Justice and Legality in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure Essay Example for Free

Justice and Legality in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure Essay In this brief paper, legality will be taken to mean as â€Å"doing what the written laws or accepted customs require. On the other hand, justice refers to â€Å"doing for any person what is fitting and proper for that person. † Often dubbed as a â€Å"dark† comedy, Measure for Measure is comprised of characters that are confronted with moral dilemmas. The characters that will be analyzed based on the legality and justness of their actions are the Duke, Angelo, and Isabella. These three characters are interrelated in the sense that their actions affect the other characters in the play. This makes the plot complex just like in most plays of Shakespeare. Also, not only does Measure for Measure abound with intrigue and revelation but also with pertinent questions on freedom, sexuality, morality, and the Law. Hence, a reading of the characters necessitates an understanding of the questions the play raises. After analyzing the characters’ actions, the concluding part will look into the link between legality and justice. As I will argue, legality and justice are not one and the same. Rather, they are relational instances that are apparent in the actions of the characters. The play opens with the Duke assigning his role as leader of Vienna to Angelo. Angelo tried to decline at first yet the Duke was firm in his order. At the offset, one may immediately judge whether the act of the Duke and Angelo is just and/or legal. As the formal ruler of Vienna, the Duke gives up temporarily his mandate to Angelo. One may wonder what could be more important and urgent for the Duke than rule the whole of Vienna. By leaving his job as ruler, it may appear that the Duke’s act is illegal. However, if we understand the Duke’s action in the context of monarchy, what he did was not illegal for the precise reason that he embodies the law itself. Whatever the Duke says or wishes to do is considered the Law. On the part of Angelo, his obedience to the Duke’s order is lawful as it is his role to follow whatever the latter asks him to do. We then learn that with his new position as Duke, Angelo implements strictly the already existing law against fornication. We can confer from the beginning part of the play that Angelo complies fondly with the moral law. This caused Claudio to be imprisoned for impregnating Juliet, his lover, even though the sexual intercourse was consensual. In the following scene, the character of Isabella appears. As a morally uptight person and a loving sister of Claudio, Isabella begged Angelo to release his brother from prison. Angelo promised to show mercy only if Isabella sleeps with him. Shocked and disgusted, Isabella refused. In this scene, we come to know the hypocrisy of Angelo with regard to the moral law he imposes to the people. He bans illicit sexual activities yet he himself asks Isabella to sleep with him. Angelo’s actions are therefore illegal. In relation to Isabella, Angelo is being unjust since what he is asking of Isabella is not fitting for someone who is just about to enter the nunnery and serve God. The dilemma faced by Isabella – whether or not sleep with Angelo so as to save Claudio – is intriguing for it involves two virtues that must be upheld by a religious woman as herself. One virtue is chastity, of not giving up to the sexual condition of Angelo. On the other hand, she is also required to fight for the release of his innocent brother who was unfairly imprisoned. In the end, Isabella chose chastity over Claudio. By declining the sexual condition of Angelo, Isabella is being legal in the context of the moral law. Her choice not to sleep with Angelo attests to her determination to remain a virgin for God. However, the other side of the coin consists of her unjust act to leave his brother in prison. When the Duke, as a friar, intervenes to help Isabella, his plan was to trap Angelo so his only choice would be to release Claudio. In the Duke’s plan, Isabella will seduce Angelo to sleep with her. The moment Angelo takes the bait, Isabella would give up her place to Mariana who is Angelo’s former lover. By unwittingly sleeping with Mariana, Angelo would thus prove guilty of sexual immorality and would later on be forced to release Claudio. The plan, however, did not entirely succeed because after sleeping with Mariana, Angelo did not order the release of Claudio. By helping Isabella, the Duke who is pretending as a friar, was in fact being just in a sense that he is trying to help in the release of Claudio. Meanwhile, Angelo resolute stand not to release Claudio is illegal since he is in fact the one who truly committed a prohibited sexual act. If he is really staunch in disciplining the people then Angelo must put his own self in jail. The end part of the play consists of the Duke’s return as the ruler of Vienna. With his power over the people, the Duke was able to make everyone confess their wrongdoings. Angelo eventually admitted his misdeeds and Claudio was released from prison. The Duke then asks Isabella to marry him. The final scene exhibited the just and legal act of the Duke to release the innocent and correct the wrong. Angelo’s confession can be seen as just since he is committing what is proper to a person like himself. It can also be read as legal since his confession complies with the order of the Duke. Isabella, on the other hand, was just in the sense that she still pursued the issue of his brother’s release. Her choice to marry the Duke, if ever she does, will be legal as it is form of obedience to their ruler. Based from the characters’ actions, we may say that legality and justice are two different instances. The reason for being such is the fact that they are grounded on two different frameworks. Legality is based on the written law that is invoked in order to judge a particular action of a character. On the other hand, justice is based on the personal opinion of the characters that is used for the evaluation of certain actions. However, after probing into the actions of the characters, we see that their personal opinions are in fact strongly influenced by the established moral law. For instance, Isabella’s choice not to sleep with Angelo, although personal, is rooted in the moral law that dictates to have illicit sex is sinful. Along the same vein, Angelo’s seeming personal choice to confess depends heavily on the order imposed by the Duke. The boundary therefore between the personal and the outside basis for judgment is diluted. Thus, in the context of Measure for Measure, justice is subsumed into the realm of legality without necessarily being reduced to it.

Perfect Storm Essay -- essays research papers

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger is an account of an immense storm and its destructive path through the North Atlantic. In late October of 1991, crews of several different fishing ships left their port for their final haul. Little did they know that they would soon cross paths with one of the greatest storms ever recorded. This particular storm would create huge swells, high winds, and hard rain. The system, was said to be a â€Å"perfect storm† because all of the elements were just right to create the worst imaginable storm ever seen, â€Å"†¦ a hundred-year event,† claimed some meteorologists. These types of storms are caused when: â€Å"Warm air is less dense than cool air; it rises off the surface of the ocean, cools in the upper atmosphere, and then dumps its moisture before rushing back to earth. Huge cumulus clouds develop over the zones of rising air, with thunder, lightning, and terrifically strong rain. As long as there's a supply of warm water, th e thunderstorm sustains itself, converting moisture into sheeting rain and downdraft winds. Other thunderclouds might line up along the leading edge of a cold front into a "squall line," a towering convective engine that stretches from horizon to horizon.† (The Perfect Storm Foundation) The descriptions of fishing procedures and equipment are often confusing, they are a vital part of the plot. Which gives the reader a better insight to what these fishermen went though. Without these details, readers would not be able to picture the dangers of the storm the way Junger wanted them to. The book is interesting, but never melodramatic. There is just enough tension in the conflict between man and nature to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Junger never tries to saturate his readers with so much emotion that they roll their eyes in disgust. He makes the fear and desperation realistic and believable. Junger achieves a delicate balance between the factual and fictional elements of the story. The front cover immediately states in bold letters that The Perfect Storm is a true story. Junger’s characters are extremely well developed. It becomes unimportant that Junger may have exaggerated about a character’s experiences. He allows readers to sympathize with Christina Cotter and fear for Bobby Shatfords safety. The thoughts and emotions of every character are stunningly real. My girlfriend pointed out that the book... ...ve damage occurred in New England where federal disaster areas were declared for seven counties in Massachusetts, five in Maine, and one in New Hampshire. Off Staten Island, two men were drowned when their boat capsized. Other fatalities occurred when a man fishing from a bridge was either blown or swept off in New York and a fisherman was swept off the rocks at Narrangansett, RI by heavy surf. Offshore, six lives were lost when the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat, sank. Total damage in the Halloween Storm, as it came to be known because of its date, was in the hundreds of millions of dollars.† The first part of the book focuses on the people and their relationships around the docks and their hometown. It gave an in-depth glimpse into the life and psychological behaviors of fishermen. Given the total length of the book my first reaction to this focus on people was that it was too much. My second reaction was "just right." Less stress would have de-personalized the characters. Towards the end the characters in the book have all learned something about themselves because of this storm. Being that some of the characters are not here anymore makes the book all the more poignant.

American Fall Apart

Kevin Nguyen Professor Dulaney English 122 October 8, 2012 Will America Collapse? Did you ever stop to think though the richest country in the world, the United States, known to be the country where all dreams come true; it seems like over the generations it has fallen apart? I mean come on now we don’t even have to open the news to know that this world is falling apart, yet we sit in our own confusion as to why our own country is in despair.Despite being one of the most successful countries in the world we struggle to be one of the best due to individual struggles and needs, as we strive for more individualistic freedoms, we limit our strive to become a better country as a whole. When we look at a country as a whole what better idea than to target the head of state, the government for all the problems that we face in the United States. Yes we can say that most of our problems has a correlation with the government but as a whole country, everyone contributes to this idea of a capitalist society just by being a part of it.Because many of our United States citizens have learnt to work the capitalist system, we’ve as humans learnt how to be selfish not caring for others desires, and most other’s needs. We’ve somehow forgot what it means to be righteous, and have been influenced by society that feeding for ourselves is what will get you through. Through our actions, we have become a cold generation, and desirable one, like the economist just like author Anthony Burgess says, the United States, known to be the country where all dreams come true, seems like over the generations it has fallen apart.When we look at a country as a whole, there is no better target to blame than the government and denunciate them straight away for our downfall. Yes we can say that most of it has to do with the government but as a whole country, everyone is at fault and they just look for ways to pass it off as, â€Å"How is it my fault? † it’s the presidents fault for not fixing all our problems he’s the leader and he’s not doing a good job otherwise we would be become more successful as a country rather than decline.Despite the fact that America is still one of the best places to live due to financial opportunities and freedom, if United States continues its course that it is going on America is doom to fall in the future due to our people not being united under the same cause. Individualism and freedoms will become the ultimate downfall to this glorious nation. â€Å"Is America Falling Apart? † an essay by Anthony Burgess critiques the United States.Burges, a British citizen lived in New Jersey a year in the 1970s while being a visiting professor at Princeton University and expressed his opinion of what is wrong with America. Anthony Burgess wrote â€Å"Is America Falling Apart? † to highlight the faults of America with the hope that America would change rather than disintegrate. The central the me of his essay was that America was too individualistic and would benefit from giving up some of that individualism in order to be a healthier society. Where private ownership prevails, public amenities decay or are prevented from coming into being† (Burgess 287). His view of American individualism and how America needs to change is warped by his limited experience of large metropolitan areas and believing those experiences gave him an understanding of America. Burgess claims that Americans are finally realizing that obtaining goods is not the primary goal of life. I agree on his statement that America is focusing too much on individual needs and destroys others by striving to heights on their own.I truly believe that if America gave up some freedom and sacrificed some of it for the whole country we can benefit a lot in our society and we can continue to be one of the most successful countries in the world. Burgess also states, â€Å"America, the world’s biggest consu mer is the world’s biggest polluter,† using examples such as the Los Angeles smog and the tons of garbage Americans produce. Besides having terrible schools and government, Burgess wants the United States to have a more socialist view on our government just like Britain or Canada.Although he is highly critical of America, he wants to return there because of its importance in the world’s future. Many may argue that Burgess’ analysis of the United States is mostly wrong, but is the trouble not being caused by our very own citizens? One may argue that Americans are not greedy but are the most generous people on Earth. Americans are known for charity and not just through government programs. But having these charity programs do not outweigh the poverty the other countries face. As an American, I believe we do have a problem with the consumerism and pollution to the extent that he claims.Although, there is pollution in the United States, many people would compa re it to China however despite China’s pollution problem, their population as a whole country more than doubles our United States population. The United States individual ecological footprint for individual citizens outweighs an individual that lives in China. Burgess has concluded with some solutions that may fix our problems here in the United States and although many of our citizens may not like it, it seems like a very viable option.Burgess proposed more socialism as the solution for America (291). The dilemma is that when the government becomes involved in any area of life, freedoms are taken away. For example, Vietnam is perfect examples in which the choices we made were very much socialistic. Although the Vietnam War was a very controversial topic, the fact that our country united under the draft helped to fight for one cause, and again although it may not have been the best idea, nonetheless it did unite us and made us as a country stronger to fight in the war.Many ma y argue that freedom is what made this country the great place that it is and the pursuit of one’s individual happiness is never a bad thing so why strip such great roots. Although I agree that I also love my freedoms to do what I want where I want very much, I do not like the idea of letting a thousand suffer just for my individual freedoms, if I had my freedoms striped away tomorrow in exchange for others people prospering so be it. As long as all those who suffer without anything that are living on the streets get proper living conditions.For example, I was at the gas station the other day and this lady came up to me begging for help, begging for her life and I see all the suffering she has gone through with her cold eyes and her rotting teeth and bad hygiene. While I was standing there listening to her story all that came into my head was I have so much more in my life than this lady and why does she deserve to suffer so much and sleep on the street while I go home to a n ice warm house. Was it just the matter of luck being born in the right place at the right time into the right family?So the idea of America being individualistic creates a big gap in society, the rich, the middle class, and poverty. This will make America as a whole crumble more as we get more homeless and poor people every day and help is out of their reach. Although at first the idea of socialism is completely denied by a lot of United States citizen’s, there are many cases in which Socialism works and does not interfere so much in one’s life. I wanted to experience what living conditions were like first hand by talking to someone who actually lived in one of the top communist countries today, China. Well, I grew up in China and I kind of had a really happy childhood. My family was alright with enough money for luxuries and stuff, and there are a lot of people so I was never bored and had so many friends to play with. It was a happy life. Though one thing was when yo u enter adulthood things start to get stressful especially from work, but otherwise it’s a good life (She Smiles) just cause there are many people to hang around and chat with yeah and not many racism issues since everyone is the same so there were less hatred, and don’t listen to other people about china being communist and bad, they’re idiots that have never been there†.After talking to her I got the vibe that she favors the communist government and she thinks nothing wrong of it and judging by her tone of voice she loved life in China. After she tells me this I push on to ask her would you rather live in a free nation like the United States or would you rather return to Communist China? She replies again that it is not as bad as many people make it out to be and that understands that China does what it does to benefit the whole country so she wouldn’t mind, in the end she said she would rather live in China just because she is more comfortable th ere.Analyzing our conversation, I realized that it just depends on the type of environment you are born in and in China everyone should be born as equals and therefore China there is less individual strive to be better and therefore no competition which ultimately leaves no pain and suffering anybody has to face. Political arguments about the justice of economic inequality in America do not challenge these basic assumptions. From the republican view the argument is that the race or pursuit of happiness is indeed fair; the poor have failed to take advantage of the opportunities offered to them and to everyone else and so deserve their poverty.The argument from the democrats is the reverse; the playing field is not level, therefore those players who fail are not at fault and should be helped to achieve equality. In the article â€Å"How Capitalism differs from Socialism† the author Rosemary Peavler states that â€Å"Capitalist economies are money-driven without much regard for people unless they are owners or shareholders of business firms. In a capitalist economy, there is fierce competition and, perhaps, unfair competition†.This so called fierce competition will make the rich become even richer while the poor become poorer and it will also create tension and dispute among people. Both sides accept without debate a cultural belief inherited from getting their views influenced by their peers as they are growing up, however ultimately many people believe that to seriously escape poverty they must really strive for it, if you are the lazy type that does not strive for a better tomorrow then many claim they do not deserve aid.But eventually it all leads back to that idea of individualism and the needs that a person requires, it’s just a never ending struggle for individual dominance which will lead to then fall of America with this selfish mindset intact. Personally I support the democratic view in society and I very much agree that not everyon e is granted the equal opportunity to life as some were born into poverty and they cannot do anything to prevent that.The republican argument will probably use people that rose from rags to riches but what are the chances that majority of the people living in poverty rise to riches, it is highly unlikely. Therefore we I agree with the democratic view of more government interaction (Socialism) rather than more individualism to unite the country and strive for a better nation as a whole, â€Å"Through government, we should do together what we cannot do as well for ourselves† (Abraham Lincoln). Many may argue that we fought so hard to achieve this level of freedom and opportunity why would you want to just throw it all away?I believe that all the freedom and opportunities were bestowed on us to help the people live a better life and we did back then when the poverty line was relatively low, however nowadays the same freedom and opportunities are restricting a lot of the people t herefore I believe it some of it should be stripped to help those in needs because I at the end of the day believe that America does not completely stand for freedom and opportunity but it stands for helping people in their time of need. There will always be a never ending debate about how do we reach the next level?How do we strive for a better future? How do we prevent ourselves from repeating the horrible things in the past? How do we keep America from falling apart? Although there may not be one right answer, I truly believe that having more socialistic ideas implanted in America can truly give that wiggle room to achieve higher greatness then where we are now. In the end our nation will never truly prosper if we do not unite as a country as a whole and neglect our individual needs more and think about all those who are less fortunate than us. If we become more considerate and sacrifice our eeds for others we can truly become the great nation we were once again. A great presiden t once said: â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country†. * John F. Kennedy Note to Dulaney I decided to choose this topic because this particular subject always interested me and I myself believed that America isn’t what it used to be and it is falling apart. When I did some research I was amazed with what I found and it made me think deeply about the so what if America is a capitalist society and my views have changed drastically.Although so people may call me a communist now, I truly believe that socialism works better than capitalism. Capitalism is a greedy form of government and I now see clearly why the rich just get richer while the poor get poorer. The gap is only getting bigger as the days go by and I often get scared of the thought of our society just collapsing one day into the Great Depression, Riots, War etc. All these are results of having capitalist society. By having a socialist government, they shall keep the pe ace and maintain everything and everyone but however I would still protest if the things they did were uncalled for.But most choices they make should make sense as the make choices for the population as a whole. Bibliography Burgess, Anthony. â€Å"Is America Falling Apart. † The Norton Reader. Ed. Linda Peterson, John Bereton, Joseph Bizup, Anne Fernald, & Melissa Goldthwaite. 13th ed. Ner York; W. W. Norton & company, 2012. 295-304. Print Pleaver, Rosemary. â€Å"How capitalism and Socialism Differ†. Website http://bizfinance. about. com/od/smallbusinessissues/qt/CapvsSoc. htm

Practice These Italian Workbook Exercises

Are you studying the Italian language? Here are some exercises to help you with your skills. Present Tense: First-Conjugation Regular Verbs A. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the indicated verb. Loro ________________ lentamente. (camminare)Tu ________________ la macchina. (guidare)Adriana non ________________ il quaderno. (trovare)Marco ________________ lorologio. (guardare)Io ________________ i biglietti. (comprare)Voi ________________ ad alta voce. (cantare)________________ fino a tardi voi? (lavorare)Io ________________ il ricevitore. (alzare)Noi ________________ la lezione. (imparare)Loro ________________ in ritardo. (arrivare) Present Tense: Second-Conjugation Regular Verbs B. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the indicated verb. Il professore non ________________. (rispondere)Noi ________________ un caffà ©. (bere)Loro ________________ un film. (vedere)Io ________________ la macchina. (vendere)Tu ________________ i giornali. (leggere)Io ________________ due aspirine. (prendere)Noi non ________________ la storia. (credere)Voi ________________ ogni sera. (correre)Anna Maria ________________ sempre le chiavi! (perdere)Roberta e Fabrizio ________________ volentieri delle lettere. (scrivere) Present Tense: Third-Conjugation Regular Verbs C. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the indicated verb. Loro ________________ il campanello. (sentire)Il cuoco ________________ le patate. (bollire)Franco ________________ la scatola. (aprire)Io ________________ il caffà © alle amiche. (offrire)Voi ________________ la verità  . (scoprire)Noi ________________ la finestra. (aprire)Marcantonio ________________ bene. (vestire)Tu ________________ il pericolo. (sfuggire)Voi ________________ oggi. (partire)Io ________________ le bevande. (servire)