Measure for Measure, Act 1: Lady Parts
In 1.2.34-90, we meet Mistress Overdone and some of associates, business partners and clients. Read through her comments carefully (and those of Pompey and others) and reflect on her character. What kinds of things does Shakespeare convey about her and her work in these lines? Write down a few notes from your discussion, and include any key words and phrases from those lines that give you the impression.
We first learn about Isabella in 1.2.150-164. How do these lines set up her character? Write down a few notes from your discussion, and include any key words and phrases from those lines that give you the impression.
Then we actually meet her in 1.4. Consider her lines in this scene and make as many notes as you can about her character as it is developed here by her own words. Include any key words and phrases from those lines that give you the impression.
Consider Francisca and her position in the convent. Of course, the convent and the place business run by Mrs. Overdone are foils in structural and thematic terms. How does the specific diction (language/word choice) help draw distinctions between the two places? Are there any convergences or similarities between the two? Using the text as directly as possible, lay out any and all comparisons/contrasts that these scenes invite.