Prior to Act II Scene iv, we have been finding out about the characters and their views of how life should be lived. These initial impressions will help us to understand how the characters would act in this scene.


We first hear of Isabella from her brother Claudio. From him we discover Isabella's desire to be a nun, which tells us a little about her character and attitudes towards life and society. We can foresee that Isabella will have a spiritual and chaste character. When we first encounter her in Act I, she is arguing for stricter rules in her convent, giving the impression that she may be too severe and harsh towards herself. Also, the fact that she wants to spend her life enclosed in a convent could show us that perhaps she wishes to escape from the reality of life in the outside world. Her purity and piety should be reflected in her costume. The actress should wear a very simple long white concealing dress or a similar nuns habit to show her innocence and morality.


Lord Angelo is presented to us as a ruthless self-important character. He appears to be the villain of the play, ruling Vienna harshly and without mercy. His confident arrogance makes him an unlikeable character and especially now that we see him to be hypocritical as well. In his last scene we saw him change from being stilted and unaffected by emotion to puzzlement over his sudden lust towards Isabella the novice nun, revealing a previously unseen side to Angelo.


Earlier in the play it would have been hard to imagine Angelo speaking line 142 of act II scene iv. 'Plainly conceive, I love you.' It is entirely out of character for him to reveal such personal feelings and so it is important for the actor...