Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews October 11, 2023 October 4, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
Angelo tells Escalus that they "must not make a scarecrow of the law" (II.i.1), meaning that they must not waver in their decisions. Escalus argues that they should "cut a little" rather than "fall, and bruise to death," comparing law enforcement to pruning a tree; it is better to trim the tree than to cut it down. He also brings up Claudio's specific case, asking Angelo to consider whether he could have erred in the same way at some point in his life.
Angelo responds, "Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, another thing to fall" (II.i.17). He argues that, despite the ever-changing line between lawmaker and criminal, the law must still stand firm. He admits that he himself is capable of transgression, but adds that he hopes to be treated with the same strictness should he do wrong. Angelo calls in the provost and tells him to ensure that Claudio is executed before nine o'clock the next morning.
Elbow enters, bringing Pompey and Froth with him. Angelo asks him what he is doing, and he replies that he is the Duke's constable, and that he has brought two "notorious benefactors" to Angelo. Angelo asks if they are not "malefactors" instead, and the constable replies that he does not know. Angelo asks Pompey what he is, and Elbow calls him a "parcel-bawd," or a partial bawd. It becomes clear that Elbow confuses words a lot, and so Angelo has difficulty questioning him. He does say that he found Pompey and Froth at a brothel. Froth confesses to working for Mistress Overdone, and Escalus tells him that prostitution is an illegal and punishable occupation, warning him not to be seen at the brothel again.
Escalus questions Elbow about other constables, telling him to bring the names of other worthy people. He then mourns the fate of Claudio, but says that there is no remedy for it.
Read a translation of Act 2: Scene 1.
This scene exists primarily for comic relief, distracting the audience momentarily from the issues at stake, particularly Claudio's imminent execution. Escalus is a noble character who acts as a straight-man to the dim-witted constable and the foolish clown. Elbow is a frivolous addition to the cast of characters, amusing because of his use of malapropisms, or misspoken phrases and words. He is sent to retrieve the criminals of Vienna, and he appears at various intervals performing this task and providing more pure comedy.
At the end of the scene, the tone shifts back to seriousness, as Escalus expresses his pity for Claudio. It is important that Escalus, as well as the provost, does not approve of the punishment to be administered to Claudio, and yet sees no way to convince Angelo to be more merciful. Angelo appears to be narrow-minded and stern; the other characters seem to fear him. There is a sense of apathy among the characters generally; it takes the Duke's intervention to promote movement, discussion, and action in them.
Please wait while we process your payment