正義か、慈心か、どっちが勝者？

I mentioned about four different things I was thinking strongly about last Friday by the end of my reading and viewing of The Merchant of Venice. I probably could do a large dealio where I analyze all the elements that caught my attention and had enough substance to say something about.  However, I share but one for now.  This play has a very strong theme of mercy versus justice, especially in the fourth act when Antonio and Shylock's bond is brought to court.  Here are some of the moments focusing on the law and justice:

Act 3, Scene 3 Shylock:

"I'll have my bond; speak not against my bond: I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond."

 Act 4, Scene 1 (All from Shylock):

"I am not bound to please thee with my answers." 

"What judgment shall I dread, doing
Were in six parts and every part a ducat,
I would not draw them; I would have my bond." 

"The pound of flesh, which I demand of him,
Is dearly bought; 'tis mine and I will have it.
If you deny me, fie upon your law!
There is no force in the decrees of Venice.
I stand for judgment: answer; shall I have it?"

There are many more, but I think these few are enough to show Shylock's insistence on having his due from the law.  He's 'bound' and determined to see the law fulfilled, which his opponent Christians must still follow, despite the fact they're at odds.  Following are some comments from some of the Christians focusing on mercy:

Act 4, Scene 1

Duke: "How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none?" 

Portia: "The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there."

Being LDS, I can't help but think of the portion in the Book of Mormon that addresses this subject, in Alma 42.  The most cohesive connection between these two that I find is where both mercy and justice can be satisfied, but a third party is necessary, and this is where the lines between mercy/justice and my next topic cross. Segue!

I have an oath!

I've finished watching and reading the play, and I have a LOT to say about this. I know, I know, I wasn't very excited to do something as general as looking at religion, but as I finished reading and watching The Merchant of Venice, I saw so many things that could relate to Christianity on levels more than just skin deep Jew vs Christian.  I could easily go into more detail about the antagonized Shylock in the play, and whether I should like him or hate him (there is ample evidence for both), but my friend already did that, so I'll spare myself the double dose.  Some things I've looked at though are mercy versus justice, foils to Jesus, oaths, and salvation in general.  Again, more to come soon!

A Snack of Shylock

So I admit I haven't finished reading or watching The Merchant of Venice yet, but I have listened to this version of Shylock's monologue several times, as I find Al Pacino puts the necessary passion and humanity into Shylock's words that should be there. For a little background info, Shylock (a Jew) lender has a deal with his borrower Antonio (a Christian), which Antonio signed and agreed to.  The deal is a pound of Antonio's flesh for payment if he cannot pay back the borrowed amount.  When disaster strikes and Antonio cannot pay in the allotted time what he owes Shylock, the Jew is confronted by a few of Antonio's friends, trying to dissuade him from following through with his harsh agreement.  For a little more religiously toned background info, Antonio and Shylock dislike each other because of their religions.  I've read some thoughts that Shakespeare was anti-Semitic, and other thoughts that say that he was actually trying to show the humanity in "heathens."   My personal take is that of tolerance of all people, despite religion.  Also, I noticed that Shylock is seeking to have Antonio (the Christian) keep his word legally, but also ideologically.  Read the last 6 lines below!

Shylock: To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, 

it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and 

hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, 

mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my 

bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine 

enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath 

not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, 

dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with 

the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject 

to the same diseases, healed by the same means, 

warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as 

a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? 

if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison 

us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not 

revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will 

resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, 

what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian 

wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by 

Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you 

teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I 

will better the instruction.

You wanna play rough? Say hello to my little friend.

I admit I've only seen a little bit of
Scarface, but I can't help but think
of Tony Montana as Shylock.

I'm trying to decide what I can and want to learn from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.  After doing a little research, I realize I could go the somewhat popular route of checking out the Shakespearean take on Christian versus Jewish dealings.  I must confess, have an originality complex, so I really don't want to look at this play in a way that is commonly done.  However, I have recently been noticing religious themes in my recent reading of Shakespeare's plays, so for now I'm planning on going against what I reeeeeally want to do.

Portia's inheritance in Belmont?

To be kind of redundant, I do hope I end up going somewhere different with this for the sake of my originality's sanity.  There's plenty of love going around, especially in Portia's direction, so I'll definitely be looking at that some.  Since there are some 'good' spite filled dealings between men of different religious views, I'll be analyzing that as well.  Who knows, you might hear from me more often.

Some summary thoughts

It's official, I've decided that reading summaries before reading Shakespeare's plays is no longer an option.  For one, it is a necessity to better enjoy the the overall story.  Example: once upon a time I started to read Shakespeare's The Tempest without looking first at a summary.  The end.  Seriously though, I didn't get past the first act and now remember approximately nothing about it, except the title.  When I do read The Tempest in a few weeks, there will definitely be a time for summary reading before diving in.

Focus is another thing that improves if a summary is properly utilized before reading a play.  Since I wasn't preoccupied with remembering who is who while reading the beginning act of Love's Labour's Lost, I was able to pay more attention to things like rhyme (although that's really hard to miss anyhow) and the nuances of different characters' personalities.

Now for a more subjective reason: it is a necessity to better enjoy the the overall story.  I know I don't speak for everyone on this, but knowing the end of a story usually doesn't hinder me from wanting to read it.  In fact, in many cases it causes me a greater desire to see the process, or the story's development.

The math's not perfect, but a simple sum might be:

summary + text = greater reading comprehension

Breathe in . . . breathe out

I have one more thing I wanted to mention about A Winter's Tale and how the story is told.  I mentioned once (can't remember where, maybe a comment on a friend's blog or actually a post of my own) how it's kind of hard to mark the genre the play fits in.  Is it a tragedy?  Well, yes, but not enough people die in the end.  How about a romance?  Sort of, but only in the second half of the play and it's fairly shallow.  How about a history?  Haha!  Yeah right.  A comedy?  Well, Wikipedia thinks so, but I have a hard time putting it there due to the heaviness of the first half of the play.

I've decided to think of the genre as relaxant.  While there could be connotations of the word relaxant being linked to a drug, I try to think more of the end result of religion, especially Christianity, in that it can bring reprieve.  Some would say religion is a drug, and like I said, it can be useful that way, but I can't really say that Shakespeare agreed with Marx's philosophy.  I sure don't.  Anywho, enough about Marx.  Quack quack, I need to get back on track.

I find the overall direction of the play to be similar to relaxation techniques for the muscles.  First, tense the muscles, then relax them in order to be more at ease.  It's a pretty simple analogy, but I like it quite a bit.  The fact that the first half is dark and very tense, followed by the airy, springy, and light second adds to the effect the Christian message of faith has in the end.  Actually feeling the relief with King Leontes when he gets his wife and daughter back after he's truly repented (which subject I've touched upon--read the comments my friends left!), having experienced the tense feelings of injustice when it happened beforehand; both cause reflection on my actions, lest I too, am caused to grieve due to my unjust actions.  I've often thought as Shakespeare as an ideology in and of itself.  More on that later though.

Pardon my absence, I was off 'playing'

I try to attend a play at the Utah Shakespeare Festival every year.  Unfortunately, I missed last year due to circumstance and other obligations, and I was consigned to miss it again this year, however, in a bit of a miracle--one that sadly doesn't quite compare to Hermione's return to life--I was able to attend A Winter's Tale and pay my yearly respects to the great playwright.  Speaking of Hermione and the spectacle of (in a way) her rebirth, seeing the play made a huge difference in that moment compared to reading.  First, I read the play thinking she was actually dead and that there was an actual statue of her that came to life in the end. The 'a-ha!' moment for me was King Leontes' describing the 'statue' of Hermione.  Somehow I missed this part until I saw the play live in Cedar City:


Second Gentleman. I thought she had some great matter there in hand; for she hath privately twice or thrice a day, ever since the death of Hermione, visited that removed house.

What's interesting to me is that I was more shocked that she was alive and hidden the entire time than the idea of her coming back to life via heavenly means.  Also, while it took away in one aspect a bit of Christianity embedded in the play, I found a few others, but   this exchange between Leontes and Paulina in the last scene of the play made me think most:

• Leontes. What you can make her do,
  I am content to look on: what to speak,
  I am content to hear; for 'tis as easy
  To make her speak as move.

• Paulina. It is required
  You do awake your faith. Then all stand still;
  On: those that think it is unlawful business
  I am about, let them depart.
• 
  

This part makes me think of the time Jesus healed the man who was bedridden.  It may not be the best relation, but I see and hear Leontes' words as a reminder to Christ's reply to those who scoffed as His ability to forgive sins:

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

  I struggle to make a straight up connection between the two, but "for 'tis as easy To make her speak as move" simply reminds me of the power of forgiveness that God alone has concerning our sins.  It's as if Paulina holds that forgiving/judging power for Leontes' trespass against his wife, and Shakespeare wants us to remember how we are changed and forgiven.