Paul Raffled and Gary Watt, described the Elizabethan time as an era where the ‘government was conducted and represented as theatre’ . The aforementioned quote questions the importance of being performative or acting in relation to leading a kingdom or to rule accordingly. Throughout Shakespeare’s plays, he illustrates that magistracy is more than the ability to dictate, but more to do with effectively appearing the part of a magistrate. Encompassing the themes of ‘Divine Right of Kings’, in King Richard the Second, and the ‘Divine Quality of Mercy’, in Merchant of Venice , Shakespeare demonstrates the significance of performance through the unified concept that kingship and law is fragile, easily broken and used for deceptive purposes. This essay will specifically look at the Duel Scene (Act I, Scene III) and the Mirror Scene (Act IV, Scene I) in King Richard the second (Richard II). Also, look into Shylock’s Trial (Act IV, Scene I) and the Casket Game (Act II, Scene IX) in Merchant of Venice (MOV). To which this easy will prove that being performative is to the utmost importance for magistrates during the Shakespearean era.
The Duel Scene:
The Duel Scene comes into great effect when displaying the importance of performance, and more importantly outlining the theme of the ‘Divine Right of Kings’. Evident from the play as ‘Richard II’s consciousness of what divinely ordained monarch must do which forces him to permit’ , as Ward accurately states. Shown in the Duel Scene, which involves Richard II halting a duel between Bolingbroke and Mowbary. He delivers a powerful and poetic speech, but in which he does not address the question on many people’s minds; which is why he stopped the battle. He states that “For our kingdom’s earth should not be soil’d/ with that dear blood which it hath fostered; / and for our eyes do hate the dire aspect / of civil wounds plough’d up with neighbors’ sword …/“ (I.III.125-128). Richard II was trying to convince his people that he only decided to exercise this right for their benefit and the stability of the realm. However, as Ward correctly argues that it ‘certainly appeared to the audience as a sign of Richard’s inclination to override judicial form’ , and this created a controversy around his rule. Although, it didn’t help that, ‘the abruptness of Richard’s behavior is emphasized when it is compared to his earlier commitment to the immanent rightfulness of such a combat’ , it still doesn’t excuse the fact that if Richard was a great actor or performer he would’ve been able to convince his royal subjects of the necessity of his judgement; but all it did was convince them that it was more an ‘extreme exercise of royal prerogative” and a prioritizing of his ‘personal ambitions’ . Richard II’s deluded vision of his immortality, which is discussed later on, was the cloud of his judgement and is the probable explanation of his performative role; as Hamilton accurately argues that ‘while there is a sense in which the kings prerogative can be described as being provided by law to place the king above the commonwealth, his being always also under the common law makes it possible for him to be judged accordingly’ . It may be argued that such persuasion wouldn’t be possible as the influence of faith and religion at that time was too strong. People viewed it as a sin to rebel against the commonwealth and went ‘against the very idea of englishness’ , because they were ‘living, in a sense, in the pages of the bible’ . Yet, other leaders have been able to convince the people of their society of worse things, just with the ability to perform the role of an effective leader. For example, evaluating the current Presidential election for the United States, Donald Trump has very questionable and unethical polices that are against the very nature of the American moral values; however, he has gained a lot of support through acting and appearing the role of a confident and strong leader.
Additionally, the scene is filled with metaphors to which link to the theme, but directed through the concept of the ‘King’s two bodies’. It follows the idea that a monarch has two separate bodies, a public and private body, in which the public body is a constitutional level where the community is entitled to for justice; whilst, the private body is the spiritual level in which he or she is the connection to god . Shakespeare embellishes this idea though writing ‘and for our eyes do hate the dire aspect’ (I.III.127) and ‘In god’s name and the king’s, say who thou art/ why thou comest thus knightly in arms’ (I.III.11-12). The use of the words ‘eyes’ and ‘arms’ are reflective words that the audience link to the body of Jesus Christ. Interlinking with the idea of the ‘Godly Commonwealth’ , Richard II and his subjects view him as a godly figure, that he is the everlasting bond between the heavens and them. Ward notes that ‘along with the godly commonwealth comes the godly prince’ , in which Richard II views himself; he states that ‘should nothing privilege him nor partialize/ the unstooping firmness of my upright soul’ (I.I.120-121). He’s declaration shows that he places himself above the ordinary and natural man, a more spiritual god like man. It may be argued that from the beginning he was persuaded by himself that he is the ‘divine king’; but when it mattered most he failed to show his people that all he was doing was the ‘will of god’ , as argued by J Knox.
Moreover, Richard II’s judgement to banish both Bolingbroke and Mowbray, could be interpreted as an interruption to the common law system. More specifically, the idea of a ‘Godly Commonwealth’ , as Hooker explains. Furthermore, Pye explains, that ‘the body of a monarch and the English commonwealth were consciously merged in the popular imagination’ . This is important because this is the theme to which Shakespeare based his plays around. During the duel scene, as mentioned above, the stopping of the fight breached the commonwealth, because during the Shakespearean Era, religion was the legal system. Hooker, correctly argues, that ‘the commonwealth could only exist in reality if its citizenry, “the sheep” , could be persuaded to believe in the image of a …godly commonwealth’ . An important idea that past monarchs relied and performed accordingly to the full efficiency for the success of their reign. Richard II’s poor performance is what led to his own downfall, his subjects began to feel unjust; as they were having their ‘political, social, and theology identity’ denied. Furthermore, the ‘godly commonwealth was a utopia that everyone could be led to believe in, if and only its description was sufficiently convincing’ . It is important to focus on Hooker’s statement of it being ‘sufficiently convincing’ , as it demonstrates the significance of performance during the magistracy. The belief of the realm in their leader acted as a democracy to which they vote through conversation and faith.
The Mirror Scene:
The scene comes into great effect when displaying the importance of being performative, where the continuous theme of ‘King’s divinity’ is shown through Richard II’s over dramatic speech when handing over the crown to Bolingbroke. He states that ‘with mine own hands I give away my crown/ with mine own tongue deny my scared state’ (IV.I.207-208), the climax of the scene, in which Richard II begins to realise that his past vanity and naivety of his self-belief of his immortality was ill-founded. Furthermore, Richard II’s claim ‘Now is this golden crown like a deep well / that owes two buckets, filling one another’ (IV.I.183-184), is the first of many metaphoric phrases of water to show the fragility of magistracy. Richard compares himself and Bolingbroke to a pair of buckets, where the more Bolingbroke adds water or pressures he rises; whilst Richard II sinks. More references of water are displayed on various parts of the scene, for example on page 157, ‘though some of you, with Pilate, wash your hands/ showing an outward pity—yet, you Pilate/ have here deliver’d me to my sour cross’ (IV.I.238-240). Additionally, on the same page, Richard II states ‘mine eyes are full of years, I cannot see/ and yet sea water blinds them not so much” (IV.I.243-244). The emphasis on water shows how Richard II is feeling washed away, it symbolizes the fragility of his kingship. He’s previous speech of ‘not all the water in the rough rude sea/ can wash the balm off from the anointed king’ (III.I.54-55) is wrong ,and Shakespeare demonstrates this to the audience by using phrases from the bible such as ,’sour cross’ , to link the vision of Richard II to Jesus Christ. He wakes up from the dream that he is not unstoppable, the frailty of his status is further indicated in his collation to a snowman, ‘O that I were a mockery king of snow/ Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke’ (IV.I.259-260), to which Richard II knows he is melting and will be washed away by Bolingbroke. More specifically, it reinvigorates the concept of the ‘King’s two bodies’, Richard II symbolizes himself to a snowman, that is melting in the sun and is losing his public body and is only left with his private body. Further affirmation of this is when Richard II’s dramatic expression ‘For I have given here my soul’s consent/ T’undock the pompous body king’ (IV.I.248-249). Kantorowicz correctly argues, that ‘it is this presentation of Richard…represented the classic portrayal of the king’s two bodies’ ; which leads the question of ‘what is Richard without the crown, and what is the crown without Richard’ .
Further portrayal of Kingship is when Richard II onto for a mirror to reflect upon himself physically and mentally. Shakespeare uses this to create the concept of ‘Mirror literature’; to which the audience are given the opportunity to self-reflect on their lives. The mirror symbolizes ‘the destruction which he has effected go his own kingship’ . On Page 141 (Include line), Richard II comments that ‘A brittle glory shineth in this face/ As brittle as the glory is the face’ (IV.I.286-287). The use of the word ‘brittle’ continues the theme about the fragility of the magistracy, to which Richard comes to the realization that his vanity has disowned the crown; and smashes the mirror onto the floor. The shattering of the mirror, links to the previous theme of kingship and how fragile and easy it is for him to go from an immoral king to a normal man This links to the importance of performance for magistracies, is due to the assumption from Tudor England in which they believed a King as to be more constitutional rather than poetic , the poetic factor of Richard II lead to his vanity and when it mattered the most to perform his role, he failed and fell into the fragility of his personality. The scene depicts the essential role of performance, as he failed to show that his ‘godly commonwealth’ was the right one; Ward ,precisely asserts, that ‘the extent to which all sides sought to secure victory by convincing their audience that their image if the English commonwealth was most appropriate’ .
Shylock’s Trial:
Shylock’s trial is the pinnacle point of the play, in establishing the thematic concept of ‘The Divine quality of Mercy’; in which deception is the main tool for Portia’s judgement. From the beginning, we witness elements of deception, in which Portia disguises herself as a man and a judge, which she is neither. Mercy becomes the central concept when Portia claims ‘But Mercy is above the sceptered sway./ It is enthroned in the hearts of Kings/ It is an attribute of God himself..”(IV.I.188-191) . This acts the main passageway for the audience to self-reflect, the description of mercy being ascribed to God and Kings is the representative aspect of any legal system or the ‘Godly commonwealth’ . Moreover, Portia comments that Antonio should bless mercy to Shylock, “The quality of mercy is not strained/ It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven” (IV.I.180-181). Yet, she does the opposite when explaining her judgement, providing a ‘hyper technical interpretation’ ; in which she claims that he is entitled to a pound of flesh just without spilling any blood. A ludicrous and inconceivable concept, it would be like giving someone a sports car, but not the keys. The pound of flesh consideration is also significant in the legal theme of the play. Symbolic for the importance of contract and law in the play, it also is about the everlasting connection between the two characters. It may be argued that such a metaphor is to express the utmost importance and relevance of the law during the era. An uncompleted contract would result in the removal of flesh, a literal part of the body would have to be skinned in order to restore justice.
Further factors of deception are displayed when Portia affirms that Shylock must convert to Christianity from Judaism. So, how she is able to get away with it, any reasonable religious person would be able to perceive this method of judgment as heartless and irreligious. Kornstein accurately asserts that the play ‘is about the complexity of the human spirit…the need for law to reflect the folkways and more of the community’ ; it may argued that the audience during the era agreed with her actions due to the clash between the old testament and new testament. Correctly explained by William Whateley that people viewed England as ‘God’s Signet, God’s jewel…the only nation almost, that doth openly and solely profess the true religion of God’ . This clash is what Portia relied on to convince the parties that her judgment was fair, since there was no rebuttal to Portia’s ruling, it may be argued that acting is an essential skill for magistracy. She excelled in her performative duties, in which she did not only convince Shakespeare’s audience but also many scholars such Richard Weisberg who called Portia an ‘exquisite heroine’ , but he does not realise that she is only a deceptive flaw in a legal system that is dependent on ‘fickle people’ . We see such importance in today’s judges, in which in novel cases are usually determined by public polices rather than principles , which is what Portia does here, the only difference is in today’s society judges can be overturned whilst it deemed to be more difficult to go a ‘Godly commonwealth’ system.
The Casket Game:
Additionally, the significance of deception and performance is further illustrated in Act II, Scene IX. The Casket Game is a notion which involves three caskets with a picture of Portia in either Gold, Silver, or Lead. Done in order to decide which character was worthy in having Portia’s hand in marriage. Characters refer to a ‘a goodly apple rotten at the heart’ ( I.III.93), another religious reference to carry forward the emphasis on religion as a central point. The caskets continue the play’s element of deception, to which on the surface it seemingly does not relate to law but ‘things are not always what they appear’. During the trial, references made to deception and performance is evident though Jessica’s statement of ‘Love is blind, and lovers cannot see’ (II.XI.37). A symbolism that apprentices are not everything the most important is the Gold casket in which is described as ‘who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire’ (II.VII.5). It may be argued that this line can be compared to the idea that the ‘grass is always greener on the other side’, the misleading assumption is applicable here in that Shylock perceived his case to be straightforward and clear, yet Portia thought otherwise with her judgement. Whilst, the correct casket during the trial is the lead, with an engraving of ‘Whose chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath” (II.VII.9). Creating a scary image to Bassino and the audience, yet lest everyone knew it contained her image. Carrying forward the importance of religion and Christian values, as it may be argued that it acts as a ‘leap of faith’ in which describes devoted Christians in which they make a lot of sacrifices for the church.
Conclusion:
To conclude, the conception of performance displayed by Shakespeare in Richard II and MOV was paramount to be a successful magistrate. Though the thematic presence of the ‘Divine Right of Kings’ , Act 1 Scene 3 (The combat scene) shows that the ‘godly commonwealth’ , ‘godly prince’ , and religion was the mask that Richard II tried to use to deceive his realm. Yet, he’s subjects were underestimated by him and it led to his eventual disposition of the crown. Moreover, Act 4 Scene 1 (The Mirror Scene), the concept of the ‘King’s two bodies’ was expressed through Richard II’s overly dramatic and poetic speech about this anointment being washed away. Various metaphors and references to water and religion, brought ‘Mirror literature’ to life that resulted in the audience’s dire connection and self-reflection on Richard’s own misery. Performance is centralized throughout the scene as he comes to the realization that he is no longer a highly spiritual kind but merely a fragile natural human. Finally, MOV accompanies the theme of deception and unfairness through the concept of Mercy. Portia’s outstanding performance as a male judge showed how essential being a gifted actor for a magistrate. Using mercy as a central Christian value in her judgement, she was able to appeal to the audience that she was a merciful devoted hero rather than a evil, bias villain. Further explaining the importance of appearance, Shakespeare symbolizes the Casket game as continuing theme that appearance deceive, to which there various Christian teachings are causing a mirror for Shakespeare’s audience to understand that there is a lot more to the law than what is exhibited.