This passage is a key moment in the beginning of the play. This is because this is where our understanding of the Duke’s character becomes more pronounced, and is a pinnacle point of the plot, where it is learned that the Duke will be abdicating for an unspecified amount of time and is handing his power over to Angelo. During this passage, the Duke also reveals his reasoning behind why he is leaving Vienna behind: matters in the city need to be cleared up, in the fourteen years he has let the Rule of Law slip and become quite lax, and, quite importantly, he believes Angelo is a better person to do the his job than himself. This information is revealed during the Duke’s conversation with the Friar. The Friar’s first interruption, ‘Gladly, my …show more content…
The metaphor, ‘the baby beats the nurse’, is a good demonstration of how the Duke symbolises the people of the city as babies- giving the impression that they are child-like, have very limited ability to make decisions for themselves, and they know no better than the Duke does. The nurse symbolises the governing powers of the Duke- an essential part of the people’s lives to keep them from going astray and to keep order within the Duchy. However, the reality of the ruling of Vienna contradicts the one set out by the metaphor of, ‘the baby beats the nurse’. As the Duke has demonstrated the complete opposite of a good, solid leader needed to govern the people, this suggests a flaw within the Duke’s character and judgment. Through suggesting this, it depicts how the Duke is not one to take account for his own actions, and sees himself as someone much better than he actually is. Also in the passage, the idea of the people being irresponsible is, ‘only to stick it in their children’s sight’. Through the use of the noun, ‘children’, it further suggests that the Duke believes they are almost like second-class citizens under his rule. Similarly, in the same quotation, ‘stick it in their children’s sight’, may refer to how the Duke is trying to blind the people and to manipulate them during the time when Angelo will be in