The Merchant of Venice
William Shakespeare
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Character Analysis: Shylock
Shylock is the most important character of the play. Some elements of his story can be viewed as empowering, as he is a marginalised member of society who attempts to stand up for himself. However, ultimately his tale is one of twisted fate and tragic loss.
The fate Shylock suffers is probably worse than death itself. As someone who made most of his money earning interest off of loans, to give up the majority of his worldly possessions after his daughter had already stolen such a significant sum means that he had lost his method of earning income and sustaining himself. This happened simply because he committed to the terms of the contract that was agreed upon by both him and Antonio. We must recall the fact that when this contract was made, there was no intention for it to ever come to fruition. Antonio anticipated that he would be able to pay back the 3000 ducats well before the date they were due. Shylock recognised that a pound of flesh was entirely worthless to him as he could not eat it or use it for any reasonable purpose and as it was not worth very much money at all.
However, his rage encourages him to seek revenge in whatever way he can, which is when he realises that some of Antonio’s goods have been damaged to the degree that he will likely have to declare bankruptcy. Though this appears sad to us, Shylock sees an opportunity in which he can finally seek some tangible form of revenge against the man that has made his life so terrible. Shylock recalls being insulted in public, mocked behind his back, spat on, and even kicked. These behaviours are so terribly heinous, it is difficult to imagine anyone in a modern civilised society being treated like this for the simple reason that they are of a certain faith (though we must remember that even today, many people still experience horrific discrimination for similar reasons).
Antonio also claims that part of his distrust comes from the fact that Shylock asks for interest when lending money – something that he finds repulsive. However, when we recognise that this is the only way to earn any money, especially seeing how he has been treated in wider society, we recognise that his actions are not as bad as they may seem. It is almost justice that Shylock should have the right to seek a pound of flesh from Antonio for all his suffering. However, we can clearly see that he is punished for this, as the court rules against him and he suffers immense monetary losses.
It is undeniable that Shylock suffers a terrible fate. He represents one of the few people of a marginalised society that seeks revenge and is almost successful. Once he is approached by the Christian men for a loan, Shylock recognises the power he now has in the interaction and intelligently puts it to use. His cunning nature could be an inspiring source of empowerment for audience members at the bottom of the social hierarchy. His capacity to seek revenge against those ranked above him shows his tenacity and grit, qualities that we appreciate. He may not have been successful, but nonetheless his valiant attempts could be seen as inspiring audiences to seek justice in spite of all the injustice they experience.
It is important that we do not reduce the complexity of Shylock’s character to merely his religion. Shakespeare acknowledges this, adding moments throughout the play where we see that he is a simple man. The most significant of these is the iconic speech in Act 3, where in Shylock begins with the famous line, “hath not a Jew eyes.” We see more of his humanity shine through, as he mourns his daughter leaving his home and spending copious amounts of money trying to find her so that he may see her again. Another moment of incredible humanity is when he learns that Jessica has sold his wife Leah’s ring. He states that the ring was given to him before their marriage, and it is worth an immeasurable number of ducats. In this way, Shakespeare uses Shylock as a representation of anyone who suffers unfairly at the hands of others.
At the start of the play, the only person Shylock has a somewhat positive relationship with is his daughter, but by the end, he is left with nobody, and therein lies the great tragedy of his fate. As a stereotypical comedy, a lot of The Merchant of Venice is centred on the pursuit of romantic relationships in marriage. Shylock sits in direct opposition to this as he is positioned as the villain. However, as modern audiences it is almost impossible to pinpoint what exactly he has done wrong. In this sense, our response as a contemporary audience is arguably the polar opposite of Shakespeare’s 1500’s audience – where they judge Shylock as an immoral foreigner who gets what he deserves, we see him as a sympathetic figure, constantly berated by the society, judged for following his faith, and ultimately, publicly and systematically disgraced. The last we see of Shylock is a man utterly defeated – the Duke asks whether Shylock is “content” with these life-destroying terms of the new contract, and Shylock can only say “I am contented” despite this being far from true. His acceptance of his fate marks his surrender to Venetian society as he no longer believes a just outcome is possible for a man who is so reviled and dehumanised in the eyes of his peers.
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The Merchant of Venice
Sample Essay
The play The Merchant of Venice is, believe it or not, mostly set in Venice and focuses on a merchant, Antonio. This merchant is asked by his close friend Bassanio to take out a loan of 3000 ducats for him from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender.
Shylock is hesitant about the loan but eventually they all agree on a set of terms: if the loan is not paid within the designated time, Shylock will be able to take one pound of Antonio’s flesh in lieu of the money he is owed. Bassanio uses the money to win the hand of Portia, a rich young lady living in the nearby town of Belmont. Portia’s marriage is to be decided by a test her father designed before he passes away. The text involves making suitors choose one of three caskets – one gold, one silver, and one lead – each with a cryptic inscription, and whoever chooses the correct casket will earn the right to wed Portia. Bassanio is successful in this endeavour, choosing the lead casket and “hazard[ing] all he hath,” and so they get married.
Simultaneously, Shylock’s daughter Jessica runs away with Lorenzo, who is one of Bassanio and Antonio’s associates. She also steals an immense amount of valuables from her father, leaving Shylock enraged and wishing she were dead so he could reclaim the money she stole. Just as this happens, we find out that all of Antonio’s business deals have fallen through; he is running out of money and has been arrested as he was unable to repay Shylock’s loan in time. Since Shylock assumes Antonio must have known about his friend Lorenzo’s plan to steal these valuables, Shylock decides to seek revenge by carrying out the terms of the loan and demanding to “have the heart of him” as his pound of flesh.
Portia and her maid Nerissa send Bassanio off with the money so he can help Antonio, but the two of them also procure lawyer’s clothes and go to Venice, unbeknownst to him. There, Portia takes part in the hearing between Shylock and Antonio as a legal assistant. She finds a loophole that saves his life and has Shylock indicted for attempting to kill a Venetian instead. She and Nerissa take their own wedding rings from their husbands as payment for their work and pretend to be infuriated at them for giving away the wedding rings when they all return home. Once they unveil the truth, the play closes with all three newlywed couples celebrating.
Is The Merchant of Venice an anti-Semitic play?
This question will no doubt be something you discuss in class, and it is an issue that has vexed Shakespearean scholars for hundreds of years. Before we go any further, we’ll present you with the approach this Text Guide will take, although you are highly encouraged to form your own interpretations and challenge what we’ve presented here based on your own reading of the text.
The Merchant of Venice has irrefutably anti-Semitic elements. The depiction of Shylock as “the villain Jew” and overtly emphasising racist stereotypes may be startling to modern readers, but this was the product of Shakespeare playing upon the prejudices that were commonplace in Elizabethan society at the time. This of course does not excuse this portrayal, and you may side with some critics such as Howard Bloom in concluding that the whole play is “profoundly anti-Semitic” because of this.
However, this Text Guide will argue that the play presents these elements in a way that invites audiences to critically examine them. Shylock is not a superficial villain, nor are the other characters portrayed as moral heroes for mistreating him. That said, the play is far from sensitive or tactful in dealing with matters of religion and social prejudice, and there are quite a few lines that wouldn’t fly with contemporary audiences, hence why Merchant is not as popular or performed as often as Shakespeare’s other plays.
Ultimately, the play is a product of its time, so rather than dismissing it as irredeemably racist, this Text Guide will critique the values Shakespeare portrays and endorses. Below are some links for further reading on this topic. There are a variety of views expressed here, and as always, you should read widely to form your own.
- Ambrosino, B. “Four Hundred Years Later, Scholars Still Debate Whether Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice Is Anti-Semitic”. Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Apr. 2016. Available from: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-scholars-still-debate-whether-or-not-shakespeares- merchant-venice-anti-semitic-180958867/
- Croucher, R. “Shylock and anti-semitism – reflections on the 70th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights”. Australian Human Rights Commission, 5 Jul. 2018. Available from: https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/speeches/shylock-and-anti-semitism-reflections-70th- anniversary-universal-declaration - O’Rourke, J. “Racism and Homophobia in The Merchant of Venice”. ELH, vol. 70, no. 2, 2003. pp.375-397. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/30029881Sebag-Montefiore, C. “If a Shakespeare play is racist or antisemitic, is it OK to change the ending?” The Guardian, 3 Nov. 2017. Available from:
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/nov/03/if-a-shakespeare-play-is-racist-or-antisemitic-is-it- ok-to-change-the-ending - Wilson, R.J. “Censorship, Anti-Semitism, and The Merchant of Venice”. The English Journal, vol. 86,
no. 2, 1997. pp. 43-45. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/819672
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