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The Importance Of Parenting In 'ZemoBy William ShakespeareAeschinus'

Decent Essays

Throughout the play, parenting is an important issue and the source of much conflict. Demea finds value in strict parenting to ensure the child is honest and works hard, while Micio finds values in instilling “shame and self-respect.”(Terence, 352) Unfortunately, the brothers can’t respect each other’s parenting styles. Micio feels that Demea’s style in based on instilling fear in one’s child and will ultimately result in the child distrusting authority and habitually lying. Without the fear of punishment, Micio believes that child will “go back to his naughty self in no time”(Terence, 352) On the other hand, Demea believes Micio’s parenting style will leave the child with no shame and a total disregard for the law.(Terence, 353)
To some extent both brother’s negative assumptions of the other’s parenting style is show up in the play. Act I scene II, Mico finds out from Demea that Aeschinus had broken into someone’s house and assaulted the owner and household staff in order to steal a girl he was infatuated with.(Terence, 353) Aeschinus did do this and it was definitely not lawful. In addition, in Act II scene I, after Aeschinus has stolen the girl, he tells Sannio, the previous owner, that he will buy her for a relatively small amount of money. Sannio is astonished at Aeschinus’s blatant disregard for his dishonorable actions, especially since Aeschinus turns around and decides to use a loophole in the law to his advantage.(Terence, 358-359) This shows Aeschinus’s fearlessness when it comes to authority. While Micio didn’t want Aeschinus to cower in its presence, he surely didn’t want to teach him to blatantly break the law in this manner.
In Ctesipho’s case, his first appearance comes with him merrily singing about Aeschinus helping him get what he wants. Ctesipho is delighted that Aeschinus would “sacrifice all for [his] comfort.” He goes on to insinuate that he is fine with gossip, robbery and fooling around as long as he doesn’t get in trouble for those actions. (Terence, 362) At this point, it would seem Ctesipho hasn’t a care into the world until the matter of paying for the girl comes up. Ctesipho then asks Syrus to pay for the girl so that his father, Demea, doesn’t find out about his

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