Blog Prompt 5: Justice & Mercy

By the end of the trial scene, do you think true justice and mercy was achieved? Reflect and write on the following questions:

1. Is there true justice? Why?

I think that justice in this case depends on the person’s point of view. In this scene, there are two obvious points of view, the Christians’ and the Jew’s, or particularly Shylocks. From the Christians’ point of view, justice is definitely met. At the Elizabethan Times, Christians generally discriminate Jews and this racism would affect their thinking and their perspective in this courting scene. It would be just deserts for Shylock to lose all of his possessions, and it would be like a gift from the heavens for the Christians to spare Shylock’s life and even convert him to Christianity, ending his life in misery in the eyes of the Christians. Justice would have been met also because, in the Christians’ eyes, Shylock has no right to demand for justice in the court, and Antonio, being a Christian, does not deserve to be punished by a Jew. However, Shylock would have felt that justice was not shown in this situation in his perspective. Firstly, the bond clearly stated in black and white that the pound of flesh is what he would get if three thousand ducats were not paid in three months, and he would have every right to take it, even if this was done in the means of vengeance. Secondly, Shylock would have felt that he was tricked deliberately by Portia’s clever manipulation of words, emotions and the law. Lastly, Shylock would have thought that there was no justice as nobody in the world can have the right to change his religion, which he have been believing for his whole life, and also to take away his hard earned possessions.

For me, I would say that justice was dealt accordingly in this scene. Firstly, the bond did not state that blood could be shed in the process of cutting that pound of flesh, and it clearly stated that it has to be one pound of flesh, no more, no less, which means that whatever Portia said in this scene was correct, theoretically. Secondly, Shylock was given many chances to spare Antonio and walk away with six thousand ducats, twice the amount he lent, and if he really craved for the law, he cannot argue if the law that he craves actually turns on him, because of his vengeance which blinds him. Lastly, the law clearly states that if the conditions in the bond were not met, he would have to be executed, and mercy was showed to him when Portia, the Duke and Antonio spared his life.


2. Is there true mercy, as expounded by Portia? Why?

Just like the previous topic on justice, this also depends on one’s perspective. In Shylock’s eyes, there would have been no mercy in this situation. He would have thought that since mercy was such a divine trait as Portia described, he should have been let to take the six thousand ducats in exchange for the bond, resolving the problem. Then, he was unexpectedly tricked by Portia’s clever words into being forced to be converted into a Christian, the greatest humiliation to him, and lose all his fortune. Although mercy might seem to be missing in this scene, the Christians must have thought that mercy was shown to Shylock. Shylock insisted on following the law, but was unaware that the law could turn on him, and his refusal to show mercy to Antonio resulted in him being punished accordingly by not being able to take the six thousand ducats and leave, but has to follow the law and die. Then, the Duke spared his life and Antonio was kind enough to let Shylock have half of his money back, but on the condition that he must be converted to Christianity.

My opinion on this is that mercy was indeed shown in this situation, but mercy was being manipulated by Portia like how justice was manipulated by Shylock for vengeance. Portia did not let Shylock take the six thousand ducats but to me this was what Shylock deserves, as he himself did not want to show mercy, and this was just to let him have a taste of his own medicine. However, what happened next would be the clear indication of manipulation of mercy. Portia states that Shylock must die as he did not follow his bond, and then in exchange for his life, Antonio forced Shylock to convert to Christianity, and then have half of his possessions to be taken care by Antonio, and the other half to be given to Jessica and Lorenzo after his death, leaving him with nothing left in his life. Mercy was certainly shown in this context, but then it was used to force Shylock into choosing the condition that Antonio desired, which makes this mercy fake to a certain extent, and makes it more like a trap than showing mercy.


3. Justice and Law can be manipulated by people in power. Comment on this with reference to the text and other real-life cases and examples.

I think that justice and law can be manipulated. In the text, justice and law was clearly manipulated by Shylock by using the law to get his revenge on Antonio, and for his personal vengeance. He used the law as a reason for him to kill Antonio, by using the bond, and his insistence was the sign of the manipulation and his motive, to claim Antonio’s life, and not the true justice that the law is set for. In real life context, justice and law can also be manipulated, especially by the ones in power. In the recent Dominique Straus-Khan scandal, where Straus-Khan was accused of sexually assaulting a maid at the hotel, manipulation of law and justice was obviously present. Straus-Khan is the likely candidate for the presidential elections of France, and after the scandal broke out, the one that got into trouble were the hotel room service personnel, Nafissatou Diallo. Straus-Khan was protected by skilled lawyers and politicians which helped him speak, giving little to no light to this case, which produced another side of the story that the sexual contact was consensual. This protection, which Diallo did not have to luxury of having, was what let Straus-Khan leave with clean records, and Diallo under arrest. This is certainly an example of how the powerful can get around the law, and how the people tend to believe the ones in power because of their power.