♫♪Myles♪♫

Mercy vs. Revenge

For my thesis I selected the topic Mercy vs. Revenge and I decided to side Mercy. I choose Mercy because during a class we had a discussion on the topic and I sided that Revenge was better than Mercy but in the end of the class I ended up with Mercy. So in the few paragraphs below I will state that even people in the world side with mercy from the period of Shakespeare and to our current life and also the outcome of revenge and my opinion of how to prevent it or at least reduce it.

In The Tempest, Shakespeare gave the readers an impression that Prospero was mean and lusted for vengeance for what his brother did to him. Though during the end of the book in Act 5 Scene 1, his plot came to the time of decision whether to forgive his brother or have his revenge on him and he choose mercy and forgiveness. On line 27- 40 he gives his reasons, that his in the battle between Fury and Reason that he choose reason because it’s nobler than anger. Anger is an emotion and your emotions are stronger than your wisdom but at the same time also clumsy because your not use your judgment for your actions.  He also quotes that “the rarer actions is in virtue than in vengeance” portraying to the readers that mercy is a high-quality of life and just that people use revenge more. Also stating that vengeance is the unwanted and bad quality.

Shakespeare siding with mercy was years and years ago. So you might think that people back then only thought mercy is better because they didn’t know better. That there intelligence weren’t as developed as now. But your wrong the same message is presented in the same way presently. Spiderman 3, Peter Parker searches for his uncle’s killer who escaped from prison. Knowing that he was struck with great anger and revenge. One night a overwhelming poison took over him and he went out to kill the killer. After killing him he went to visit his aunt. He told his aunt that when his uncle killer has died and he asked his aunty isn’t she happy and she said no. Why? Because quoting from his aunty “Revenge is like a poison that can turn us into something ugly”. So after awhile his uncle’s killer revives and Spiderman meets him although he can kill him he doesn’t he gives him forgiveness and mercy. Why? Because he realized that he doesn’t have the power and right to take away someone’s life. Taking revenge would eat into him and his uncle wouldn’t want that. If you take revenge what does that make you? It makes you exactly like the killer. A killer.

People also say that if we keep giving Mercy the killers wouldn’t ever learn and keep on continuing their criminal acts but imagine if the entire world decided to take vengeance. Here is an example: North Korea launches a nuclear bomb on USA, USA and the rest of the countries are furious so they launch their own bomb, then Russia joins and bombs UK, UK is angry they bomb Russia and Japan wants to join in for the times that America has crushed them in war and bombs multiply countries to show their power. With all the anger, revenge and need for power after they finish there would be no more gravel to live on. But I’m not saying that a killer should just be set free. He should get punishments to teach him a lesson. This all started years ago before Shakespeare’s time and the only way to stop it is to look at what are the reason that the criminals are causing this crime? Money, food, and education is the answer giving them these essentials they wouldn’t need to steal and before they think of committing a crime they would know that it is wrong and there are other ways to fulfill your needs all it takes is time and effort which has to be started from young.

In conclusion of my thesis I think that Shakespeare was right for giving Antonio mercy because killing him would not help you in anyway. You will be haunted with the memory of killing your own brother or even taking any human life. Spiderman 3’s subtext was showing the audience that even people now are still siding with revenge and not mercy. During the show when Spiderman killed his uncle killer he was so dark and evil and that was what the director wanted the audience to see so they did but when he gave mercy to his uncle’s killer the audience knew that it was the Spiderman they knew. Lastly I hope that people start helping those in need so that they do not grow up and envy wealthy people and start making bad decisions in life. Maybe I a few years girls can walk at night knowing that they’re safe from rapes, or men walking into the gas station toilets can enjoy their time there in peace knowing that there aren’t guys behind him holding him at knife point wanting his wallet and keys. Were all humans and we aren’t perfect.