'No more evasion'. Discuss the ways Shakespeare addresses the issue of evasion in Measure for Measure.

Perhaps the most conspicuous example of such circumvention in Measure for Measure is the Duke's attempt to avoid his responsibilities as a leader. Despite the order for 'No more evasion' originating from Vincenzio's own mouth, it is he whom is first conveyed to evade his responsibilities by 'lending' them to Angelo. Shakespeare illustrates that, although it is the Duke who has 'let slip' and 'neglected' his leadership so much that decorum has gone 'quite athwart' in his Vienna, he plans to dress Angelo in his 'absolute power'. This enabled the deputy to 'in the'ambush' of the Duke's name 'strike home, / And yet...[the Duke's]...nature never in the fight/ To do in slander.' This epitomises the tactless nature of the Duke's evasion, as the supposed 'absolute power' he gifts to Angelo is, ironically, far from absolute; the Duke is using Angelo to avoid being 'more mock'd than fear'd' and to relinquish his labour. At the same time, he is able to take credit for the Deputy's work, and retain power overall. Thus, Shakespeare begins to convey the immorality that can exist when power is usurped and truth evaded. This brief evasion of the Duke's is, of course, nothing in comparison to Angelo's main evasion: his attempt to sidestep the acceptance of his true self. Indeed, Angelo's battle in the play begins with himself, and his blatant essay to suppress his sexual desires. He tells Escalus that ''Tis one thing to be tempted...Another thing to fall', and forces himself to quell any notion of his sexuality enough to place his life on it. He asks 'When I censure...[Claudio]...do so offend, / Let mine own judgement pattern out my death, / And nothing come in partial.' When combined with Lucio's description of Angelo as the 'snow-broth'-blooded creature who 'never feels/ The wanton stings and motion of the sense', Shakespeare creates the illusion that Angelo's attempted evasion is convincing enough to seem genuine to the other characters, and that he truly can 'rebate and blunt his natural edge'. Thus, because we, the audience, thanks to dramatic irony, are aware of his failure to do so later in the play, Shakespeare implies that evasion of one's true character is unscrupulous, as Angelo is able to deceive those around him.