Aside from the legal issue, the Scopes trial was mostly a conflict of personalities. As there were other factors that influenced the case, but the trial was influenced by the high profile personnel involved. America's leading criminal lawyer, Clarence Darrow, defended Scopes while the charismatic and famous William J. Bryan led the prosecution. They both came with their own teams of lawyers who were characters apart. But what was really visible throughout the trial was the animosity and hostility between defendants and prosecutors; centralized by the feud between Bryan and Darrow. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Clarence Darrow and William J. Bryan have had some sort of tension between them since the beginning. Both differed in ideologies and were not on the same page when it came to the struggle between the theory of evolution and religion. Darrow defended the Scopes and taught the theory of evolution, while Bryan was strictly against it. Not only that, but the fact that both Darrow and Bryan volunteered to take part in the trial made things more personal. It seemed their reputations were on the line. Because of all these factors, Bryan and Darrow were always nervous when it came down to it. Throughout the entire process, Darrow and Bryan always had an antagonistic relationship. But this animosity really came to light when Bryan was called to the stand by Darrow on the seventh day of the trial. The seventh day of the trial was basically an argument between Darrow and Bryan which demonstrates the influence both of these characters had on this case. An entire day was devoted to this meeting between Darrow and Bryan. Throughout the day, both men continually faced each other. Darrow questioned Bryan and asked him if he was sure of what he was saying. Tension grew as an ego clash occurred and Darrow asked Bryan to answer his question to which Bryan said, "When will you let me finish the statement." (147). Moving forward, the clash between these personalities increased as Bryan mocked Darrow and his understanding of religion. Darrow asked Bryan if he believed that whoever inspired the Bible thought the sun revolved around the earth, to which Bryan said, "I believe he was inspired by the Almighty, and he may have used language that could be understood at that time, instead of using language that could not be understood until Darrow was born (147) There was laughter and applause in the courtyard because of this little jab by Bryan at Darrow. As time passed, a question mark emerged about the. fairness of Darrow's questions. Tempers flared as the sparring continued and things got personal Rather than focus on Scopes and the ongoing trial, Darrow was intent on pushing Bryan to say that the Bible can be interpreted. figuratively, Darrow saying that the people who applauded him were "the people you insult" (150) To which Darrow reacted angrily and said, "You insult every man of science and learning in the world because he doesn't believe in your silly religion." " (150). As personal as it may seem, it showed how the conflict between Darrow and Bryan could have taken precedence over the trial for the time being. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Here were constant questions from Darrow trying to test Bryan's faith and his determination. In return Bryan constantly pointed out how Darrow he was.