Injustice In The Merchant Of Venice Essay

Justice By Plea

[“He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers from it”]

-Plato (?)

In Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is usually characterised as the villain, but can also be seen as the tragic hero due to the injustice he suffers from the hands of the other characters solely on the basis of his religion. In the court scene of act IV scene I, Shylock demands for justice when Antonio goes bankrupt and cannot pay the bond, which is a pound of flesh. Portia, disguised as the lawyer, Balthazar, warns him to give mercy with her famous speech,”The quality of mercy is not strained…” (4.1.190) In hopes of freeing Antonio, Bassanio offers double and eventually triple the original sum to turn Shylock away. Both of their efforts are rejected as Shylock persists in his demand for justice. However, Portia tricks Shylock by stating he can have the pound of flesh but no blood may be spilled, rendering his bond useless. She then

proceeds to hold him to the strict word of the law and deliver the ‘justice’ Shylock originally asked for, “Thou shalt have justice more than thou desir'st”(4.1.330). The so called “justice” she speaks of is Shylock losing all of his property, money, livelihood, and religion.
This then prompts the question of whether his sentence is just or not. Justice is usually viewed as an ‘eye for an eye’, however in Shylock's case, it appears that he pays a much steeper price than which he deserves. Proof of his unjust sentence can be found in his initial discrimination, Portia’s and society’s hypocrisy, and the fact that he is forced to give up everything that represented his very own existence.
Shylock has never done anything villainous without reason. He has been discriminated against his entire life for being Jewish by the Christians and especially Antonio, “call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog” (1.3.121). Shylock’s desire to exact revenge on Antonio is justified in his speech, “Hath not a jew eyes...the villainy you teach me I will execute” (3.1.57-71). His exclamation reminds the audience of his humanity and shows that his want for revenge because of past injustices is natural and makes him a sympathetic case, as this feeling is relatable. When he asks for the fulfillment of his bond, he is not being a villain; he is only asking for what he deserves when he is fed up with prejudice which he has endured his entire life and what has prompted his behaviour in the first place.
During Shakespeare’s time, or the 16th century, anti-Semitism was a prominent sentiment in many societies.

The Jewish community was forced to live in specified ghettos, wear certain articles of clothing that labeled them as jewish, and were forbidden to take up any profession; except moneylending. This hatred is translated into Shylock's punishment in Act IV scene I. The Duke, who serves as judge, and Portia are both christians, meaning that they are both biased in their judgements. Portia preaches the mercy of her religion and is characterised as an ideal, “the quality of mercy is not strained... “ yet gives none when sentencing Shylock. Her actions reflect those of society, christian idea of justice is the discrimination of jews “if a jew wrong a christian?...”

The law is misused, Portia has no right to be there, she lied about her identity and tricked shylock by manipulating the law christian court tries a jew(duke who oversees proceedings is already on antonios side “an inhuman wretch/ incapable of

pity”
The fact that Shylock is forced to give up everything he ever worked and stood for is evidence that his ultimate punishment is far too cruel. Shylock saw his case as a legal and just way to seek retribution on Antonio and the Christian community who have all wronged him many times over in the past. However, when Shylock loses, he is forced to give up all he owns as well as the ability to earn. The worst part of the punishment is the fact that he is forced to convert to christianity. As a result, he loses his identity and his profession by which he earns his livelihood, as moneylending is forbidden to christians, and is forced to forfeit his estate to the man who steals his daughter. With absolutely everything lost to him, Shylock might as well be dead, in fact he even asks the court to, “take [his] life and all’’(4.1.390).
Although Shylock may not be an entirely innocent person, he is not so much a villain to deserve this outrageous sentence. The evidence of this claim can be found in the prejudiced taken against him, the hypocrisy of Portia and Christian society, and the fact that he is forced to give up both his livelihood and his religion. Shylock’s sentence reveals the how unjust and prejudiced the society was back then and how a homologous society was extremely valued. The court scene and Shylock’s sentence also discloses the conflicting relationship between mercy and justice, two of the central themes of the play, by showing that