Term Paper on "Shakespeare's Discourses"

Term Paper 6 pages (1871 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Shakespeare's Discourse On Law, Mercy And Justice In The Tempest And Titus Andronicus

The Tempest and Titus Andronicus are two plays which are very distinct in substance and in meaning. The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most appreciated works, impressive through its wondrous atmosphere and its profoundness. Titus Andronicus, on the other hand, is certainly the most violent of all Shakespearian tragedies, as it is filled with atrocities, murders, rapes and so on. In both of these plays however, one of the most important theme is revenge. While in Titus Andronicus violence and revenge seem to sweep over all of the scenes, involving all the characters in a ferocious game of life and death, in the Tempest, Prospero saves the lives of his treacherous brothers who had taken his kingdom away from him, instead of taking vengeance on them. Thus, both plays are discourses on justice, law and mercy and how these condition human relationships.

In Titus Andronicus, violence proliferates from the first to the last scene, centered on the major conflict between the Roman emperor Titus Andronicus and Tamora, the queen of Goths with whom he had waged war several times. It is debatable whether Titus Andronicus is maddened by his desire to revenge and performs numerous acts of violence or whether he is just trying to reestablish order in his kingdom. Thus, it can be argued that in his view and according to the Roman law, Titus was merely being just and merciless in his attempt to recover his honor. An instance of this possible reasoning on his part is given in the terrible act of slaying Lavinia, towards the end of the play. Having been raped through Tamora's conspiracy, the Titus Andronicus' daughter was also mutilated so that she couldn't speak by her aggressors. When Titus Andronicus finds out who the doers are, he gives them their due, cutting their throats in front of his daughter. However, his justice does not stop here. He determines that his daughter must die also and he kills her with his own hands, declaring that she cannot live after having been thus ashamed by his enemies: "Titus Andronicus: Was it well done of rash Virginius / to slay his daughter with his own right hand, / Because she was enforced, stain'd, and deflower'd? / Saturninus: It was, Andronicus./Titus Andronicus: Your reason, mighty lord? / Saturninus: Because the girl should not survive her shame, / and by her presence still renew his sorrows."("Titus Andronicus," V. iii. 36-42) Through this cruel act, Titus Andronicus attempts to reestablished order and regain his honor and that of his daughter. The same pitiless revenge is seen in the play when Lucius, who is to be the next emperor of Rome, kills Tamora. He argues thus that she had been herself so devoid of pity her entire life that she deserves no better for her death: "No funeral rite, nor man mourning weeds, / No mournful bell shall ring her burial; / but throw her forth to beasts and birds of prey: / Her life was beast-like, and devoid of pity; / and, being so, shall have like want of pity. / See justice done on Aaron, that damn'd Moor, / by whom our heavy haps had their beginning."("Titus Andronicus," V. iii. 197-203) Also, Aaron is so savage that he repents only for his good deeds instead of regretting any of his crimes: "Ten thousand worse than ever yet I did / Would I perform, if I might have my will; / if one good deed in all my life I did, / I do repent it from my very soul."("Titus Andronicus, V. iii. 188-191) the play lays out many similar situations, with an impressive display of violence and savagery in all its forms. Still, the acts performed by the Romans are, despite being barbarous and violent in the extreme, actual ways of pursuing justice and honor rather than mere revengeful schemes.

As Hancock puts forth, Titus may well be seen as a Roman hero, oddly as it may seem, because he acts rather as a disciplinarian as he feels his duty may be: "Out of Titus's violent actions arises another distinction between revenger and Roman hero: Titus's behavior draws our attention to the climate of violence, the spirit in which violence is committed. Romans are ceremonial and lawful; their motivation for violence is not vengeance. In fact, Titus does not even seem to understand revenge at first. Rather than fear the possibility that Tamora may wish him harm for the death of her son, he assumes she will be "beholden to the man / That brought her for this high good turn so far" (1.1.401-02)"(Hancock, 12) According to Hancock, the violence performed by the Romans could be termed 'sacred violence', which is differentiated from the revengeful violence. In the former case, violence is performed with a sort of unpremeditated anger that emphasizes the need for justice and for recuperation of honor, while the latter case is an example of unlawful vengeance: "This "sacred violence" is sharply differentiated from "vengeful, competitive violence that... is self-perpetuating" (Slights 19). Revengers are thirsty for blood, are willing to wait for an opportunity for retaliation, and hold bitter, relentless grudges against their enemies. Unlike Titus's Roman sons, who are angry at Titus for killing their brother but do not even consider retribution, Demetrius immediately calms his mother after the death of Alarbus with the possibility that she might one day be armed "With opportunity of sharp revenge" (1.1.140)"(Hancock, 14) Thus, the violence preferred by the play is used rather to emphasize the laws of the pre-Christian Rome, where conflicts were resolved only through direct vengeance, for the sake of regaining one's honor or dignity. Violence was therefore part of the Roman way of performing justice and promoting order.

The Tempest reveals a very different view of the concept of justice. Here, mercy and forgiveness are the main guiding principles, and the ones that determine Prospero to act cautiously and not perform any crimes in exchange for the wrong that had been done to him. According to H.R. Coursen, the Tempest is one of the most baffling plays precisely because it incorporates all the greatest themes of Shakespeare's plays, without offering any solution though: "Shakespeare includes all the themes from his earlier work -- kingship, inheritance, treachery, conscience, identity, love, music, God; he draws them together as if to find the key to it all, but there is no such key. There is no grand order and Prospero returns to Milan, not bathed in tranquility, but a wreck."(Coursen, 65) the final answer is left suspended, and despite the happiness and reconciliation in the end, Prospero remains aloof and, in Coursen's words, 'shipwrecked.' In a way, the shipwreck is one of the central metaphors in the text, as the meaning itself remain ultimately hanging and unresolved. The enchanted isle and Prospero's magic art also contribute to the persistence of mystery in the text.

The plot emphasizes the idea of justice and forgiveness: Prospero devises it so that his brothers, who had conspired in taking his kingdom from him, are caught in a tempest that takes them to his enchanted island. The island is a place where spells and magic abound, and Prospero's helping sprites roam freely. Using his craft, Prospero takes his brothers prisoners on the ship, faking a shipwreck: "Let them be hunted soundly. At this hour / Lie at my mercy all mine enemies: / Shortly shall all my labours end, and thou / Shalt have the air at freedom: for a little / Follow, and do me service."("The Tempest," IV. i. 282-286) With this, his enemies are at his mercy, and Prospero could decide to reestablish order and justice by punishing them. However, instead of taking revenge, he releases them and reveals himself and his story. As he emphasizes, he chooses virtue over revenge and therefore forgives those who have wronged him: "Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick, / Yet with my nobler reason 'gaitist my fury / Do I take part: the rarer action is / in virtue than in vengeance: they being penitent, / the sole drift of my purpose doth extend / Not a frown further.("The Tempest," V. i. 29-34) This plot is certainly a recurrent theme in Shakespeare's plays: the brother is guilty of plotting against the sacred king and therefore of disturbing the order of the world. As Prospero knows it, order must be reestablished, but he chooses to do so through forgiveness, making his brother see his fault: "Flesh and blood, / You, brother mine, that entertain'd ambition, / Expell'd remorse and nature; who, with Sebastian / Whose inward pinches therefore are most strong, / Would here have kill'd your king; I do forgive thee, / Unnatural though thou art."("The Tempest, V. i. 29-34) the deed is unnatural, since taking away a kingdom is the same as perturbing the divine order instituted by God in his creation. Had this… READ MORE

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