Claudio, yo!

    After reading through a few of the other blogs, it is obvious that the Duke is the most popular of all the characters. I think everyone's hatred for him has taken some of the attention off of the previously despised Angelo. After all of the drama though, I can't help but think of Claudio.

   I imagine that he is extremely confused, frustrated, and hurt by all of the actions taken thus far for his "trial." He was thrown in a prison for committing a crime which anyone could have committed. Taken away from his soon-to-be wife and unborn child, and forced to beg for his sister to take one for the team with her virginity. After all of that, the Duke pretended he was killed and he couldn't do anything about it. I imagine that Claudio feels a lot like he has been on an episode of Punked. Ashton really got him good!

   All jokes somewhat aside, I can't help but wonder how miserable he must be. He probably feels like a horrible brother for asking his sister to do such a thing. He probably feels like a horrible husband for not being able to help his wife (and they aren't even married yet!). And he also must feel at fault for the proposal of the Duke to Isabelle. He caused this entire mess. It was a mistake that anyone could have made. Yet, he was punished more harshly than anyone. He must be bitter that Angelo was not even tricked into thinking he would face the same fate. However, I get the vibe that Claudio is someone who could easily forgive. Being able to relate to sex before marriage has probably made it easier for him to see the entire situation more realistically.

   So, I don't have much to say about the Duke, Angelo, or Isabelle. Mostly I would just like to be able to tell Claudio that everything will be okay. Although the play revolved around his actions and punishment, I don't think he got enough credit.