In looking at the relationship between and , we are again forced to walk a fine line between sympathizing with and despising Shylock. For all intents and purposes, the play should show how Shylock’s mistreatment by his own daughter as richly deserved. After all, he is spiteful, petty, and mean, and in most of his evil moments, it is hard to imagine why Jessica should stay. At other times, however, Jessica’s escape seems like another cruel circumstance inflicted on Shylock, and her behaviour offstage borders on heartless. Shylock is never more sympathetic than when he bemoans the fact that Jessica has taken a ring given to him in his bachelor days by his wife and has traded it for a monkey, the most precious object Shylock had. Nor is Jessica ever able to produce satisfactory evidence that life in her father’s house is miserable. While Shylock is no saint, his resolve to collect his debt only seems to strengthen beyond reason after he discovers that Jessica has fled.
Salerio and Solanio discuss the rumours that yet another of Antonio’s ships has been wrecked. They are joined by Shylock who accuses them of having helped Jessica escape. The two Venetians proudly take credit for their role in Jessica’s elopement Shylock curses his daughter’s rebellion, to which Salerio responds, “There is more difference between thy flesh and hers than between jet and ivory” (III.i.32–33). Salerio then asks Shylock whether he can confirm the rumours of Antonio’s lost vessels. Shylock replies that Antonio will soon be bankrupt and swears to collect his bond. Salerio doubts Shylock’s resolve, wondering what the old man will do with a pound of flesh, to which Shylock chillingly replies that Antonio’s flesh will at least feed his revenge. In a short monologue, Shylock says Antonio has mistreated him solely because Shylock is a Jew, but now Shylock is determined to apply the lessons of hatred and revenge that Christian intolerance has taught him so well.
Salerio and Solanio head off to meet with Antonio, just as , a friend of Shylock’s and a Jew, enters. Tubal announces that he cannot find Jessica. Shylock rants against his daughter, and he wishes her dead as he bemoans his losses. He is especially embittered when Tubal reports that Jessica has taken a ring—given to Shylock in his bachelor days by a woman named Leah, presumably Jessica’s mother—and has traded that ring for a monkey. Shylock’s spirits brighten, however, when Tubal reports that Antonio’s ships have run into trouble and that Antonio’s creditors are certain Antonio is ruined.
Shakespeare conveys the importance of Antonio in the first fourteen lines by talking about Antonio’s ships and what is going on with them. Shylock hears about Antonio’s boats, and how they may be lost at sea, this fills shylock with pleasure as he would like to see Antonio fail and it also worries him that he will not get his “three thousand ducats,” this fills him with rage and he plans his malicious vengeance, which he threatened Antonio in a previous scene to take 1 pound of flesh from Antonio if he fails to repay him the money.
Does this therefore make it seem that Shakespeare is presenting shylock as a violent vengeful man as deliberately suggesting racial prejudice, or has he just coincidently made a Jewish man make threats and seem the violent type? I believe that this is no coincidence, as Jews have been persecuted all through history.
In Shakespeare’s day there were great racial prejudices against Jews, mainly due to what Christians didn’t know about Jews. They were feared because they were different from Christians in many ways; there different religious beliefs, the food they ate and the way they looked, this included clothes, hairstyles and facial features. Their darker skin and their larger noses often distinguished Jews.
In line 30 Salerio deliberately calls Shylock the devil, during a conversation where Solanio, Salerio and Shylock are discussing the topic of Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, running away with a Christian man to get married, take Shylock’s money and convert to a Christian herself. Salerio says, “That’s certain- if the devil may be her judge,” the devil referring to Shylock. Shylock is over obsessed with money, but that is my judgment, as in lines 76-88; shylock suggests he would rather have his daughter dead with his jewels in her ear, rather than him losing his money this to me makes shylock once again out to be the bad character. When Shylock makes his speech once he has found out about the ships in act 3 scene1, we see him as a villain as in the first 3 lines as he talks about how he wants revenge over Antonio, the speech then carries on to show why he wants revenge on Antonio because he explains his true feelings.
'What's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jews eyes? Hath not a Jews hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons'
It is as though Shylock has been keeping this all locked up and then let it out, he is trying to say that we all eat the same food and all have the same emotions and just because they are of different religions it doesn't mean they are different. In lines 69-70 the audience feel a great hatred towards Shylock as he says 'I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear' he would be portrayed by this as a very selfish man because the way it is said he would rather have his jewels back than his daughter. Each event makes us grow in hatred for him. I think Tubal treats Shylock appropriately as the way I see it Tubal has the 'stop just thinking about yourself' attitude that Shylock needs to realize.
“Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my
turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor:
I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.”
This quote says that the ring above was a gift from his former wife called Leah who died, above he says that he would not trade the ring for the wilderness let alone a monkey, which is what Jessica has reportedly done with it. This therefore evokes sympathy for Shylock as we feel for his because at that point Jessica is put to be in the wrong.
Act IV, scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice not only provides the climax of the play but also encapsulates all of its major themes. In this scene, the concepts of racism and justice combine to create the play's final results and to reinforce the points made through previous scenes.
Through the wave and wolf metaphors, Antonio clearly depicts Shylock as something less than human because of his "Jewish heart," and renders him incapable of pity or understanding.
The character that is most vociferous in his racism against Shylock is Gratiano. Because of his anger and resentment at Shylock's lack of mercy, Gratiano hurls several insults at Shylock, ranging from "harsh Jew" to "inexecrable dog." He also extends Antonio's comparison between Shylock and a wolf: "Thy currish spirit, Govern'd a wolf…for thy desires, Are wolvish, bloody, starv'd, and ravenous" (ll.133-138). Because of his anger and racism, Gratiano is the only person in the courtroom who urges both the duke and Antonio to have Shylock put to death immediately once the scene is resolved.
We know from Act I, scene 3, that from his first entrance into the play, Shylock hates Antonio because he is a Christian, a point which helps to motivate Shylock to revenge.
For Shylock, having mercy means that he relinquishes justice, which he is not willing to do. When Shylock asks Portia why he must be merciful, Portia replies that mercy cannot be compelled because of its divine nature and its greatness. Unfortunately for Shylock, he refuses to accede to these arguments, and continues to demand "justice."
When Portia sees that her warning to Shylock will go unheeded, she proceeds to provide the interpretation of justice to everyone in the courtroom, whether or not they agree with it. Portia awards the consequences of the deed to Shylock, despite Bassanio's plea to "do a little wrong" in overturning Venetian law. Portia does not do this because it will provide a dangerous precedent for other legal proceedings, which may result in unjust judgments later. However, when Shylock attempts to take his pound of flesh, Portia informs him that the bond makes no provision for blood or for mistakes in measurement. If Shylock takes blood (which he must), or either too little or too much flesh, he will die because of the terms of Venetian law. Portia also informs Shylock that he has violated Venetian law by seeking the life of a citizen, and Shylock's life, lands, and goods are now forfeit to the state and to the victim Antonio. This ironic situation occurs because Shylock demands the letter of the law without the mercy that should accompany it, and his deeds are now "upon his head," as he wished them to be earlier in the scene.
Although the duke and Antonio can now take vengeance for Shylock's malicious attempt to take Antonio's life without giving mercy, the concerns of Christianity mitigate their actions. Upon hearing Portia's judgment that Shylock's life and goods are at the mercy of the state, the duke takes a much different tack than Shylock: The duke pardons Shylock even though Shylock has not asked for his mercy because of the duke has learned Portia's lesson about the greatness of mercy. The duke also does not take half of Shylock's property out of mercy (although Shylock does not interpret it as such at the time). Antonio, however, does not render mercy to Shylock, but instead to his daughter Jessica and her husband Lorenzo. Instead of keeping his half of Shylock's property, he gives it to Lorenzo. He also asks the court to make Shylock convert to Christianity and to will his property at the end of his life to Lorenzo. Antonio, then, does punish Shylock for his paganism and malicious actions, but does so in a way that assists Jessica and Lorenzo and furthers the Christian theme of the play.