Mariana

Mariana is a pivotal character in William Shakespeare’s 1604 play, Measure for Measure. She has been jilted by her one-time fiancée, Angelo, after her dowry was lost at sea when her brother’s ship sank, killing him. Five years later, she still lives alone in a moated farmhouse and bemoans her losses, but she has not renounced her love for Angelo. She proclaims: “They say, best men…become much more the better for being a little bad.” Uh oh, good girl falls for bad boy – timeless. In the usual Shakespearean fashion of changing identities, Mariana poses as the current object of Angelo’s desire (Isabella, a novice nun, no less!) and goes to bed with him. She obviously still has a thing for the guy, but we’re a little concerned about her level of self-respect. The trick is a ploy to save Isabella’s brother, Claudio, from death at the order of Angelo, and as such, it works. When Angelo’s hypocrisy is uncovered, and he is to be brought to trial for his own misdeeds, Mariana pleads for his life. The Duke of Venice acquiesces to her wish, orders them to be married, and says: Joy to you, Mariana! Love her, Angelo.” Well, let’s hope so – he owes her big time.

In 1830, Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote one of his finest poems, “Mariana”, based upon this character, as described in Measure for Measure: “Mariana in the moated grange.” This is a Mariana of tragedy, not comedy. This is a Mariana who is forever lovesick and in mourning for her lost love, Angelo – who is very much alive and well, thank you. Tennyson beautifully evokes the stage upon which she leads her “dreary life”, a landscape in which the poplar tree is the most distinctive feature – the poplar tree, which is the classical symbol of a lover who has broken a promise. Tennyson’s Mariana repeatedly wishes she were dead. In our opinion, that would have been a better fate than hitching up with the contemptible Angelo!