u, or what art thou, Angelo? (Act II, Scene II).
Angelo finds in himself, then, a double nature: the first is the virtuous individual that would have carried on with propriety; the second, a carnal, lustful, power-hungry character who, though surprising to him, is nonetheless part of who he is. His awareness of this duality within is echoed in the change in his speech. Until the point at which he attempts to seduce Isabella, his language had been straightforward, carrying single meanings. But when he begins to pursue his appetites with Isabella, asides characterize his speech and double entendres enter his rhetoric.
While the inner corruption he discovers in himself might surprise Angelo, it would have been no surprise to the audience. Reformation theology which was influential at the time of Shakespeare reminded people that each person was tainted with evil; such was the doctrine of total depravity, the sense that every aspect of existence was affected by the effects of Adams first sin (original sin was the concept): not that everyone was as evil as possible, but rather that no one could claim to be totally virtuous. Thus, the doubleness of language that Angelo began to demonstrate, the moral struggle that he faced, was part of the very fabric of human nature.
That Angelo was liable to temptation and sin was not surprising, nor was the experience of his falling unusual (though by no means excusable). His pride, however, was quite unwarranted, and it was itself a major sin. Moreover, it made his especially vulnerable to temptation and sin.
Isabella, too, is not without her complexities and her problems. At the beginning of the play we find her desiring to enter a nunnery. The choice of a religious
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