A Comparison of Justice in The Tempest and Merchant of...

Justice in The Tempest and Merchant of Venice nbsp; In both Merchant of Venice and The Tempest, Shakespeare proposes ideas of justice and mercy that hold true in both plays. In order to see if the actions taken were just and/or merciful, definitions of these words must be set up. If we were to assume that Shakespeares definition of mercy was what Portia espoused in act four, scene one, specifically lines 205 - 206, the definition of mercy must be viewed in a biblical sense. Thus, in order to judge if something is merciful, one must look to see if it fulfills the qualifications of mercy in the New Testament. However, the idea of justice is quite different, for my definition of justice, I will turn to Charles Mills definition, for,†¦show more content†¦During the trial, it would be fair to say that mercy was given to Antonio and not Shylock. For Antonio, the other cheek was turned and he was able to be spared the loss of his life -- even though he had entered into a contract in which he put this on the line. On the other hand, money was not given to Shylock who not only was not reimbursed the money that he lent out, but he was also harmed by being forced to convert. However, when looking at why mercy was given to one and not the other, we must look at how justice was applied. In Antonios case, he is a Catholic merchant from Europe, unlike the prince of Morocco. However, even though Shylock was also a European, he was not a Christian -- justice did not apply. However, in context, was justice served? Of course it was served, for not only was the spirit of it upheld but it was also carried out how it was meant to be carried out. Thus, in The Merchant of Venice, justice and mercy intermingle providing mercy only to the people that receive justice. nbsp; In The Tempest, Shakespeare again uses the concepts of justice and mercy in order to have his audience think about what just and merciful actions were taken. At the end of the play, when Prospero releases Caliban from his bondage, this action, by definition, is merciful, but in no way is it just. By releasing Caliban from his control, Prospero has taken a love thy neighbor as yourself mentality and, this, is merciful. However, when determining ifShow MoreRelatedTragic Drama According to AC Bradleys Theory of Shakespeare and a Comparison of Arthur Miller and August Wilsons Concept of Tragedy2899 Words   |  12 Pagesnot contemptible. Hence, with the true greatness of the hero attaches the tragic impression. This combination of greatness with tragedy attached to it is Shakespeares impression of waste (Wyandotte 2002). Shakespeare further presents an idea of Justice in his plays. In his plays, we find no traces of wrong doers reaping the fruits of what they have sown. The reason can be his lack of interest to hereditary however; he has given special regard to fate. The dilemma of fate is its vast and fixed natureRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagesmake a digression on overt and covert meaning and the relation of this distinction to the psychology of cognition. The various ways of knowing God are given as an example. Parts of the argument are to be found in a minor work by al-Gazzà ¢là ®. The comparison, frequent in Islamic literature, between the incomprehensibility of God and the intolerable brilliance of light, is used by way of illustration (pp.177-79). This is followed by speculation as to the reason why, of the twenty-eight letters of the