The Broken Jug As an Experiment with Thomas Hobbes' Political Theory
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The Delta Volume 3 Issue 1 Article 9 Spring 2008 The Broken Jug as an Experiment with Thomas Hobbes' Political Theory Mark Kasperczyk '10 Illinois Wesleyan University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/delta Recommended Citation Kasperczyk '10, Mark (2008) "The Broken Jug as an Experiment with Thomas Hobbes' Political Theory," The Delta: Vol. 3 : Iss. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/delta/vol3/iss1/9 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Commons @ IWU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this material in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This material has been accepted for inclusion by faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ©Copyright is owned by the author of this document. Kasperczyk '10: <em>The Broken Jug</em> as an Experiment with Thomas Hobbes' Poli The Broken Jug as an Experiment with Thomas Hobbes' (143). Thus, one person is made a sovereign Political Theory agreement between all others to offer part oU (namely, the right to self-government) so that Mark Kasperczyk peacefully, without quarrel. What makes a discussion of Hobbes ir Illinois Wesleyan University recently put on a production Broken Jug most interesting is his views on tr of The Broken Jug by John Banville. An amusing, ifraunchy, sovereign. For he states that the "subjects to; interpretation of the play, it provides a very dark picture of without his leave cast off monarchy and retur: humanity and society. Set in the middle of the nineteenth century a disunited multitude" (144) because the sub} in a town called Ballybog (in rural Ireland), it tells of the corrupt to obey the sovereign "as long and no longer Judge Adam who breaks a valuable jug while attempting to make by which he is able to protect them" (179). E sexual advances on Eve Reck, one of the townspeople. When the subjects should treat the sovereign as a powel case of the broken jug is brought to court, he attempts to blame men can be imagined to make it" (169). One Robert Temple, another townsperson. After all, the girl he stunning conclusions is that "nothing the sove; advanced on is the only person who sees him during the entire can do to a subject, on what pretense soever, incident, and she hesitates to blame Judge Adam because it would injustice or injury" because the subjects agree:: make others suspect him ofthe more heinous events that occurred authority (173). All these precautions when c that night; thus, he almost manages to escape. sovereign originate from Hobbes' fear ofana: As the discussion will show, the groundwork provided by major assumptions is that any form of govern Thomas Hobbes in his political theory has interesting implications being in a state of nature. for the situation in Ballybog; therefore, some explanation of his If Judge Adam is taken to be the sove theory is necessary. In Leviathan, Hobbes establishes that the state characters except Ball and Sir Walter are his of nature, which he understands to be any state without a common ideas of a political state become an interestin; power or sovereign, is a state of war in which there is "continual to consider the corruption prevalent in the pic fear and danger of violent death" and people's lives are "solitary, shown, The Broken Jug, both as written and ; poor, nasty, brutish, and short" (Hobbes 107). He elaborates on functions as an argument against Hobbes' COl three main types of quarrel within any anarchic state: "first, commonwealth as incontrovertibly better th~ competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory" (106). To escape production of The Broken Jug, in particular, : this situation, he explains, we form a commonwealth, which he problems with our own government and socii defines as "one person, ofwhose acts a great multitude, by mutual us to correct it. covenants one with another, have made themselves every one the The town of Ballybog is, more or less author, to the end he may use the strength and means of them all as all three types ofquarrel appear, and everyon he shall think expedient for their peace and common defense" concerned with only themselves. First otT, cc 70 71 Published by Digital Commons @ IWU, 2008 1 The Delta, Vol. 3 [2008], Iss. 1, Art. 9 r Jug as an Experiment with Thomas Hobbes' (143). Thus, one person is made a sovereign by the mutual Political Theory agreement between all others to offer part oftheir natural rights (namely, the right to self-government) so that all may live Mark Kasperczyk peacefully, without quarrel. What makes a discussion of Hobbes in the context ofThe Wesleyan University recently put on a production Broken Jug most interesting is his views on treatment of the !yg by John Banville. An amusing, ifraunchy, sovereign. For he states that the "subjects to a monarch cannot fthe play, it provides a very dark picture of without his leave cast off monarchy and return to the confusion of ooiety. Set in the middle ofthe nineteenth century a disunited multitude" (144) because the subjects remain obligated IBallybog (in rural Ireland), it tells ofthe corrupt to obey the sovereign "as long and no longer than the power lasts 10 breaks a valuable jug while attempting to make by which he is able to protect them" (179). He even says that the ; on Eve Reck, one ofthe townspeople. When the subjects should treat the sovereign as a power "as great as possibly :enjug is brought to court, he attempts to blame men can be imagined to make it" (169). One of Hobbes' more another townsperson. After all, the girl he stunning conclusions is that "nothing the sovereign representative the only person who sees him during the entire can do to a subject, on what pretense soever, can properly be calle( e hesitates to blame Judge Adam because it would injustice or injury" because the subjects agreed to make him the :pect him ofthe more heinous events that occurred authority (173). All these precautions when dealing with the he almost manages to escape. sovereign originate from Hobbes' fear of anarchy, for one of his iscussion will show, the groundwork provided by major assumptions is that any form of government is better than ; in his political theory has interesting implications being in a state of nature. in Ballybog; therefore, some explanation of his If Judge Adam is taken to be the sovereign and all other ary. In Leviathan, Hobbes establishes that the state characters except Ball and Sir Walter are his subjects, Hobbes' I he understands to be any state without a common ideas ofa political state become an interesting model from which :ign, is a state ofwar in which there is "continual to consider the corruption prevalent in the play. As shall be ofviolent death" and people's lives are "solitary, shown, The Broken Jug, both as written and as performed, tish, and short" (Hobbes 107). He elaborates on functions as an argument against Hobbes' conception of a ; ofquarrel within any anarchic state: "first, commonwealth as incontrovertibly better than anarchy, and the :ondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory" (106). To escape production ofThe Broken Jug, in particular, forces us to notice the : explains, we form a commonwealth, which he problems with our own government and society and then instructs person, ofwhose acts a great multitude, by mutual us to correct it. 'ith another, have made themselves every one the The town ofBallybog is, more or less, an anarchic state, fOJ d he may use the strength and means ofthem all as all three types ofquarrel appear, and everyone appears to be :pedient for their peace and common defense" concerned with only themselves. First off, competition is present 70 71 https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/delta/vol3/iss1/9 2 Kasperczyk '10: <em>The Broken Jug</em> as an Experiment with Thomas Hobbes' Poli in both the written play and the production: At one point in the first comes in and Lynch sees his wounds: WI play, Maggie, the maid, brings in some black pudding and says to pleads Lynch to not make him appear suspicic Judge Adam "ifyour tenants got a sniff/ Ofthis there'd be a riot in who is coming to inspect the courtroom later t the town" (Banville 22); and in the production, Judge Adam tosses right next to Lynch, holding her and attemptin a wheel ofcheese to some starving townspeople, to entertain during the rest ofthe conversation both Judge himselfwith their fighting. Hunger, then, is a major source of attempt to stay apart from each other on stage. competition and catalyzes fighting, even if it happens mostly apart naturally distrust each other, but when necesst from the main action. are willing to pretend to trust each other. Thi~ Diffidence also appears repeatedly within the play and diffidence is also present. production. For Hobbes, diffidence means a state of distrust Glory, specifically reputation, is the th between all people as a result ofthe lack oflaws and the constant According to Hobbes, everyone desires a gooc fighting or possibility of fighting and competition in the state of when someone's reputation is slandered, the p nature. In the first scene ofthe play, Judge Adam alleges he cut up "extort a greater value from his contemners b:,.