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Shakespeare 's Measure For Measure

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A commonly shared, almost universal moral is that one should learn to “forgive” any transgressors and “forget” the transgressions which they have committed. In this example, forgiveness can be awarded by any given “body,” whether it be an individual or an institution, to any guilty party. According to philosopher Jacques Derrida, however, this definition is much too far-reaching and allows for a misuse of the word “forgiveness” and of the concept of forgiveness itself. Derrida argues that forgiveness is paradoxical and unconditional, and that the unconditionality of forgiveness should not be confused with the sovereignty of governmental law, or it will cause the governmental structure to lose not only its credibility, but offend those who …show more content…

It is the punishment for something deemed unforgivable. However, Derrida says that it is precisely this unforgivable thing which is the only thing that can truly be forgiven (Derrida 32). “Forgiveness” must be an exchange between a singular victim and a singular guilty person (Derrida 42), forgiving a “mortal sin” or unforgivable transgression (Derrida 32), and must remain outside of any third party (including language, political structure, or any judicial law) (Derrida 42). This unforgivable transgression is often committed by a party which shows no remorse (Derrida 38). If it sounds contradictory, it is because it is so, and Derrida acknowledges this fact. He says that in order to achieve true forgiveness, one needs to believe in the “impossible,” and it should be “extraordinary,” “interrupting the ordinary course of historical temporality” (Derrida 32). Derrida also claims that modern government has never really been able to achieve this aim. However, Derrida also states that government has never stopped trying to incorporate forgiveness into their structures, and that to do so is impossible. The very nature of forgiveness, he says, must eliminate any third party. He argues that when a government as a structure aims to forgive a guilty person for doing something to an individual, they do a disservice to the individual by speaking for them, acting as that third party. This can be seen in cases of murder, for example, when the victim cannot

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