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‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a play set in Italy in the late 16th Century, written by William Shakespeare. One of the main characters in the play is a cunning Jewish moneylender named Shylock. Shylock is part of a race that was discriminated against, despised and hated for their religion.
In the beginning of the play Shylock makes an unsettling bond with a well-known, good and generous man named Antonio. Shylock has always had a grudge against Antonio because he is trusting; he lends money without interest, taking away Shylock’s business. He is also a Christian. We know that we can never trust Shylock to have any feeling of consideration towards Antonio, when he says,
‘If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.’
However, Antonio promises to pay Shylock the money borrowed, or else will allow Shylock to take a pound of his flesh should the loan not be repaid. Antonio disapproves morally of lending money for interest and it is a mark of his affection for his friend Bassanio that he now breaks his own rule. Bassanio has already spent his own fortune and would like to restore this by marrying the woman he claims to love. Shylock justifies Antonio’s decision by reciting the story of Jacob from the Old Testament to him; however in doing this he twists the words of the bible to coincide with his ideas. Antonio replies,
‘The devil can cite scripture for his purpose.’
Before Bassanio leaves for Belmont he extravagantly decides to throw a big feast. Shylock out of malice and hatred goes to the feast, not to enjoy the party but to eat the wonderful meal bought with Bassanio’s money; he is determined to do all he can to ruin him. Shylock’s servant, the comic Lancelot Gobbo, shows his dislike of...
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...e with this moving speech. Shylock is blind to everything other than the terms of his bond; his insistence in the strict route of justice makes no allowance for anything that even approaches compassion or mercy. This in the end proves to be his undoing. However it is hard to rejoice in Antonio’s victory. After the court scene, Shylock is broken; Portia not only released Antonio from his bond, but strips Shylock of both his religion and his livelihood.
Shylock is an unsettling character; his heartfelt speeches make it hard for me to label him as a natural villain, on the other hand Shylock’s cold attempt at revenge by murdering his persecutor, Antonio, prevents me from viewing him in a positive light. For moments, Shakespeare offers us glimpses of an unmistakably human Shylock but he often steers me against him as well, portraying him as a cruel, bitter figure.
While engendering the bond in the inciting force of the play, Antonio says to Shylock – the antagonist – “Content in faith. I’ll seal to such a bond, / And say there is much kindness in the Jew” (1.3.149-150) which reveals how Antonio sees such positive terms in the deal. Although the terms may seem simples to follow, Antonio will still face the consequences of putting his life on the line for his dear friend, Bassanio. This bond portion of the play establishes relationships through the rivals and also gives background information about characters, which show the elements of dramatic significance. Subsequently, Shylock’s possessions are at stake during their trial after Antonio fails to pay him back because his argosies were abolished. Shylock’s punishment for attempting to
Shylock lends Antonio a sum of money, that Antonio intends to pay back when his merchant ships arrive in Venice, one month before the debt would be forfeited. When Bassarnio arranges the sum of money, Shylock befriends them, only to stand aside and utter to him self, "I hate him for he is a Christian... If I catch him once upon the hip, I will feed my ancient grudge I bear him," Act 1, Scene 3. Shortly after saying, "But ships are but boards, sailors but men... the perils of waters, winds, and rocks...Three thousand ducats; I think I may take his bond." Shylock is setting his trap here. Shylocks terms of the debt are a pound of Antonios flesh from closets his heart if it be forfeited.
...ck would’ve delivered this line would have assured people that he is certain on his decision “you’ll ask him”, but the all the questions are not going to change his mind, because he cruelly just wants to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh. The Merchant of Venice explains Shylock’s desire for revenge and he seems quite empowered that it is right for him to want the revenge he has chosen, Shylock says in Act 3 Scene 1 line 49 “If it will feed nothing else, it will feed m revenge. He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked my gains...” it is evident that Shylock is ready to “disgrace”, “laugh” and “ mock” Antonio, as Antonio did to him. By Shakespeare using the verb “feed”, this insinuates that Shylock’s hunger for revenge is serious and he is yearning for it, because when it happens he will adore the evil taste it brings his mind.
Some of the audiences in the 16th century, believed that Jews were at a lower stage than them, and they only believed this because the Jews were a different (“different” referred to as “wrong “for Christians who lived in the 16th century), religion they believed they were not people, like them. The play Merchant of Venice shows the evil side of the Jews. The character’s name is “Shylock”. He is the character of evil doing; he is also the character that Shakespeare chose to represent a Jewish character. As a Jew, he represents the race as being wicked, evil etc.
Everyone who reads The Merchant of Venice must bear in mind that it is, like any other literary work, a creation of a skillful writer, rising a case that can be a subject for many interpretations and not necessarily revealing a specific view of its writer, however it aims to convey a certain moral to the readers. Therefore, the character of shylock, being stereotyped or not, with its controversy is a tool manipulated to convey a moral message: when people live in a society that is open to cultural diversity and that values the contributions of all society members – regardless of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, race, life styles, and beliefs – they will be one step closer to living in a civil society. Works Cited 1) Encyclopaedia Britannica, the definition of "Anti-Semitism". 2) E. E. Stoll, Shylock (an essay in Shakespeare Studies, 1927). 3) John Palmer, Comic Characters of Shakespeare, Shylock. 4) John Palmer, Comic Characters of Shakespeare, Shylock.
For example, he claims he wants to “feed his revenge” with Antonio's blood (III.i.45-46). This means that Shylock was being a little harsh on Antonio for the bet, but that doesn't mean Antonio should just get away with losing. For winning the bond Shylock got his “life...house...and” what “sustains” his house taken away from him (IV.i.390-392). Therefore the others punishing Shylock wasn't even in the bond but Antonio only showed barely any mercy when this is his fault. The others make fun of Shylock when his daughter “rebels” and “robs him” of all his money and she runs away (III.i.34). THis shows that Shylock has a good reason to be angry at Antonio and the others because they think it's funny his daughter left him. Shylock does not deserve to be treated any lesser ny the rest of the characters due to the issues he faces. Overall, Antonio should have been punished for breaking the bond , but instead Antonio was left untouched and Shylock lost everything. Shylock is a victim because he is treated with disrespect and hated because he is jew and won the
During the sixteenth-century there was a very prominent existence of anti-semitism. The English audience had a very clear prejudice towards the Jewish people because of the deep-rooted concept of anti-semitism. This mindset carried from everyday life to plays and productions of the time. This ill will towards the Jewish people spawned from political and religious disputes that were unresolved. The portrayal of Shylock as a villainous Jew is a logical move for the sixteenth-century playwrights because of this common belief. When walking into a production of The Merchant of Venice during this ear, one must keep in mind the predisposition towards the Jewish people as well as the cultural beliefs at that time.
Accordingly, we can claim that the trial plot and the marriage plot both can be seen as trials determining access to power. Shylock fails because he is unable to see the law as an ideological tool created by the elite. He does not realise that the law is not literal and objective, it is created to protect its creators. The law, in this respect, becomes biased and dishonest. Bassanio, in his trial, uses decorum and style in order to get what he wants. He is being dishonest in his rhetoric when it comes to his desires for wealth, but by displaying the proper style, he gets what he wants.
At the end of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock has been both a victim and a villain. He is a victim of his religion, and a victim of his greed and overwhelming need for revenge. Shylock is definitely the most villainous character in the play, and only a few elements can show him as a victim overall, even then, his victimisation only seems to be a consequence of his own actions. His daughter running away, because of her treatment, and apparent lack of love. The taking of his assets, because he would show no mercy towards Antonio. The final conclusion must be that Shylock is unreasonable, spiteful, heinous, greedy - and a villain.
In Act III scene I Salanio and Salarino confront Shylock, mocking him about his daughter's deception and insulting him. Shylock explains why he will take Antonio's flesh, making his famous speech, 'I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?'
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.
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
From the point where Shylock enters the courtroom everyone opposing him is appealing for mercy for Antonio and this is what the scene demonstrates, a need for mercy. Portia says shortly after she has entered the scene ‘Then the Jew must be merciful’ she is not saying that this is what the law says he must be, but that he should do this because it is the only thing he can do morally. The mercy theme runs all the way through the scene and many opportunities were offered by the Duke, Bassanio and Portia for Shylock to take the moral course of action, but he constantly refuses saying he should get what he deserves not by moral justice but by the law.
By tracing back to the early roles of what Shylock has done in the Elizabethan stage, we are able to appreciate Shakespeare’s character. Shylock has the greatest impact than any other character in the book. In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare’s purpose wasn’t meant to show that they were well educated. We do know that many Christians hated Shylock because he was a Jew. For example in the Elizabethan times a lot of people were looked down at because they were against Christian practice.
During the discussion of the bond, Shylock says to Antonio “ I would be friends with you and have your love” and “this kindness will I show”. He pretends to be Antonio’s friend, but he has an ulterior motive, which is to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh from whatever part of his body he pleases. The underlying meaning is to kill him, and thus, although Shylock seems good-hearted, he is in truth, harbouring deceit. Shylock is manipulative and crafty as he tries to put up a show to deceive Antonio. He sounds generous about offering the three thousand ducats without “usance for my moneys”, thus winning Antonio’s trust. This was done to divert Antonio’s attention from his actual intentions. However, Shylock proposes a flesh bond as a “merry sport”, in substitution for not charging interest. The bond, although an unusual forfeit, is a serious matter, because Antonio may be killed from accepting its terms and conditions. Shylock is a brilliant strategist, and even the perceptive businessman, Antonio, has fallen for it. Shylock is a vindictive and unforgiving man, whose hatred for Christians has driven him to want to kill Antonio. We know that Shylock has suffered emotionally and physically because of how Antonio has kicked, spat and rated him many a times. Thus he deserves some of our pity, as taking revenge on your enemy is only natural.