Commentary between Joel Hoff's Bladerunner and the Shakespearean play, Essay

Commentary between Joel Hoff's Bladerunner and the Shakespearean play, Merchant of Venice - Essay Example Their agony with the feeling of being constantly ostracized is portrayed by Shylock in his eloquent arguments that Jews are also humans. In â€Å"Blade Runner†, the outcasts of society are the replicants, wanting desperately to belong to Earth and be human, yet doomed to never be able to achieve their objective because their life span is so short. One of the major themes explored in both works is the nature of humanity. The character of Shylock in the â€Å"Merchant of Venice† appears to exemplify the valuing of business relationships over human ones, in contradiction to the general trend in human relationships. This may be noted in particular when Shylock runs through the streets, moaning: â€Å"Oh, my ducats! O my daughter!† (Shakespeare, II:viii:15) thereby implying that he values money almost as much as his own daughter. The film â€Å"Blade Runner† also questions what it means to be human. The replicants are â€Å"designed to copy human beings in every way except their emotions†, yet some of them appear â€Å"more human than human (Blade Runner). Their creator Tyrell on the other hand is a man trying arrogantly to play God, creating human beings endowed with intelligence and super human strength but making them slaves because their termination dates cannot be reversed. The divine quality of mercy is a strong theme in â€Å"The Merchant of Venice†. The law is on Shylock’s side and a strict application of the law would mean that Shylock does in fact, secure his pound of flesh. But the expectation is for him to demonstrate his humanity through the divine quality of mercy, which Portia explicates in detail beginning with â€Å"The quality of mercy is not strained.† (Shakespeare VI:i:179). A similar theme resonates in â€Å"Blade Runner†, where the law is on the side of protagonist Deckard and supports him in his mission to destroy the four replicants, yet his human memories call to