Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Before we consider having any sympathy for Shylock at this point in

the play, we must look at events that have occurred and attitudes

towards him leading up to Act4 Scene1

We know that Shylock is unpopular with many citizens. This is shown

when he himself says that people have:

''Laughed at my loses, mocked at my gains, scorned at my nation''.

However, the Venetian citizens are not the only guilty party for

Shylock says that he hates Antonio

''For he is a Christian''

In addition to this, he has few friends or allies in Venice, even his

own daughter abandons him with Lorenzo - a Christian (Shylock is

Jewish) along with some of his possessions. He feels that his daughter

is the only person who understands him and that he can talk to, yet

she leaves him.

However, it is important to recognise the affect that all this

animosity has upon Shylock and, in particular, the way he might feel

when he approaches the court to 'exact' his 'bond' that he has with

Antonio. Shylock has three main feelings in the courtroom, they are

confidence because the bond is a legal document, resentment because of

his treatment, mocking of his religion, and verbal abuse and finally

devastation at the loss of his daughter. I think this makes him more

defiant in exacting his bond.

When he approaches the court they belittle him because of his

profession (money lender) and mainly his religion which is Jewish. He

contradicts the court when asking if Jews are

''Fed with the same food, hurt by the same weapons, subject to the

same diseases, healed by the same means and cooled and warmed by t...

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...igion - Jew, not by his name. For example when

Portia says

''Tarry Jew, The law hath yet another hold on you.'' This phrase means

wait Jew; the law has more power than you do.

In addition, Shylock cannot leave with any dignity because the court

has ordered him so that he must give

''One half his goods'' to ''The party 'gainst the which he doth

contrive'' and the other half ''comes to the privy coffer of the

state''.

He is now at his lowest point and is in a state of mind that his

predicament is worse than death.

Antonio has commanded him to change his religion from Jewish to

Christian, which robs him of any distinction. For him this is the

worst punishment of all. Shylock is now a totally beaten and resigned

man, a far cry from his confident and vengeful image and with his exit

from the courtroom.