The Evolution Of Mercy In The Merchant Of Venice.

Mercy is an important concept in law, and in human life in general. In the play "The Merchant of Venice" (c. 1596) the concept evolves. First from the selfish view of Shylock in this first quote, and finally to its conclusion at the end the play. Here are the quotes on mercy from the play that show this slow evolution:


“Tell not me of mercy.
This is the fool that lent out money gratis.
Gaoler, look to him.”

-Act III, Scene 3.


“I am sorry for thee, thou art come to answer
A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch,
Uncapable of pity, void and empty
From any dram of mercy.”

-Act IV, Scene 1.


“How shalt thou hope for mercy, rend’ring none?”

-Act IV, Scene 1.


“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.”

-Act IV, Scene 1.


“And the offender’s life lies in the mercy
Of the Duke only, ’gainst all other voice...
Thou hast contrived against the very life
Of the defendant; and thou hast incurr’d
The danger formerly by me rehears’d.
Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke.”

-Act IV, Scene 1.

 

As I said, I became interested in the play The Merchant of Venice around 2000. After my father told me about that famous quote "the quality of mercy is not strain’d". Like the "friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" one from Julius Caesar, students usually are required to memorize it when they study the play. I finally saw the 1973 version on VHS with Lawrence Olivier and Joan Plowright around that time.

The play is interesting, because it is an allegory. Just like the play The Tempest and Prospero's final Epilogue at the end talks about the end of the Renaissance and the birth of the modern era. And Miranda's "How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world That has such people in ’t!" talks about the the perfectibility of man (even though her father then tells her with irony "’Tis new to thee"). The Merchant of Venice is an allegory for mercy and justice, and how you will always need one to have the other. No matter what your goals are. Frankly even if they are malicious and evil, like Shylock's goals in the play. And the results of doing that for him we find out in the end too of course. In the play, Portia explains to Shylock that the quality of mercy is not strain’d. In other words if kind deeds were ever forced out of you, it would no longer be mercy. It might be something else, but we could never call it mercy. But a doctor once told me that is not true. Sometimes kindness, compassion and even mercy does have to be forced out of some people.

But Shakespeare also says something about justice. Without mercy, it would no longer be justice. If we did away with parole, clemency and the power to commute sentences and plea bargains. And some people where I live think we should even do away with the whole idea that cruel and unusual punishment should never be allowed altogether. Then it would no longer be justice. It would tyranny. It would be injustice actually, plain and simple. And our streets wouldn't be safer and we wouldn't have less violent crime. We might actually have more because of things like. In fact some people think the spike in violent crime in the US is due to things like mandatory sentences, and eliminating all leniency and compassion from our system. And even if it did lead to less crime in the short run. Would it be worth it?