Abstract Much critical attention has been given to Isabella’s non-answer to Duke Vincentio’s marriage proposal at the conclusion of Measure for Measure. What critics have failed to notice is that Isabella’s non-answer is not a unique or singular moment in the play. In fact, this paper will apply the theories of Slavoj Žižek to argue that the logic of subtraction, the negative gesture of non-compliance to which Isabella gives especially pronounced form, is fundamental to the structure of the play in its entirety. Two characters in particular, Isabella and Barnardine, demonstrate the possibility of occupying a subjective orientation that is at once under the sway of the law and aware of the law’s incomplete hold on the subject. Ultimately, I will show that the logic of subtraction and refusal has important implications for how the play understands the potential political power of various forms of labor, especially sexual labor.

中文翻译：

---

以措施拒绝

摘要 伊莎贝拉对文森西奥公爵的求婚未予答复，备受关注。评论家们没有注意到的是，伊莎贝拉的不回答在剧中并不是一个独特的或单一的时刻。事实上，本文将应用 Slavoj Žižek 的理论来论证减法的逻辑，即伊莎贝拉赋予特别明显形式的不服从的消极姿态，是整个戏剧结构的基础。尤其是伊莎贝拉和巴纳丁这两个人物，表明他们可能处于一种主观取向，这种取向同时受到法律的影响，并意识到法律对主体的不完全控制。最终，