Merchant and the Tempest - Shakespeare

In both Merchant and The Tempest, Shakespeare proposes ideas of justice and mercy that hold true in both plays. In order to see if the actions taken were just and/or merciful, definitions of these words must be set up. If we were to assume that Shakespeare's definition of mercy was what Portia espoused in act four, scene one, specifically lines 205 - 206, the definition of mercy must be viewed in a biblical sense. Thus, in order to judge if something is merciful, one must look to see if it fulfills the qualifications of mercy in the New Testament. However, the idea of justice is quite different, for my definition of justice, I will turn to Charles Mill's definition, for, in the plays it applies the most. Mill's espoused that justice for the Europeans meant "just us," implying different standards for white Christians that for any other race or religion. Now that we have firm definitions on what mercy and justice are in the context of Shakespeare's time, it is possible to see how each of these played a role in these plays.

In The Merchant of Venice, justice and mercy play a key role in determining the outcome of the play. During the trial, it would be fair to say that mercy was given to Antonio and not Shylock. For Antonio, the other cheek was turned and he was able to be spared the loss of his life -- even though he had entered into a contract in which he put this on the line. On the other hand, money was not given to Shylock who not only was not reimbursed the money that he lent out, but he was also harmed by being forced to convert. However, when looking at why mercy was given to one and not the other, we must look at how justice was applied. In Antonio's case, he is a Catholic merchant from Europe, unlike the prince of Morocco. However, even though Shylock was also a European, he was not a Christian -- justice did not apply. However, in context, was justice served? Of course it was served, for not only was the spirit of it upheld but it was also carried out how it was meant to be carried out. Thus, in The Merchant of Venice, justice and mercy intermingle providing mercy only to the people that receive justice.