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Nikki Dabney DISC 2306 Professor Goyne 17 February 2014 Following the Rules Although the world proclaimed never again after the Holocaust and WWII, genocide continues because the idea of purification has always existed. In The Dream of Purity, Zygmunt Bauman defines purity as a vision of order that is, of a situation in which each thing is in its rightful place and nowhere else (Bauman 1). The idea of purification has always existed because purity is an ideal (Bauman 1); it is an inherent impulse to place things where they belong in the eye of the beholder (Mary Douglas qtd. in Bauman 2). Because everything has a place, purification creates a locals and strangers dichotomy. The locals want to control the strangers in some way in order to maintain their view of purity. In William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice, the Venetians are the locals and Shylock is the stranger. Although they all technically live in the same place, the Venetians feel they are different than Shylock and they do not want him interfering with their beliefs, customs, and systems. When Shylock poses a threat to these routines, the Venetians seek to restore purity through the order of the laws of their land and of Gods Word, which also allows them to unconsciously justify their actions and beliefs and convince them of their own purity. The governmental system of Venice creates a stable and predictable environment that allows the Venetians, specifically Portia, to manipulate the court system in their favor and still feel morally justified. The Venetians rely on the habits and expectations [they] have acquired in the course of [their] being-in-the-world (Bauman 2), or as Thomas Kuhn would call it, their

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received beliefs. The laws are set. They provide a framework that teaches what is right and wrong and who is right and wrong, and form a strict hierarchy so that the results and consequences are predictable (Bauman 2). Knowledge of the laws and the political and social systems allows the Venetians to act within the laws and operate them in a way that controls the outcome. As the lawyer, Portia strictly adheres to the laws. Even when Bassanio offers Shylock money and suggests the duke override the law to save Antonio, Portia insists that the men follow the terms of the bond because there is no power in Venice/ Can alter a decree established (IV.1.216-217). The only way to get what she deems is right, pure, and noble is to use the order of the system. If uncleanliness is matter out of place, we must approach it through order (Mary Douglas qtd, in Bauman 2). In a free society, its people believe the laws they created lead to their standard of righteousness and purity. This creates a causal relationship in the Venetians minds; the laws are good so if they follow the laws, they are good. Portia does not want to undermine Venice by allowing an exception to the law because it would create a precedent of unpredictability. If the laws are not what dictate people, they can never ensure their ability to create the society they want. There is no order and control. Portia is able to use the laws to find the loophole in the bond and demand that Shylock receive his pound of flesh without taking a drop of Antonios blood (IV.1.303-310), or otherwise be convicted of scheming against the life of a Venetian citizen (IV.1.345-361). This frees Antonio and harms Shylock, which they all unconsciously desire. But Portia can still wholeheartedly proclaim that she was following the laws, which is a positive effort to organize the environment (Mary Douglas qtd. in Bauman 2); therefore, she feels no guilt. Dirt is disorder (Mary Douglas qtd. in Bauman 2). Because Shylock causes a kink in their orderly system, he is seen as dirt. Organization can be a euphemism for destruction and elimination. Cleanliness is seen a virtue,

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but it involves dusting away what is considered dirt. It requires separation. But because the Venetians can tell themselves that they are maintaining political and religious order, they consider themselves faultless. The Venetians also rely on the doctrine of Christianity to create order and purification. They repeatedly emphasizes the difference between justice and mercy and claim that, unlike Jews, Christians are merciful. They are pure. He is dirt. The duke says, That thou shalt see the difference of our spirit, / I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it (IV.1.366-367). They feel they are being merciful Christians by taking away Shylocks assets instead of executing him, but he says, You take my life / When you do take the means whereby I live (IV.1.134-135). To Shylock, his punishment is the worst kind imaginable; the Christians are achieving the worst revenge. They claim that they just want to save Antonio, but when Shylock agrees to just take the money and drop the terms of the bond, Portia will not let him go (IV.1.200-217). However, this revenge is unconscious. They think they are being merciful because they are sparing Antonios life when he was not willing to spare Antonios (IV.1.366-367), but Gratiano represents their unconscious. He spouts insults and demands that Shylock be given the hangmans noose (IV.1.377). The other Venetians do not stop Gratiano; therefore, they do not disagree with what he is saying. But they do not join in either because then they would be overtly unmerciful and reveal their true motives to others and to themselves. They claim to be compassionate and forgiving, but really they are uneasy about an outsider using their laws against them and challenging the powers of the Venetian court. Again, if it were just about Antonio, they would have dropped the case. The laws are designed to protect themselves, but Shylocks actions are a direct challenge to their persons. The laws are not performing like the Venetians were confident they would. They cannot rely on order taking care of itself (Bauman

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2). Shylock is an unusual interruption of the routine (Bauman 4) who places in question nearly everything that seems to be unquestionable (Bauman 3). Shylock stepped out of his place by challenging the way their laws are meant to function and now the routine ways of keeping things pure do not suffice and anxiety [is] condensed into the fear of strangers (Bauman 4). If one law was not perfectly stable, any of the other laws could not be as well. The Venetians become anxious about what other dirt lurks in their legal system. In order to avoid this situation again and restore order, the Venetians make an example out of Shylock. He is begging and pleading for true mercy, but the Venetians destroy him; the last thing Shylock says is that he is not well (IV.1.394). They cannot just let him go because they need to install an order secure against all further challenges (Bauman 4). Because they cannot rely on their legal system to protect them anymore, they want to eliminate the chance of another stranger trying to impede order. The Christians are proud of the outcome of the court case because Shylock is ordered to convert to Christianity (IV.1.385). They use the order of the laws to create a new Christian. They feel no shame for their actions because they did their duty as Christians. They want to be merciful not necessarily to extend the grace their Savior has given them, but because that is what makes them Christians. Though justice be thy plea, consider this, / That in the course of justice none of us / Should see salvation (IV.1.196-198). If they give Shylock justice instead of mercy, they are not adhering to the foundation of Christianity, which is that they are saved not by good works, but grace alone. Their duty to show mercy is in an unconscious battle with their human nature and inclination to seek revenge. But because cleanliness is achieved through order, the Venetians can technically follow their religious doctrine while hiding, or not knowing, their motives.

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While laws should ideally reflect the virtues of a society and work to strength them, following rules, whether legal or religious, does not always constitute morality. For example, lawyers know the legal system better than anyone and follow all the procedures, but are considered scum by many people. Why? Because they dont always do what is right. They can defend a guilty murderer and still be right in the eyes of the law. Whether its lawyers, politicians, mothers, or children, following the rules does not make people moral, but it can banish their guilt.

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Works Cited Shakespeare, William, and David M. Bevington. The merchant of Venice. New York: Bantam Books, 2005. Print. Bauman, Zygmunt. "The Dream of Purity ." Postmodernity and its discontents. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Print.