How just is the outcome of the trial scene for Shylock in the Merchant of Venice?

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Sanjoy Roy        11 Latymer

How just is the outcome of the trial scene for Shylock in the Merchant of Venice?

The trial scene of Act 4 Scene 1 is central to the whole theme of the Merchant of Venice, presenting Shylock’s case for justice. It is a transforming scene hence making the events that occur important on the impact of the whole play. Justice is the key to the whole scene so when we say just, we mean a fair and moral judgement in relation to the law. In Shylock’s viewpoint, what would be just for him is to have what he wants in the bond- a pound of flesh. Another central theme to the scene is mercy and the need for it alongside justice. The importance of mercy is referred to in this scene by the Duke and Portia in disguise. Portia describes it as ‘the gentle rain from heaven’ (line 181) as justice alone cannot bring fairness without mercy since ‘mercy seasons justice’ (line 193). So when Portia says ‘then must the Jew be merciful’ (line 178) she doesn’t mean that Shylock must show mercy by law, but by being compassionate to Antonio and to forget what he has failed to do is the only moral course of action to achieving true justice and fairness. Nevertheless, as we see in the scene, the fixity of Shylock keeps him by the letter of the law so that he can gain revenge on behalf of himself who has suffered dearly.

The whole aspect of the trial scene is to show the situation of mercy versus justice and the law. Portia, the figure representing mercy, wants to achieve both fairness and forgiveness on behalf of Antonio and Shylock yet Shylock wants the judgement based on the letter of the law because of his hatred and suffering at the hands of the Christians of Venice. We are aware from the beginning of the play of his view: ‘tell me not of mercy’ (Act 3 Scene 3). This supports the fact that he only wants justice since only justice can save him from bringing what he wants- the pound of flesh symbolising revenge and success for him. Shylock only wants his bond, hence the reason why he rejects the offering of six thousand ducats (double the original offering in the bond). His refusal to show any mercy in the trial is due to the treatment he has suffered from at the hands of the Jews, especially Antonio who ‘lends out money gratis, and brings down the rate of usance’ (Act 1 Scene 3). This frustrates Shylock’s greed as he lends out money with a high rate of interest. As well as that, he has been spat on and called a dog by Antonio, hence angering him, almost obsessively for revenge and for his bond. Bassanio could partly be blamed for Antonio’s near death experience in the trial as he squandered all his money on wild living. Nevertheless, Antonio should also be blamed in risking his own life on behalf of his very close friend so that he can get the woman of his dreams. As a result, Shylock got the upper hand over Antonio in the trial scene as not only would his death give him revenge but would also crush the Christians as Shylock is getting one over them.

As the ending shows, the outcome in the trial scene affects mainly Antonio, Shylock, Lorenzo and Jessica. Antonio, Lorenzo and Jessica benefit form the Duke’s decision as they get Shylock’s wealth from the agreement whereas Shylock gets a huge loss by changing his faith, giving away all he has to the people he hates and being deeply humiliated. This not only shows the unfairness for Shylock in the trial but also the comedy side as his defeat is essential for the play to fall into this genre. However, this defeat for Shylock will affect other parties in Venice, especially the Christians who will continue to mistreat Shylock and disgrace him in front of his other fellow Jews for what he did. Justice was what Shylock wanted and justice was what he got, as Portia herself said, ‘thou shalt have justice more than thou desirest’ (line 312). The decision was justified and was based only on the law since by not doing so, ‘many an error by the same example will rush into the state’ (line 217-218) hence showing that there was justice for Shylock in the outcome.

Shylock is portrayed as a typical figure in Venice during the 16th century. He had many features of the stereotype Jew as they were depicted as evil figures in Venetian society, lending out money with a high rate of interest and this is particularly shown in this play. Shakespeare is most likely trying to create as little sympathy for Shylock in this novel and more in the way of a savage villain, yet some critics have depicted him as a hero because of the wrongs he had suffered at the hands of the Christians. The production that was presented to us by Trevor Nunn gave us a mixture of sympathy and anger for Shylock, particularly in the key scenes of the play such as his famous ‘if you prick us’ (Act 3 Scene 1) speech, which created a sensitive feel to the way he had been treated and the trial scene, which showed Shylock at his worst. We feel angered by the way he shows very little mercy and more extremism by the way he uses the very words of the bond and continually refers to it: ‘those are the very words of the bond’ (line 250) and ‘is it so nominated in the bond’ (line 255). Also, the way he continually sharpens the knife with his shoes and come prepared with the scales shows how desperate he is to cut the flesh and well as presenting his sadistic virtues. Such extremism from Shylock in the production lost my sympathy for him since he was so vengeful and oppressive by the way he restricts a surgeon into the courtroom firstly because it is not stated in the bond and that he cruelly wants Antonio dead. However, his behaviour is most probably shaped by the way he has been treated by the Christians and his misfortunes such as the loss of his daughter and his wealth to a Christian hence influencing the way he expresses himself in the trial scene- hatred, fixity and literalness. On the other hand, his countless repetitions of the law and sticking to the very words of the bond make him sound very obsessive which is the reason why the audience is most likely to change their view on him at the end. The turnaround at the end where Shylock’s insistence on the letter of the law leads to his downfall creates comedy rather than concern for me since he was a victim of his own code of justice.

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Surprising, Shylock values more of his money than his daughter Jessica, even before her parting to a Christian, Lorenzo. He is also rather obsessive about his faith of being a Jew, which is why he refuses to eat, drink and pray with the Christians (Act 1 Scene 3) but most importantly, he does care for his wealth. This is why he expresses his grief in the trial scene when the state and Antonio will take away his possessions: ‘you take the means whereby I live’ (line 373), as he rather wants to die than lose all he has to his enemy. ...

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