Good vs. Evil: Business Ethics in the Merchant of Venice and Modern Times
It seems that one of the most prevalent themes in popular discoursetoday is the problem of the lack of ethical business practices. From Enronto Arthur Anderson-Martha Stewart to "sweatshop labor" abuses, the bottomline seems to always come before the needs of the "little guy"-the symbolicrepresentation of "us all." Yet, ethical problems in business have longbeen an issue before today's turbulent times. Indeed, from Biblical timesto the present, business ethics have always been of serious concern. Evenpopular entertainment is not immune to the issue-and two excellent examplesof the perils of the loss of equitable behavior in business occur inShakespeare's Merchant of Venice (which was, after all, popularentertainment), and in the 1930's silent film, Modern Times, by Charlie To be sure, one of the main themes of the Merchant of Venice is thatof "good vs. evil." However, unlike other Shakespeare plays, specificallythe tragedies, the good and evil discussed is specifically mired in issues The reader soon realizes that the two main characters, Antonio andShylock, represent the two extremes of ethics. Of course, one cannot fail
In the silent movie, the audience watches Chaplin alternating betweenvarious low paying, difficult jobs and jail. Interestingly, the commonality between the two isstriking, especially when one considers the effect that, even legal (yetunethical) business practices can have on the individual in society. Thus, Chaplin's film communicates thatindustrialism as it was in his time was "bad," unethical, and predatory,even in spite of laws to the contrary (like in The Merchant). Indeed, Shylock (again, the universal symbol of"bad" business), intends to "entrap" or enslave Antonio with the bond-abond that, if Antonio fails to pay (which, of course, he will), willresult on Shylock's taking of "a pound of flesh," "Taken in what part ofyour body pleaseth me. Indeed, the reader is firstintroduced to Shylock in Act I, scene iii, where he states, "I hate him forhe is a Christian. Finally, when Antonio defaults, as the audience knows he must, theduke and Portia try in vain to convince Shylock to show mercy on Antonio. Of course he refuses (much like a modern loan shark, or collection agency). Like Shakespeare's work, Modern Times deals with the dark side ofbusiness-the stark desperation of the "little guy" up against a kind ofbusiness without ethics. Predictably, Shylock is foiled in the end, and "good prevails. Like The Merchant of Venice,Modern Times uses symbolism to show the desperation of the individualagainst those economically in power of his or her destiny. Similarly, Charlie Chaplin's 1930's Depression era movie, ModernTimes follows a similar theme-not necessarily in storyline, but in itsmeaning. For example, in the factory, the workers aretreated as machines, of value only because of the work they produce for the"big brother" factory owner. Here, like The Merchant, the "big guy" will take his "pound of flesh," inthis case, Charlie's character, the "Tramp's" sanity is eaten by thecruelty of the assembly line.
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Acceptance Essays
