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Describing Shylock of William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice When then Merchant of Venice was written, the religion in this country was Christianity. Anybody who was not of that religion was looked down upon, especially those who were Jews. They were treated despicably, so as the play starts and as Shylock is introduced as a Jew it is certain that he is going to be depicted as the lowest of the low, as being mercenary and sadistic. However, as the play progresses we see another side of Shylock, we see him as the victim of many years of Christian abuse, both verbal or physical, and we can see that his behaviour is understandable due to the persecution he has suffered. I think that Shylock is mercenary and sadistic at times but at other times his lust for revenge and his behaviour is understandable. In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as professional usurer, lending money to Bassanio. In this first meeting, Shylock is shown as a victim. He describes al the evil things that Antonio has done to him. "You that void your rheum upon my beard and foot me as you spurn a stranger cur over your threshold." You instantly feel sorry for Shylock, as it seems Antonio has no real reason for his behaviour except that Shylock is a Jew. Shylock lends Bassanio 3,000 ducats, giving him three months to repay the bond. If Bassanio and Antonio do not pay back the bond on time, Shylock is allowed a forfeit of a pound of Antonio's flesh. This is showing that Shylock wants revenge for Antonio's behaviour towards him. Taking a pound of flesh could kill Antonio, which seems very drastic, but if you remember the reason behind... ... middle of paper ... ... Sometimes I feel sorry for him as he was constantly being abused by the Christians for no reason except that he was a Jew and he did not retaliate until the trail scene, when he was demanding a pound of Antonio's flesh. However at this point, Shylock also showed he was evil and sadistic as he knew he would most probably kill Antonio and he did not seem to care. Shylock also showed how mercenary he was as when his daughter ran off, and he seemed to be more worried about his money than his daughter. However, Shylock might have been a flawed character, but did not deserve the punishment he received from Antonio. All in all, Shylock was very revengeful and sadistic but this was due to the treatment by Antonio and the other Christians but he has no excuse for being mercenary and putting his money before his daughter.
One way that Shylock is classified as the other was by being stripped of his name. Throughout the play, Shylock was very seldom referred to by name; in the trial scene, the Duke identifies him by name twice, and Portia does so once. During the rest of the play, Shylock is usually referred to as "the Jew", "dog Jew" (II, viii, 14), and "currish Jew" (IV, i, 292)
so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead
Shylock is a moneylender by pr... ... middle of paper ... ... s first audiences, those he would have received money from, and therefore I am perhaps not judging Shylock as Shakespeare intended his audiences to, and that I am 'prejudiced' by my modern perspective which has not made me anti-semitic. However, as the essay question asks for my interpretation of Shylock as a character as opposed to an Elizabethan audience's, it is my conclusion that we cannot blame Shylock entirely for his actions without blaming his persecutors for their part in provoking Shylock to act as he did, and the evidence showing that Shylock has not only a villainous side but a more human one; capable of expressing complex humane emotions, leads me to believe that we cannot reduce Shylock's character to that of 'villain', although of the characters in the play his is certainly the most negatively portrayed.
agrees to lend the money on the basis that if the 3,000 ducats are not
In England in the 16th Century, with the absence of Jews, a popular negative image was created for them. Just as, today, we may imagine aliens to be estranged to us, enemy to us, and possibly even dangerous; the Jews were as good as aliens to England four hundred years ago. There were no Jews around to defend such a bad name, and so that reputation worsened to stereotype the Jew as a murderer and a demon. The rumours were exaggerated and invented tales were passed on.
with how Shylock treats him since he calls Shylock “a kind of devil” and also
In looking at Shylock, the sixteenth-century audience would deduce all view except the greedy, selfish, manipulating, Jew. In accordance with the normative view, Jews were believed to be out of tune with the universe. This is re-enforce in act 2 scene 5 lines 27-30 when Shylock is comment...
things he has called him and for all the many times he has spat on him
This is where Shakespeare evokes our sympathy, by making us realise how Shylock has suffered because of the prejudices of the Christians around him. He explains his motives for revenge in a rational way, showing how his actions are no different from the Christians'. Look carefully at the language he uses, as well as the insulting and mocking language used by the other two. At the end of the scene, Shylock mourns the loss of his daughter, although our feelings towards him are a bit mixed, for he seems to care more about the money. He does give evidence, however, of his love for his wife, which again, creates sympathy.
which tells us that Shylock is being referred to as a dog, not like a
All of the characters are defined through Shylock. Launcelot Gobbo, Shylock’s servant, treats his father disrespectfully, but this disdain is not ill-received by the audience; like the other examples of inequity, Launcelot’s apathetic attitude toward his near-blind father is inexplicably tolerated by past and contemporary society (Picker). Launcelot’s contempt is generally assumed to be a result of his underprivileged upbringing, if it is noted at all. His lack of education has deprived him from good manners as well as good sense. The scene itself initially seems inconsistent with the rest of the play.
William Shakespeare shows how two tradesmen can have completely different lives when others view them differently in the play The Merchant of Venice. In the play, Bassanio, Antonio’s friend, needs money to pursue his love. They seek a loan from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Antonio’s name. The contract is for three times the value of the bond in three months or else Shylock cuts off a pound of flesh from Antonio. While all this is happening, there are love plots going on. One of which is for Shylock’s daughter to elope with Lorenzo, a Christian. Later on, Antonio’s source of money, his ship, is reported sunken in the English Channel, dooming him to the loss of one pound of his flesh. There is a trial on the bond, and when it seems sure that Antonio will die, Portia, disguised as a doctor of laws legally gets Antonio out of the situation and Shylock recieves harsh penalties. Antonio and Shylock, two similar businessmen of Venice, are viewed differently and are treated oppositely to heighten the drama of the play and mold a more interesting plot.
But at the same time, it seems clear (to me, at least) that Shakespeare creates Shylock against an historical and cultural backdrop that was intensely hostile to Jews. Given this social context and historical tradition, it should come as no surprise if some of this hostility against Jews should infiltrate Shakespeare's work. Shakespeare was, after all, a commercial dramatist and many commercial dramatists make their livings by pandering to, rather than working against, conventional social mores.
Shylock is a wealthy Jew who invests money into shipments and trades. When Shylock’s enemy, Antonio, requests a loan of 3000 ducats, “Shylock adopts this Christian model of "kind" lending in his bond with Antonio as a means for lawful revenge.” Shylock’s agreement is that if the ducats are not returned, Antonio must repay his loan in human flesh. This is a way for Shylock to either make money or kill a Christian, either will satisfy him. Lee describes Shylock’s feelings towards Christians, “Indeed, although Shylock will neither "eat," "drink," nor "pray" with the Christians, he is willing to "buy" and "sell" with them.” This is where Shakespeare first introduces the devil inside Shylock. Had Antonio been a Jew, there would not have been a payment of flesh. Shylock’s hatred propels the story from start to finish. His hatred causes him to lose his daughter, drives Portia to use her money and wit to save Antonio, and why he ends up losing
It is difficult to say if Shylock is a complete villain or a victim, as his character is complex and ambiguous. However, it is difficult to view Shylock as anything other than a devious, bloodthirsty and heartless villain in the majority of the play. There are a few points in the story where he can be viewed as victimised, as most Jews were at that time, but Shakespeare has purposely portrayed Shylock as a stereotypical Jew, greedy, and obsessed with money. Shylock has been written to be very inflated and exaggerated. Even when Shylock makes his first appearance in the play, his first words are “Three thousand ducats,” Act 1, Scene 3.