Measure for Measure

    OCR
    A-Level

    The Duke of Vienna deputizes the puritanical Angelo to enforce long-ignored laws against sexual immorality, resulting in Claudio's death sentence for impregnating Juliet. Claudio's sister, the novice nun Isabella, pleads for his life, prompting Angelo to demand her virginity in exchange for clemency. The disguised Duke manipulates events from the shadows, orchestrating the 'bed-trick' with Mariana to save Isabella's virtue and expose Angelo's hypocrisy. The play culminates in a complex public trial where justice and mercy are balanced, revealing the disparity between public reputation and private vice. The resolution remains ambiguous, particularly regarding Isabella's silence to the Duke's marriage proposal.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
    4
    Pitfalls
    4
    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • AO1: Candidates must construct a coherent, debated argument (e.g., challenging the view of the Duke as a 'divine' figure)
    • AO2: Award marks for analysis of the tension between blank verse (Angelo/Isabella) and prose (Lucio/Pompey)
    • AO2: Credit analysis of the motif of 'weighing' and 'coinage' as metaphors for moral judgment
    • AO5: Candidates must integrate critical interpretations, such as feminist readings of Isabella's silence or psychoanalytic views on Angelo

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have identified the metaphor, now explain how it shapes the audience's view of Angelo's hypocrisy"
    • "This historical context is accurate but gains no marks here; focus instead on critical interpretations (AO5)"
    • "Link this point from the extract to a specific moment elsewhere in the play to demonstrate whole-text knowledge"
    • "Don't just state what a critic said; explain why their view is valid or flawed based on the text"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • AO1: Candidates must construct a coherent, debated argument (e.g., challenging the view of the Duke as a 'divine' figure)
    • AO2: Award marks for analysis of the tension between blank verse (Angelo/Isabella) and prose (Lucio/Pompey)
    • AO2: Credit analysis of the motif of 'weighing' and 'coinage' as metaphors for moral judgment
    • AO5: Candidates must integrate critical interpretations, such as feminist readings of Isabella's silence or psychoanalytic views on Angelo

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Allocate 15 minutes to annotating the extract; it is your primary source of AO2 evidence
    • 💡Treat the extract as a microcosm of the play's wider conflicts (e.g., liberty vs. restraint)
    • 💡Memorize 3-4 versatile critical viewpoints (e.g., Knight, Dollimore) to satisfy the interpretation requirement
    • 💡Ensure the conclusion re-evaluates the initial thesis specifically in light of the extract analysis

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Wasting time on historical context (AO3) which is NOT assessed in this specific component
    • Analyzing the extract in isolation without linking it to the wider play's dramatic trajectory
    • Listing critical quotations ('bolted-on' critics) without using them to advance the argument
    • Paraphrasing the extract's plot rather than analyzing its dramatic and linguistic methods

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Discuss
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    How far and in what ways
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