I love Mariana

Mariana by Valentine Prinsep

"There, at the moated grange, resides this dejected Mariana" (Act III, Scene I)

Before even actually reading a single line spoken by Mariana, I knew that I related to her on a deep, emotional level. The opening line of the Cambridge University Press's text summary of Act IV reads, "The Duke visits Mariana, who is listening to sad music." Mariana is, in fact, a 13th century "#sadgurl." Although at first glance Mariana seems foolish to still pine after a man who left her because her dowry was lost at sea when her brother's ship sank (WHO does that - "oh.. so you won't be able to pay me for marriage?… yeaaah that's a deal breaker"), she is nevertheless relatable. In Act III, we are informed that Angelo's pigheadedness has not deterred her affection, but instead has seemingly enlarged it. "His unjust kindness, that in all reason should have quenched her love, hath like an impediment in the current made it more violent and unruly." I found this line particularly relatable; it touches on the timeless, unexplainable phenomenon of liking someone who is, plainly stated, a jerk. For some peculiar reason, humans often find themselves in love with someone else whose personality they actually, in retrospect, detest. Shakespeare did a particularly accurate job of conveying the emotions of someone who has been dealt an unfortunate hand in the card game of love; this leads me to believe that Shakespeare himself probably went through a few heartbreaks before finding "the one."

Also, on another note, I'd like to say how convenient Mariana's existence is for everyone else in this play. Without her, Isabella may have been forced to compromise her virtues, and the Duke's horrendous plan to teach Vienna a lesson would have gone very south. Even more importantly, Claudio evades death. 

Upon Isabella and the Duke merely asking for her assistance, Mariana readily agreed to their scheme. Whether Mariana's alacrity stemmed from true kindness or simply an inner desire for Angelo, I like to think that she is in fact someone of virtue. Isabella and the Duke manipulate her into having sex with Angelo and make the dubious claim that it wasn't sinful because she and Angelo had had arrangements to get married beforehand. (Sounds a little fishy).

All in all, Mariana swoops into the plotline just in time for certain characters to rectify the turmoil they had come to find themselves in. Mariana is the key to this play being a comedy instead of a tragedy.

My hopes for Act 5 are that Angelo dies and Mariana finds a new bae who deserves her love. 

Also, in the ongoing blog post theme of late night snacks, I'm eating a mini packet of guacamole right now pondering all the rude men in the world. I'd like to think Mariana might have been doing the same at some point. 

Thank you.