Essay --

Juxtaposing Justice: Retribution to Rehabilitation Tà ©a Francesca Price Arizona State University Timelessly capturing in written works the complexities of the human condition is a feat rarely accomplished by writers. However for the â€Å"Father of English Literature,† Geoffrey Chaucer, and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist, William Shakespeare, conveying the essence of humanity artistically was seemingly effortless. Both observant authors are known for their ability to compose characters that juxtapose recognizable human characteristic such as hatred and love, jealousy and goodwill, and justice and mercy. Within Chaucer’s 14th century collection of stories entitled The Canterbury Tales is a comical narration of a somber topic called The Wife of Bath’s Tale, which draws speculation for the justice served to a Knight of Camelot who rapes a maiden. While King Arthur would have the Knight executed for his heinous actions, Queen Guinevere grants the knight a year and a day to discover what women desire, the very thing he disregarded whilst committing his crime. Another work that features a similar concept of justice is the Elizabethan era comedy, The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare; through his own unique and mastered skill, Shakespeare embodies the quality of justice precisely in the character of Jewish moneylender Shylock, who in dogged pursuit of a bond against the merchant Antonio, receives the very fair dealing he craves through the character of Portia, the personification of mercy. Each author observed and understood that through human weakness justice is often undermined, for people disobey society’s laws to their own iniquitous ends. Their works depict a transformation in the practice of justice, from... ...Press released an article called â€Å"Death Penalty Isn’t a Deterrent on Murder Rate: National Research Council,† which discussed the lack of evidence in the effectiveness of the death penalty deterring crime. The article identifies issues that include not considering alternatives to capital punishment or sufficiently weighing how killers assess the risk of execution. The authors of the report are quoted to be â€Å"disappointed to reach the same result as a 1978 study†. If retribution as justice has yet to be proven beneficial to society, an alternative to consider is the concept of justice outlined in works like The Wife of Bath’s Tale and The Merchant of Venice. They are important pieces of literature to promote, for despite their age and comedic style, both works prompt a debate over the concept of justice and in what way justice is most effectively served.