Discuss Hares use of Sir Peter as a criticism of societys legal system in Act 1 Scene 2 and in 'Murmuring Judges' as a whole.

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By James Day

Re-read Act 1 Scene 2 of Murmuring Judges (p3-9). Discuss Hare’s use of Sir Peter as a criticism of society’s legal system in this extract and in the play as a whole.

In Act 1 Scene 2, and in the whole of Murmuring Judges, Sir Peter is used by Hare to represent the negative side of the legal system; namely, that lawyers are only concerned with upholding their own wellbeing and reputation.

        In this scene, Sir Peter’s arrogant character conveys that lawyers at the top of the judiciary system have an impersonal, non-compassionate view towards the individuals they are supposed to be defending. For example, the fact that Sir Peter “smiles, unruffled” when challenged about losing a case reflects his lack of care for the suspect he poorly defended, therefore he is inconsiderate about how his failure has had a detrimental effect on the suspect. The audience perceives this due to his salient facial expression, therefore receiving Hare’s intended message that the system at the time was self-absorbed and incapable of sympathy. A prominent event which incontrovertibly influenced Hare to raise awareness bout this notion was the wrongful imprisonment of the Birmingham Six. The fact that this group were framed for a crime they were not involved in exemplifies the problematic nature of the emotionally withdrawn lawyers, who lack diligence to persevere in cases due to deficiency of true concern for their clients.

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        Similarly, in Act 2 Scene 1, Sir Peter “looks down, feeling himself on thin ice” before lying to the Home Secretary, so the audience notices his facial expression, picks up on his fabrication and holds him in contempt because his character is revealed to be not only arrogant but also Machiavellian – he lies to conceal his uncouth disinterest in the Home Secretary’s publications which are of stark pertinence to his profession.

        Likewise, in Act 2 Scene 5, Sir Peter “hesitates a second, fatally,” so the audience realises the mechanical response of Sir Peter, that is, his fallacious and egotistical ...

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