Through deception and substitution, Shakespeare's Duke become less noble and just than the Emperor; this transformation ultimately changes the meaning of Measure for Measure because justice is never served which is a key element of Hecatommithi.
The concepts of deception and substitution are not as present in Hecatommithi as in Measure for Measure. Substitution is even brought forth by Shakespeare's title. Measure can be substituted for measure, just like the friar is substituted for the Duke. Also, when the Duke disguises himself as the friar, he deceives almost everyone in Vienna. The deception adds to the confusion of Shakespeare's text. The Duke's deception makes him more knowledgeable about Angelo's actions than the Emperor is of Juriste's actions. But the deception also leads to the Duke becoming unjust.
This transformation's effect on Measure for Measure results in a drastically different ending than in Hecatommithi. In Cinthio's text, Juriste, by the Emperor's command, marries Epitia. The Emperor enforces the marriage so justice would be served, and so that Epitia could marry the man who took her virginity. Therefore, she can keep her honor.
Epitia, in the end, lives happily, and it can be argued that justice is served. In Measure for Measure, since the Duke has many personal meetings with Isabella, he falls in love and wants to have sex with her. He offers to release her brother in return for her hand in marriage. Shakespeare ends the play without telling the reader whether Isabella agrees to marriage.
Also, the Duke's presence throughout the play results in the preservation of Claudio's life. Since he is disguised as the friar, he's privy to information he would not have otherwise known. He overhears Angelo's plan to sleep with Isabella and can stop it by substituting Mariana for her. In Measure for Measure, the Duke saves Isabella's virginity and Claudio's life, whereas in Hecatommithi, Epitia's virginity is taken and her brother killed. Although the Duke saves Isabella's virginity from Angelo, he will only save her brother if she gives it to him.
While the Duke pretends to be the friar, the town and Angelo believe he is away. When the Duke “arrives” back in Vienna, by Angelo, Escalus, and the citizens greet him. He states, “Give me your hand / and let the subject see, to make them know / That outward courtesies would fain proclaim / Favors that keep within” (5.1.13-16).
This passage in itself is deceiving because it has multiple meanings. It tells that the Duke will soon admit to his deception as the friar. Courtesies could mean appearances, and the Duke's appearance as the friar let him, for a while, keep his “favors” within. But now that he will soon be unmasked, his favors will be known. This favor could refer to the Duke's sexual favour he wants from Isabella. This sexual favor turns the Duke towards injustice because he holds Isabella's brother's life against her to make her decide to marry him.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a favor could also be “gracious or friendly action due to special goodwill.” On the other hand, the Duke was putting on the appearance of a good man by “graciously” acting for Isabella by saving her brother's life. The Duke deceives Isabella by acting like a good man, but he actually wants her sexually.
The Emperor does not have the chance to fall in love with Epitia or want her sexually. This could be because the Emperor is nobler than the Duke, meaning that justice is so important to him that, by falling in love with Epitia, he would be acting against justice. While the Duke claims of justice's importance, he's actions do not show this.
In this line, the Duke could also be talking about Angelo's sexual desire for Isabella and the same sexual favor Angelo asked of Isabella. The Duke knows about Angelo's feelings for Isabella and is about to uncover them to the rest of the city.
Another form of deception in the text is the use of “subject”, a singular form, and “them,” a plural form. It adds to the complexity because the reader does not know whether the Duke is talking to or about one person or to more than one. This part of the passage can relate to a previous statement by the Duke, “Visit both prince and people” (1.3.46). “Prince” is singular, while “people” is plural. Prince in this statement refers to Angelo, so perhaps the Duke is substituting “subject” for “prince.”
A prince has power, whereas his subjects do not. When Angelo is given the power of the Duke, he is a prince. By the end of the play, Angelo loses his power and becomes a subject. Shakespeare is demonstrating the overall theme of substitution in these two short passages.
