William Shakespeare includes a Duke to represent the greatest authority figure in many of his plays. In The Comedy of Errors and The Merchant of Venice, the two dukes hold total control – or, at least, what they perceive as total control – over their respective regions. Shakespeare uses these two characters to show how "authority" is often an illusion and that ultimately everyone, including dukes, is powerless against the law. Although dukes ostensibly enforce and create the law, they remain subject to its rigid rules. Shakespeare presents the legal system as static and fundamental to society: a duke neglecting to apply the law “would seriously undermine the justice of his state,” causing pandemonium (Merchant III, 3, 29). Although dukes often disagree with this idea – for moral, social and legal reasons – they “cannot deny the course of law” (Merchant III, 3, 26). To this end, Shakespeare shows his audience that even the highest authorities are not above the law. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay Solinus, the Duke of Ephesus, spends most of The Comedy of Errors reluctant to enforce the law. After Egeon has told the story of his life, Solinus swells with pity and says: Now believe me, if it were not contrary to our laws — What princes could they not annul — Against my crown, my oath, my dignity, My soul should pursue as defend your interests (Comedy I, 1, 142-145). Even though Solinus desperately wants to forgive Egeon, he cannot risk breaking the law and setting a precedent for future Syracusans who travel to Ephesus. From a moral standpoint, Solinus knows that freeing Egeon is a righteous action, which is why punishing the old man is such an ordeal for the Duke. Solinus demonstrates strong ethics when he allows Egeon to live until sunset, leaving room for someone to pay his ransom at the last minute. Going further, when Solinus accompanies Egeon to the place of execution, he cries out to his people: “Again, proclaim it publicly:/If a friend pays the sum for him,/He will not die; We will wait so long for it” (Comedy V, 1, 131-133). Shakespeare makes it clear that Solinus does not want to carry out the execution - so clear, in fact, that this is arguably his defining characteristic - illustrating the idea that even if a duke abhors a law on a moral level, he must when even apply it. he. The Duke of Venice also struggles with the concept of morality when enforcing his laws. Instead of fighting internally to uphold the law, the Duke of Venice projects his ethical standards onto other people. After Shylock demands a pound of Antonio's flesh, the Duke says, "How can you hope to have mercy without returning any?" (Merchant IV, 1, 88). In turn, Shylock points out the duke's hypocrisy by saying: "You have among you many purchased slaves,/Who – like your donkeys, your dogs and your mules –/You use for vile and servile purposes/Because you bought them. » (Merchant IV, 1, 90-93). Shylock's criticism goes beyond this incident: the duke applies the law without complaint when it favors him, but as soon as one of his friends is in danger, he begins to rave about morality. This suggests that the Duke is not so much concerned with morality as with protecting the people he associates with. The first half of Act IV, the first scene – where it seems inevitable that Shylock will kill Antonio – demonstrates the Duke's powerlessness in the face of the law. The simple fact that theDuke, a notorious anti-Semite, begging for mercy from Shylock shows how desperate he is to help Antonio. Social status also influences the application of the law by the two dukes. In Act V, scene 1 of the comedy, Solinus will not even accept Adriana's assertion that the abbess has committed a crime. Solinus relies on his preconceptions about abbesses – that they are women of religion, and therefore totally incapable of committing wrongdoing – to judge Adriana's assertion. He declares: “She is a virtuous and reverend lady./It cannot be that she has done you harm” (Comedy V, 1, 135-136). Immediately afterwards, Solinus reveals his predilection for Antipholus of Ephesus, saying to Adriana: Their husband has long served me in my wars, and I pledged to you the word of a prince, when you made him master of your bed, to do him all the good. the grace and good that I could. (Comedy V, 1, 162-165) Solinus eventually forgives Egeon, but not until it is revealed that Egeon is the father of Antipholus of Ephesus. More importantly, Antiphons of Ephesus offers to pay Egon's ransom. Even without the kindness of Solinus – which, again, speaks to his affinity for the Antiphons of Ephesus and his social prejudices – Egeon would have been freed thanks to his son's money. In this regard, Solinus is not breaking the law, he is simply helping a friend. The Duke of Venice uses similar logic when he imposes punishment on Shylock for attempting to murder Antonio. Although the State of Venice is entitled to half of Shylock's estate, the Duke shows mercy and happily reduces the sentence to a lesser fine. This favor is undoubtedly more beneficial for Antonio than for Shylock. The Duke essentially allows Antonio to choose Shylock's punishment. After Antonio insists that Shylock "presently become a Christian" and "register a gift/here to his son Lorenzo and his daughter", the Duke immediately agrees, saying, "He will do this, otherwise I recant/ the forgiveness I have granted.” late pronounced here” (Marchand IV, 1, 382-385; Marchand IV, 1, 386-387). This shows how the Duke – as long as he follows the law – will give preferential treatment to his friends. This further highlights his helplessness and lack of knowledge of the law. To take this further, Shakespeare suggests that both dukes are quite poor in carrying out their duties. Although Solinus states that he "does not want to break our laws", he allows Egeon to live the rest of the day (Comedy I, 1, 3-4). This circumvention of the law is exacerbated by the fact that Egeon does not oppose his death sentence. Indeed, he seems comforted by the inevitability of death, saying: “Continue, Solinus, to bring about my downfall,/And through death, put an end to misfortunes and all” (Comedy I, 1, 1-2) . Solinus easily reveals his distaste for the law and his motivation for delaying execution is entirely internal. It lets subjective opinion prevail over what should otherwise be an objective decision. The Duke of Venice is more than mediocre in the exercise of his functions: he is downright incompetent. The Duke has only a vague understanding of the law, even though he enforces it. After trying – and failing – to appeal to Shylock's humanity, the Duke acquiesces and reluctantly admits defeat, ready to say goodbye to Antonio. Portia's insight is the only reason Antonio is spared from Shylock's knife. She manages to enforce the contract while still old, preserving Antonio's life - a feat the Duke was unable to accomplish - by saying, "Prepare to cut the flesh./She will not cut no blood, nor cut yourself less or more/But just a pound of flesh” (Merchant IV, 1, 322-324). She also knows the obscure laws of Venice. This reinforces..