic event is that, of course, it cannot be shown. So something of interest must occur onstage concurrently with the offstage bedtrick (in this case, 4.3, a comedic “false” execution).
The comedy ends (as all comedies should) with a quadruple marriage:
CLAUDIO with JULIET
ANGELO with MARIANA
THE DUKE with ISABELLA
LUCIO with an absent PUNK (or prostitute).
But the comedy is rather a dark one in that at least two of these marriages are “forced” (Angelo’s & Lucio’s as well as, perhaps, Isabella’s)
In terms of colouring-in “plot-lines”, ISABELLA and the DUKE would almost suffice to reveal the interplay between the two main plots. But LUCIO is of some importance since he serves as something of a joint-character between the two plots; as are also ANGELO & CLAUDIO who, indeed, are the catalysts of the story.
I also think that the comic characters (BAWD, CLOWN, ELBOW, FROTH, ABHORSON & BARNARDINE) also deserve some unifying colour.
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DUKE as “Friar Ludowick” (952,2270) (2656,2737), Conscious