Richard’s Journey and His Inevitable Demise

“You take my life when you take the means whereby I live.”

                                                - Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, 4.1

In Shakespeare’s plays we see all sorts of characters from different levels of society. There are the common people, such as Nick Bottom, and then there are people from royal descent, such as Hamlet and the kings themselves. We rarely see characters out of their respective contexts, except in As You Like It, where royal characters such as Duke Senior are exiled. It is intriguing to think of how our views of these characters change in those rare times when we do see the glimpses of their personality without the pressure of a “troublesome bedfellow,” that is the crown (2HIV 4.3.151). The most definitive features of these characters come in at times when they are unsure about what they are doing, when they are confused by the situation that they find themselves in. The most prominent cases of this confusion come from Hamlet and Richard II. As Richard is deposed, he is forced to take on a new role in life, which leads to his inevitable confusion and his struggle throughout the play to come to terms with his new role in life. The responsibilities that these people acquire or lose in the course of the plays change how they conceive the world around them. Along with the acquirement of these characteristics, we are also introduced to the inner world of Richard II, in which we can see how his “royal” personality compares to his characteristics as a regular citizen.

            One of the biggest role changes occurs when the characters change their roles as royal entities. In the case of Richard II, this occurs when he is deposed. Richard loses his power as king and becomes merely a common human being. Hamlet’s story is the exact opposite in which he is forced to mingle with the grand problems of the royal family. He is utterly confused with his aim in life and this, in turn, pushes him to question his existence as a human being. In both cases, characters start to question how they are supposed to go on living with the new roles they have adopted in life. After he hands over the crown to Bolingbroke, Richard II starts questioning himself by saying he no longer knows where he belongs to. The power that Richard possessed has been swept away from under his  very feet. Richard has fallen out of context; not only as a character but as a human being. This struggle that Richard goes through eventually leads to his death.

            Richard’s journey begins long before he hands over the crown. Close to his deposition, the King opens up to his followers, “For God’s sake, let us sit upon the ground, / And tell sad stories of the death of kings- / How some have been deposed, some slain in war, / Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed, / Some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed, / All murdered. For within the hollow crown / That rounds the mortal temples of a king / Keeps Death his court; and there the antic sits, / Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp, / Allowing him a breath, a little scene, / To monarchize, be feared, and kill with looks, / Infusing him with self and vain conceit, / As if this flesh which walls about our life / Were brass impregnable; and humored thus, / Comes at last, and with a little pin / Bores through his castle walls; and farewell, king” (R2 3.2.151-166) At this point in the play, Richard has come to the realization that he is going to lose his kingdom and that Bolingbroke’s followers will overpower his army. This speech could very easily be the slow unmasking of a monarch; it marks the point in which Richard begins his relatively swift transition from the strongest figure in the country to a common citizen. Richard incorporates the image of a “hollow crown” into his speech which serves a starting point for our discussion (156). The image of the crown is accompanied by “Death”, which, as Richard explains, keeps the crown his court (158). As he slowly backs away from the crown and takes a more introspective look at the lives of kings, he comes to the realization that the idea of kingship is only that: a dream from which Richard has to wake up. It is not concrete, it is not everlasting and it will have to end one day. This comes as a huge surprise to the audience because it counters his previous speech in which Richard depicts himself as “The deputy elected by the Lord” (53). Before Bolingbroke’s plan is revealed to the audience, Richard is depicted as a strong man and has complete confidence in his own actions. This confidence is the first thing he loses. Judging by what we see in these two speeches, the change in his personality has already begun, long before he has actually given the crown over to Bolingbroke. His image of the hollow crown is a result of his realization of how vague and transitory the state of kingship is. Richard understands that the scene he has created in his head, the curtain behind which he is hiding is no longer there. His idolization of himself as king and the supreme ruler doing God’s work on earth has now left its place to the “hollow crown.” The image of “the Lord” has now been replaced with a more cynical image of “Death,” a more brooding and dark figure. The idea of Richard being the deputy of the Lord is completely destroyed with his lines, “Infusing him with self and vain conceit…” (162). In the general sense, Richard is not so different than Hotspur in 1 Henry IV at this point; he has extreme reactions to the events taking place around him. He takes this ephemeral idea of kingship to such an extent that he even wonders if he ever really was king: “I live with bread, like you: feel want, / Taste grief, need friends. Subjected thus, / How can you say to me I am a king?” (171-173). Richard starts to wonder how he could ever think he was a more grandiose figure than the rest of the people that surround him. At this point, Richard has become aware of his futility: “A king, woe’s slave, shall kingly woe obey” (206). The sudden change in imagery from a ‘deputy’ to a ‘slave’ establishes striking contrast between how Richard views the situations that he is in. Not long ago was he so flattered with himself and his kingship yet now he sees himself defeated; he realizes that he is simply a slave to his woe. The imagery of ‘woe’ also comes back later on in the play when Richard hands the crown to Bolingbroke. This passage introduces us to the first change in Richard’s temperament: the loss of his confidence and the downfall of the utopic kingship that he had built in his mind for himself.

            As the play moves on, so does Richard’s transition from king to a commoner. As his deposition draws closer, Richard is confused by this rapid transient stage in his life. He begins to question how everything could change so quickly in such a short amount of time. “Alack, why am I sent for to a king / Before I have shook off the regal thoughts / Wherewith I reigned? I hardly yet have learned / To insinuate, flatter, bow and bend my knee. / Give sorrow leave awhile to tutor me / To this submission.” Richard professes, not being able to understand life as a common man yet (R2 4.1.153-157). These lines show that he is not able to grasp the full extent of his adaptation. They also help resurface the contradictory nature of what is happening to Richard at this point in the play. The man he refers to as “king” has not been crowned yet. The fact that Richard stills has the crown and has not officially been deposed, puzzles him. How can some man call a king to appear before him? This change in dynamics is an example as to why Richard is unable to adapt to a life without the power of a king. Richard was born as a part of the royal family, the heir to the throne and is not used to bowing before people. As clearly stated Richard has a hard time learning how “to insinuate, flatter, and bend [his] knee” (156). The religious imagery once again comes into play in this part of Richard’s speech as he interrogates himself, “Will no man say ‘Amen’? / Am I both priest and clerk?” and brings back ideas of how Richard sees himself once again (163-164). As mentioned before, Richard had described himself as “the deputy elected by the Lord,” as the play has progressed, he has demoted to a priest from a monarch chosen by God to carry out his will (R2 3.2.53). Even though this new idea appears in the passage, Richard seems to still have the notion that he, in fact, is the ‘deputy’: “And yet Amen, if heaven do think him me” (166). These lines create the image that in the eyes of God, Richard is the rightful king. With this description, it is relatively easy to see how Richard is still having trouble trying to let go of his old habits. The lines could also be interpreted as a final glimpse an ideal world in which Richard still sees himself as the mighty king. This is where the actual questioning begins as Richard realizes the ideal world in the previous lines have sublimed, with Richard’s lines “To do what service am I sent for hither?” (167). When read in context, the lines appear to be Richard asking why he is being summoned by the king, yet as we take a look at these words in a larger context, it may mean that Richard is starting to lose his purpose in life. As the upcoming quotations in the deposition scene show, Richard is confused with what he has to do with his life.

            The following deposition scene is the final stage of Richard’s transition and constitutes his acceptance of the situation that he has found himself in. As Richard slowly takes off the crown and reluctantly hands it to Bolingbroke, he brings back some of the images from the previous speeches. The imagery of the crown comes back as the two characters hold the crown: “Now is this golden crown like a deep well / That owes two buckets filling one another, / The emptier ever dancing in the air, / The other down, unseen, and full of water. / That bucket down and full of tears am I, / Drinking my griefs, whilst you mount up on high” (172-179). This image that is created by Richard is very similar to the “hollow crown” as he had referred to before. The “empty bucket” and the “hollow crown” are two images that work towards illustrating the same idea that if taken further could reflect more about Richard’s views of kingship. At this point, Richard starts using imagery that is not suitable for a king: he talks about how he is full of grief and the bucket is ‘full of tears.’ The idea of grief, a parallel of woe, is brought back in Richard’s words after he hands over the crown: “…still my griefs are mine. / You may my glories and my state depose, / But not my griefs; still am I king of those” (181-183). These lines provide us with an image that is the opposite of what Richard had once said thought: “A king, woe’s slave, shall kingly woe obey” (R2 3.2.206). The two lines contrast Richard’s changing views. Whereas once he believed he was a slave to woe, Richard now holds on to those feeling as the last remains of his kingship. He has become more mundane and is starting to hold on to some aspects of life that is suitable for more people than a king: feelings such as grief. The fact that he has become more the “king of his griefs” rather than a “slave to woe” shows that he is now adjusting to his new lifestyle and is able to savor a commoner’s life. Without his power and his kingship, Richard can only hold onto his earthly feelings and actually starts to realize how important they are to a common man. He has descended from the throne and lost all power over the state, yet the power he has over his own feelings gives him the strength to carry on. Then, he “give[s] this heavy weight from off [his] head” to Bolingbroke (R2 4.1.194). It is interesting to see how a similar description of the crown comes back up in 2 Henry IV as Hal calls it a “troublesome bedfellow,” this time concerning Bolingbroke (2HIV 4.3.152). Richard, even though at first sight doesn’t it seem so, is relieved that he has to let go of all the stress around being a king.

            The passages following the passing of the crown from Richard to Bolingbroke could be seen as the climax of both the play and Richard’s transition from king to a common man. At this point, Richard’s confusion about his role in life surfaces and can be seen quite easily to any reader. As he retraces the steps of his coronation in the opposite direction, he slowly breaks the spell of his kingship. Shakespeare uses some of the old images to mark the exact changes that Richard has gone through leading up to this point in the play. With the words “With mine own tears I wash away my balm, / With mine own hands I give away my crown, / With mine own tongue deny my sacred state, / With mine own breath release all duteous oaths. / All pomp and majesty I do forswear.” Richard relinquishes his kingship and delivers it to Bolingbroke on a silver platter (197-201). Some of the imagery in this speech are repetitions of what was once said by Richard under different circumstances: “Not all the water in the rough rude sea / Can wash the balm from an anointed king” (R2 3.2.50-51). The “balm” that is mentioned in this quote is characterized as strong and unyielding. Richard believes that it is so powerful that even the waters in the sea would not be able to wash it away. Yet, it seems that later on in 4.1, Richard himself has easily undone this balm. This is a precise example of how Richard has changed throughout the play. The idea that he ends up undoing what was so strong in his opinion may be one of the reasons why Richard becomes so unstable towards the end of the play and also his days. This also symbolizes the loss of power that Richard goes through. Whereas in the beginning the balm that made him king was so powerful and yet now it just seems weak and futile: something that can be scratched off with his own tears (not even the tears of a king, at this point). It is not only the balm that he has to undo with his own tears but it is also the “pomp” that he has referred to earlier in the play: “… and there the antic sits, / Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp…” (159). With the crown given away, Richard no longer has the antic that sits on the crown and neither does he have the pomp that the antic “grins” at. This can be considered a relief for Richard in that he does not have some “antic” following each of his actions as king and mocking him along the way.

After Richard is forced to let go of his crown, he is then asked to read a letter. During this process, we can observe how disappointed Richard gets by following his actions throughout the passage. Even after handing the crown to Bolingbroke, Richard still has some notion of God and heaven looking out for him. “If thou wouldst, / There shouldst thou find one heinous article / Containing the deposing of a king / And cracking the strong warrant of an oath, / Marked with a blot, damned in the book of heaven.” he declares as to blame it all on Northumberland. One other mundane feeling that Richard is now holding on to is his anger (R2 4.1.222). He knows the people that once followed him as a leader have wronged him. At this point, he still feels like he has the right to be king by a power vested him by God. Richard refers to this idea by saying that what these people have done is damned by God and that they will be punished. At this point in the play, the anger starts to show its face as Richard slowly approaches the end of his life. Stripped of all he had, Richard feels nothing but contempt towards the people who have wronged him. He is not so angry at the fact that he has been deposed but it seems he is more disappointed that he has no allies that are true to him: “So Judas did to Christ. But He in twelve / Found truth in all but one; I, in twelve thousand, none” (161-162). He then continues this Biblical allegory as he tells everyone around him that they are guilty: “Nay, all of you that stand and look upon / Whilst that my wretchedness doth bait myself, / Though some of you, with Pilate, wash your hands, / Showing an outward pity, yet you Pilates / Have here delivered me to my sour cross, / And water cannot wash away your sin” (227-232). Richard conveys that everyone is equally guilty for his death as they all have parts to play in it no matter how innocent they may try to seem. Using these references, he then also repeats to them that they all will be punished because of their actions. Again, the notion that a divine being is looking out for the King can be seen in Richard’s comparison of himself to Jesus. The last line, “And water cannot wash away your sin.” not only serves to deliver how grave a sin treason is but it also brings back another imagery (232). In the previous act, it was the balm that could not be washed away by the waters of the sea and yet now, it is the sins that have been committed against Richard. This change of context is yet another example to how Richard views the world now. Once he had held his balm close to him and said that the balm could not be washed by the waters yet now he claims that the sins of these people will not be washed away either. This is actually a prophetic moment for Richard since in the plays that follow Richard II, characters such as Hal and Prince Henry refer to the sins that they committed against Richard and ask for forgiveness from God on several different occasions.

            Richard’s speech following this one is one that directly reveals how Richard feels about losing his crown. After subtly insulting the new king and his followers by saying that they have all sinned by usurping the throne, Richard reaches the pinnacle of his anger and frustration and finally lashes out. “Nor no man’s lord!” he exclaims when Northumberland tries to make Richard read the papers that were handed to him (245). Then his desperate side comes into light when he starts to question his existence and his new role as commoner. “Alack the heavy day, / That I have worn so many winters out / And know not now what name to call myself!” Richard cries and goes on: “O, that I were a mockery king of snow, / Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke / To melt myself away in water-drops!” (247-252). Even though it had seemed that Richard had accepted his fate and was at peace with being a commoner, it seems now that all this has changed and that Richard is finally expressing his exact anger for the people responsible for taking everything from him. His life has completely changed and there is no way that he is now able to adapt to the new way things are going to run for him. Richard imagines himself as a melting snowman under the widely used image of the “sun of Bolingbroke” (251). This could also be seen as a foreshadowing of Richard’s upcoming death in the hands of an assassin. Richard is so lost in his identity that he does not recognize himself and later on asks for a mirror in which he could see himself and ends up breaking it. He concludes, “For there it is, cracked in an hundred shivers. / Mark, silent King, the moral of this sport: / How soon my sorrow hath destroyed my face” just before he is taken away to prison in which he dies (279-281). Richard breaking the mirror shows us how he sees himself without the crown: a disfigured, worthless man. He previously refers to his face in various contexts indicating power: as the sun, as a governing organ amongst others. These show how he falls from power and what he has become now. The shattered glass shows his face in pieces, but it reflects both his unstable mental and physical states, hence the back and forth between acceptance and refusal of his fate. At this point Richard is distraught, he is defeated, weak and closer to his deathbed.

            It is quite simple, from what we have just seen, to argue that Richard wishes to die by the end of his deposition. Having lost everything including his identity, Richard is only a lost soul. Later on, we see Richard in the prison, at the brink of losing his mind; he is not able to tell time, and is blaming a horse for all that has happened. Soon enough he does realize that the horse is not to blame and apologizes, “Since pride must have a fall-and break the neck / Of that proud man that did usurp his back? / Forgiveness, horse!” (R2 5.5.88-90). Richard sees, once again, that everything he owned is now taken away from him by Bolingbroke. His “fall of pride” has already occurred and there is no going back for him. In a more Roman sense, Richard has nothing left to do but fall on his own sword. The scene following is when this finally comes true. Richard gets to a point where he cannot take this anymore when the keeper says that he will taste the prisoner’s soup. This is the last drop for Richard that makes him grasp the full extent of his downfall. “Taste of it first, as thou art wont to do.” asks Richard to which the keeper replies that he is not allowed to (99). Richard refuses to take anymore of this new role that he is playing and attacks the keeper and gets killed in the process. “Patience is stale, and I am weary of it.” shouts Richard as he has finally had enough of this (103). The final remark that ends Richard’s journey sums it all up for the reader: “Mount, mount, my soul; thy seat is up on high, / Whilst my gross flesh sinks downward, here to die” (111-112). Richard, on his deathbed, still believes that his soul is greater than the others and that his kingship is holy. Richard believes that his regal soul will have eternal happiness and power in the afterlife. This final image brings back the similar religious images that have been presented to the reader throughout the play, it shows that, in fact, Richard was never able to change his ways of living, he was never able to adapt to his new role. All his questioning was in vain.

            Shakespeare refers to the certain roles cast for people throughout many of his plays. Jaques’ famous speech includes seven different roles that man takes throughout his life. For some others, like Richard, there is simply one role. In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock explains, “You take my life when you take the means whereby I live.” Shylock and Richard are two characters that do not have much in common. Yet, this quote is a suitable one for the situation that Richard ends up in. Richard has been stripped of everything: his wife, his kingdom and even his horse. Like most of the characters in Shakespearean tragedies, Richard, too, ends up being murdered. His death is different than other characters’ in that it could be argued that, in fact, Richard wishes to die after losing everything. This does actually start to make sense when we look at the play as a whole. Throughout his journey, Richard tries to get himself to accept his loss and to adapt a new role in life. Towards the end of this journey, he realizes he does not know how to live life without the power of being the king of Britain. Richard inevitably fails to adapt to this new life style and ends up dying because, as stated before, after losing his pride there is nothing left for him to do. Richard’s means of living have been taken from him and thus, his life.

The Concepts of Mercy and Law in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”

The first scene of the fourth act of the play “The Merchant of Venice” presents us with the climax. The scene takes place in a Venetian court, including all the main characters and a few minor ones. The character of the Duke is introduced to us in this scene and is the main representation of law in this section of the play. While resolving most of the conflicts in the play, the scene also involves deeper analysis of some main themes. With the lines, “Thou art come to answer, A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch, Uncapable of pity, void and empty, From any dram of mercy.” (Lines 2-4) the Duke introduces the theme of mercy into the scene. From this point on, the scene tries to reconcile the ideas of morality, namely mercy, and the strict rules of the law. The characters themselves try to construct a punishment that is suitable for Antonio, however it seems that some characters tend to show different sides to their personalities throughout the scene. With the help of specific examples and focuses on some of the characters’ actions, we will look at how Shakespeare tries to blend the ideas of mercy and law into the scene and in doing so, how he critiques the society of the day.

            Before going into the analysis of the scene, it is useful to think of the ideas of mercy and law. The two, while seemingly related, have completely different contexts and should be assessed differently. Mercy falls into the category of moral values and can be subjective depending on the topic under discussion. This is one of the reasons why most characters reflect different opinions on the idea of mercy. While during the discussion of whether Shylock should forgive Antonio, Portia says, “’Tis mightiest in the mightiest.” (Lines 183-184) referring to the concept of mercy. Portia then continues, “But mercy is above this scepters sway. It is enthroned in the hearts of kings; It is an attribute to God himself…”(Lines 189-190). She tells Shylock that he should be able to consider forgiving Antonio and that instead of looking for justice, “the Jew” he should do be able to attain the honor of being merciful. On the other side, Shylock looks at the concept of mercy from a completely different perspective than the other characters. As mentioned before, mercy can be subjective. In this case, Shylock opposing the other characters, also opposes their views on mercy when he says, “I crave the law, The penalty and forfeit of my bond.” (Lines 201-202). Shylock clearly wishes the full force of law to act upon Antonio. This reveals the main conflict between the ideas of law and mercy. The two ideas being on two different ends of the spectrum show how they are two unrelated concepts. Law depends on strict rules whereas mercy depends on moral values. Relatively speaking, moral values are more flexible: they can change from one situation to another. Most laws are objective, meaning that they are unchanging. This is why the mercy cannot exist in law, leading to the main conflict between the two concepts in this scene.

            Shylock in this particular scene is characterized by his cruelty resulting from his wish to have Antonio pay for debts. In other scenes, Shylock may seem like the person that is the most logical and even sympathetic yet in this one, he appears to be vengeful and blinded by his anger. This results in his irate insistence on having a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Portia is the more logical one in the play. She is able to overcome the strict rules of the law in order to save Antonio from his terrible fate. Due to these characteristics, all characters have different ways of talking to one another. All of the characters in the scene are of higher social status so all of them talk in meter and prose can only be found in lines 149 to 161 where the Duke reads the letter from Bellario. Although the meter does not alter throughout the scene, the characters do use different words and different sentences in order to convey their ideas. While Shylock uses long lines to describe his ideas at the beginning of the scene, by the time he has failed to get back at Antonio by cutting a piece of his flesh, he starts talking in very short sentences such as, “I am content.” (Line 389). The others mock the Jewish merchant by using his expression “Daniel” in different contexts. Such wordplay can also be seen when the characters refer Shylock sharpening his knife in lines 122-125. By the end of the scene, Shylock feels the full force of the law act on him and admits defeat; an ironic ending since he was the once asking for the law to apply on Antonio.

            As Shylock whets his blade on his shoe in order to get ready to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio’s chest, Bassanio ask him “Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?” (Line 120), to which Shylock replies, “To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there.” (Line 121). “Not on thy sole but on thy soul, harsh Jew, Thou mak’st thy knife keen.” (Line 122-123) asserts Graziano angered by the fact that the Jew seems so keen on punishing Antonio in such a way. This not only directly insults Shylock but it brings the audience to the awareness of moral values involved in Shylock decision-making. Graziano’s comments indicate that Shylock instinctively likes to make people suffer. This is also a direct comment on Shylock’s sense of mercy, which later on becomes more explicit in the exchanges between the characters. It is obvious that Shylock is driven by his feelings, which does account for the fact that he wants Antonio to be punished and not forgiven. The concept of mercy is used in order to persuade Shylock to go back on his ideas, Graziano, with his quote, tells the others that Shylock cannot be persuaded in such ways because he has no sense of moral values. Which, in the context of the whole play, we know is not entirely true.

            As Portia tries to talk some sense into Shylock, she asks him to have some sense of mercy and forgive Antonio. She talks about the honor of being merciful and how it is valuable to be able to feel mercy and to forgive others for their wrongdoings. Portia gives a long speech about how mercy is the biggest honor of them all and ends with the lines, “ 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.” (Lines 195-200). These lines are explicit examples of the characters try to use the idea of mercy in order to make Shylock forfeit his bond and to let Antonio go. The lines explicitly show the relation between law and mercy in this trial. It is either that Shylock will let the merchant leave or the law will have to find him guilty and let Shylock a pound of Antonio’s flesh. The problem in the scene is that the whole process is left for the judgment of a single character that has excessive bias. Shylock, at this point, is incapable of feeling such mercy and therefore characters will have to result to the law in order to solve this problem. This quote shows how characters see the concepts of law and mercy as related to one another.

            As mentioned before, the main difference the concept of mercy and the concept of law is the fact one can be bent and the other cannot. The law is objective, it tends treat people equally and not account for their situation for most of the time. Although it might seem this way, Shakespeare is able to create a situation in which the characters are able to “bend” the law in order to fulfill their personal goals in the trial. Coming in right after Portia’s speech about the value of mercy in a human being, Bassanio demands that the Duke bend the laws in Antonio’s favor in speaking the lines, “And, I beseech you, Wrest once the law to your authority. To do a great right, do a little wrong, And curb this cruel devil of his will.” (Lines 209-211). Bassanio touches on a few key points in these lines. He goes into a deeper analysis of moral values by saying that he should “do a little wrong,” in order “to do a great right.” Not only does Antonio ask the Duke to bend the laws explicitly but in doing so he also asks the Duke to bend his moral values in order to extricate a friend. Shakespeare’s usage of these two concepts in the same sentence show that the two are now becoming inseparable from each other in the context of the scene. Whereas the law and moral values should be completely different concepts in the human mind, they are now held together in this particular scene.

            This idea later on comes back into the play this time in a more explicit way. After Portia uses the law in order to let Shylock leave Antonio, she talks about how the Jew will now be punished since he has planned to kill Antonio. Portia then states, “And [Shylock’s] life lies in the mercy of the Duke only, ‘gainst all other voice-“ (Lines 350-351).  This is a perfect example of how the concept of mercy has deviated from its meaning at the beginning of the scene. Whereas in the beginning characters had been able to successfully separate the law and moral values, the two has now seemingly become the same concept. The notion of mercy is only in the hands of the one person that symbolizes the strict law that is about to act on Shylock. Not only have they become one by being symbolized by the same person but they have also moved from one character to another. While in the beginning Shylock had the ability to show mercy and to save Antonio from being punished as can be seen Portia’s lines , “Then must the Jew be merciful,” it is now that Shylock has lost his privilege to be merciful. These lines show how the roles have changed as well as the concepts.

            As the scene moves on, the characters seem to have trouble distinguishing between the two concepts as they become one. As Portia starts bending the law and using it to acquit Antonio, Shylock starts asking questions about the law. “Is that the law?” (Line 309) he asks at first, then he is utterly confused about the outcomes of the laws that Portia expresses and asks, “Shall I not have barely my principal?” As the concepts are merged together, the lines become blurry and both are harder to grasp than the beginning of the scene. The law that was on Shylock’s for the whole scene has now changed its side and is now acting against him in his cause. These obscure lines that constrict law and moral values have now seemingly disappeared.

            Shakespeare explores a gamut of different themes in his play “The Merchant of Venice.” One of the most interesting discussions come in the first scene of the fourth of this play. During the trial scene where the characters discuss who should be punished for the events that took place during previous acts, the concepts of mercy and law blend into each other. As characters use both concepts in order to prove their views, it seems as if the constraints that limit these concepts to certain lines disappear and the characters have a harder time distinguishing between the two concepts. Shakespeare reaches his point that the two should be held separately by presenting the audience with the confusion that results when they are assessed together. In this sense Shakespeare points out that the concept of mercy should not belong in a Venetian court, and that the involvement of such values, along with an obvious bias for one’s friends, allows for the misguidance of the law. The change of the situation in the whole scene goes to show to what extents the two unavoidably affect each other.

           

"Just when you're enjoying yourself, someone or something will come along and wreck everything." -Hally

Even though at first sight this might seem like the usual teenage perception of the world, this statement might sometimes seem to come very close to reality. This might be a moment of clarification or a person that you despise. The statement, it seems, comes at a time when Hally stops imagining and comes to the cold realization of his father coming back home with his mother that night. He is back in the world where there are actual collisions and where it is not a dance floor like in his imagination. He is once again aware of his drunken and crippled father. This realization is, unfortunately, true to a certain extent. It is his reality that life is not a merry-go-round and that life, like a nigger’s ass, is not always going to be fair.

It is the teenager point-of-view that this cannot be changed and that life will always be miserable. Whether if it is Harold or Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye or most other teenagers in our day, they will most likely view life as a “grind.” They will only be able to focus on the gloomy sides of rather than realize what great potential they have. In this context, Holden decides to run away from his problems and Hally decided to blame Sam for all that is going wrong in his entire life. From his father’s drinking to he displeasure in being a son of a crippled man Hally decides to unleash all his anger on Sam. But what good does that do him? I would say none, if I were to be so blatant. Life can be so much more than a long and dark tunnel if we only come to realize that it is all in our hands to make our life what it is.

In “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Randle McMurphy says “You can’t really be strong until you see a funny side to things.” This quote has touched me in a strong way I had not encountered in the works I’d read before. And to some extent it is related to the previous quote by Harold. In fact, it is quite the opposite of what Hally is saying. McMurphy is by nature, full of life and laughter. He enjoys life to the greatest measure and he knows how to feel good. When he says these words, you know that he actually means it, both in context of the book and out of it. It shows his outlook on life; his aim is to live freely and without letting anything get him down. And just maybe, this is what we learn as we progress from a teenager to an adult. You realize that life does not always work to “wreck” everything but that sometimes you actually do see the good. You learn to focus on the “funny” parts of even the sad things that go on around you. Maybe this is the way to being a grown-up. Savoring each experience and recalling the ironic, hilarious and worthy sides to it may be the best you can get out of life. You cannot live life with Hally’s point of view and expect to enjoy it. You have enjoy being where you are even if it eventually leads to a lobotomy like in the case of McMurphy (and yes, even then he smiles).

Through the book, Holden goes through the steps towards becoming a more mature individual and Hally fails to do so. While both crave for some human contact, Holden finds it in his sister, while Hally pushes the only person that he could connect to, Sam, away. Of course unfortunate events take place in life. Many of our loved ones pass away, or we grow apart. You may even fail your goals. But none of this should get you down. You have to see that there is so much more to see in life than just the upsetting parts.

In Hally’s case, escaping from the reality by daydreaming is what most of us resort to. It is the small twists of plot that we have in our minds or the completely new scenarios we create in brain that help us keep going at certain times. And when we come back down to earth and our feet touch the ground again, it a harsh and cold gust of wind that hits us hard on the face. This is what Hally experiences. Dreaming is not wrong. It is perhaps one of the greatest capabilities known man. The down side to it is coming back to reality. Facing the fact most of the time dreams might not come true at all. That is why it is important to not lose touch with reality. This is what happens to Hally. He goes so deep into believing that life is a dance floor, that when he realizes that he is bound to collide with his father he is deeply upset. He has to face the truth about his life and that is what gets him down. He is not able to see the “funny” side. He dives deeps into misery that he does not realize all that he could have.

Life is a more than a series of unfortunate events. It is true that humans tend to focus on the sorrow and the pain they experience. But the truth is that the essence of life is in the fun and the joy that we get out of living it. The fact that we can enjoy our experiences is what makes us who we are. What we gather from the memories we leave behind is essential to seeing that life is not a “wreck.” So as we live life, we should enjoy it and not be let down in the face of reality. The fact that some people miss this is the central reason why most people are so sad all the time. To be able to let go of what is behind and to detach ourselves from our sorrowful memories is the key to a more optimistic life. The enjoyment of life comes from enjoyment of the small details behind even the saddest of events. Seeing new opportunities be born from what we go through is the most amazing of sensations that we could ever wish to have.

“You can't really be strong until you can see a funny side to things.”

-Randle McMurphy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Sailor’s Manifesto

ARTICLE ONE. THE SAILOR

I believe that sailing is neither a hobby, nor a daily activity but it is a lifestyle. With constant progress the sea itself becomes home to the real sailor. The deck, the mainsail, the foresail are merely limbs of his body.

I believe that a sailor can only learn from what he has seen. He cannot be taught or be expected to learn from books. The real sailor will want to see for his own and to solve problems on his feet.

I believe that the biggest struggle that a sailor has is with Mother Nature herself. To know it’s ways and to fight against it or even to try to predict its actions is implausible; therefore the sailor must be ready to act, agile and sharp-minded.

I believe that a sailor should be able to appreciate. The true act of sailing involves the beauties of nature and the sailor should be able to comprehend and be grateful for all that is given to him.

I believe that a sailor should be able to discern his place amongst the eclectic phenomena of Mother Nature. He should be able to understand that he is no more than a dot on the face of the earth and that he is not the one who will overcome or alter nature. He must perceive that he is at the will of Mother Nature and that all he can do is change his course in order to escape her wrath.

I believe that a sailor should be strong, both of mind and body.

I believe a sailor should be able to adapt. He should be changing and shifting himself, like the winds he sails, to fit his role in the crew. He should learn to work with others and most importantly by himself should he need it.

ARTICLE TWO. THE SAILBOAT

I believe the ship is more than a vessel for the sailor. It is more than a floating entity bound to take men from one place to another. The sailboat is for the sailor the home, the wife and the children.

I believe that the captain should care for the sailboat: keep it clean, away from danger and without any defects. The sailboat should be repaired immediately if it is harmed in any way during the journey.

I believe the sailboat should be treated as a living entity like the rest of the crew. The boat is, in fact, essential to the crew. The sailboat provides shelter and cares for the captain and his men, hence it deserves the same caring from its crew. The captain’s task is to protect his vessel with his life. He should realize that none of his travels could have occurred without it.
I believe the sailboat is not to be abandoned at any point. Even in death, the vessel shall be cared for like a friend on his deathbed. This is why it should be that the captain should go down with his ship. The vessel is a true friend for the captain.

ARTICLE THREE. THE ACT OF SAILING

I believe sailing is not only the labor and hard work, but also, the storms, the winds and the sun itself. It is the joy, the exhilaration of surviving yet another journey.

I believe sailing is not an act of singular person but a result of all the actions of the crew. Therefore, the sailor must be able to communicate, he must be able to understand and solve problems. He should be able to foresee what is to come and learn from what has passed and the mistakes he made.

I believe that after the course set for a journey to a foreign land it cannot be changed or altered. The sailor will face all that is to come and go forth to the land beyond the sea. Nothing will make him suffer, hurt or give up.

I believe that sailing is not only a journey between the two cities across the sea; it is the experience you gain from this journey. The true passion for sailing comes from the burning desire in man’s heart to throw himself into the bosom of the ocean.

I believe sailing is not learned behind a desk, taking notes and listening to lectures. The true art of sailing is in practice. One cannot be called a sailor as long as he has not sailed the winds of the ocean or defied its waves. The only way of becoming a true sailor lies in going out to sea, unfurling your sails and letting the wind take you away to a foreign land.

I believe sailing is an art of survival. It is the sum of all of the capabilities of the sailor and the ability to overcome perilous circumstances.

I believe sailing is a lifelong realization of death’s close proximity, the awareness of life’s essential beauties, and the appreciation of the smallest of gifts of nature that come with it.

I believe that only in this way will the sailor learn the art of sailing and, with God’s will, master the seas of the world.

Language of the African-Americans in Southern American Literature

Every culture has its own properties ranging from dance, rituals and music to children’s tales, language and dialect. In the context of dialect, some cultures go so far as to create their own grammatical rules and sometimes even come up with alternative spellings of the words they use. These words help us discern the culture of the individual even when reading about these people in books and stories. Most common dialect we encounter in southern American literature is the dialect used by the African-Americans. Flannery O’Connor is only one of many authors that use this dialect to reflect the cultures of the characters in their fiction. The dialect both gives a sense of reality to the characters and allows the author to tell us about the character without the use of excessive words.

One reality is that Negroes, or “niggers” as O’Connor calls them, have had certain stereotypes associated with them throughout history. Some saw them as uneducated and some others thought they were worth less as humans. They have been looked down upon and discriminated by the white folk in southern America. Their dialect is thought to be unsophisticated and unstructured. What most people did not understand then, and many still don’t, is that the African-Americans had their own structure of language and their own way of communicating. This dialect was neither less sophisticated nor unstructured. Rather, only once they were able to speak and understand this dialect did people discern its nature. It is a matter of being able to understand the grammatical structure and the usage of the dialect in daily life. The grammatical errors were not results of ignorance or a lack of education. The stories written in the 1930s do reflect some aspects of this discrimination with the language used in their contexts, a degradation of African-Americans seen easily through the characters’ interactions.

The use of language in O’Connor’s stories start with the inclusion of the word “nigger.” This tells us quite a lot about the way southern Americans view African-Americans. Now considered an insult, the word “nigger” was used widely in the 1930s USA. It reflects the way African-Americans were condescended at the time, seen as less educated and of little value to the Americans. In her story, “The Displaced Person,” O’Connor also includes different spelling of certain words. Instead of “Sure is,” she uses “Sho is” which demonstrates the way many African-Americans speak. This use of language reflects the ways in which the “niggers” in the story and in southern America use American English. O’Connor also presents the use of some sentences that are flawed grammatically. The comment made by a “nigger” right after “Sho is,” is “They there.” This short sentence portrays the grammatical errors the African-Americans are thought to make during this time. What is not understood by many others is that speech has both a surface and a deep structure. While the surface structure is what spoken, the deep structure is what is meant. In the sentence “They there” a large chunk of information is given with the use of less words. So in this case, it could even be said that this is a sign of intelligence. But since no one is able to understand this distinction, the example of the “nigger” using this sentence instead of saying “They are there.” shows the common notion their inferiority in the 1930s society.
“Niggers” did play a huge role in 1930s. No matter how they were treated or how they were viewed, Negroes played essential roles in the 1930s southern American society; as gardeners, laborers, convicts or businessmen. Whatever role the character may play, it is easy to stereotype it and carve it into default shapes for the author by the usage of typical language. The language through which culture is revealed impacts the audience and informs the reader without having to use excessive words.

"Family" as Portrayed in The River

Bevel is a young boy from an American family, who only seeks for attention as any boy of four or five does. He only wants to “count” as repeated over and over in the story of Bevel’s journey to the river. Bevel is only after caring from his parents but is unable to receive it from what we observe throughout the story. He is a lonely boy at home who is not taken care of by his parents but rather given to a babysitter to be taken out of the house. Bevel’s parents could not be considered his “parents” in this sense because they do not share the bonds that make a family; neither does the house possess values that make it a home. A home is supposed to be bound by loving and caring, with feelings that bind the individual to it. Bevel’s house and parents are not connected to each other by these bonds and Bevel himself is merely an excess individual to be fed.
Bevel is obviously highly saddened by this fact. Even though he is only a four year-old boy, and is not completely aware of the parties that take place in the house, Bevel is dire need of attention and caring from the parents. He does not feel that he “counts.” What Bevel refers to when he says “”He said I’m not the same now,” he murmured. “I count.” is his view in the eyes of his parents. He feels that because he is baptized, now that people will care about him and give him the attention he lacks at his house. Bevel is not want attention and loving but he is willing to do anything to receive it. The only place where he actually feels this belonging is the river in the story. Taking this into consideration, his actions at the end of the story are in no way illogical. The fact that “He hadn’t taken a suitcase because there was nothing from there he wanted to keep.” shows that Bevel does not appreciate his life at home and wants to keep as far away from it as possible. A family is a binding entity; it is an environment in which you feel safe and comfortable. Bevel’s parents do not possess this and therefore Bevel has no reason to be bound by the house. He wants to be in a place where he is “counts” and in which he feels happy.

“Mrs. Connin stood a second, staring into the room, with a skeleton’s appearance of seeing everything.” when she brings Bevel back home to his parents. At this point, she realizes what Bevel was talking about when he said his mother had a “hangover.” The party that is going on in the house involves the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Bevel is not aware of this but he certainly feels the outcomes of these parties that should not involve a four year-old kid sleeping in the next room. As Bevel’s mother “whispered and her bitter breath covered his face.” we can see that Bevel is not in a suitable environment for young boy to be raised in. Considering the state that the parents are living in, the only thing that Bevel can do is to find a better life for himself. Always being passed on to a different babysitter, who mostly does not even know his name, Bevel is excluded from his parents’ love. Bevel only wants to know he matters to his parents and that they are actually aware of his presence, he only wants to “count.”

Like any wise person, Bevel chooses to go to the only place where he knows for sure he matters. The river is where Bevel believes he actually is part of something more important than he is at home. Therefore, at the end of the story, Bevel runs back to the river as fast as he can, leaving everything behind him. He wants to be somewhere where he actually means something to people, and in this case, the Kingdom of Christ. There are many reasons as to why Bevel thinks this is important to him and many ways we can interpret his actions. We can look at it from a Biblical point of view and say he has exercised the demons inside him and that he is now a clean person. But when you look at Bevel as a simple little kid, we can see that he only wants some sort of attention. The river is where he finds this. The calmness he feels as the story comes to an end is due to the beautiful thoughts that fill his body. He dreams of a beautiful place as the “current caught him like a long gentle hand and pulled him swiftly forward and down.” “…all the fury and fear had left him.” when he was pulled and taken into the soft and gentle arms of the river. Even when he died, Bevel believed that he was being taken to better place; therefore, he did not suffer as many do.

Bevel is only a young boy of four. He only wants his parents’ love and caring. The lack of the warmth of a true family, drives Bevel to the river. He is compelled to run somewhere where he actually matters to some people. He is joyful as he dies and finally feels that he will leading a life actually worth something. He may even believe that he will make a change, that he will count, people will recognize him and maybe even know his name