In Belmont, Portia and Bassanio are instantly attracted to each other. Bassanio chooses the Lead casket, which is the correct casket after Portia sings a song for him with the words in it rhyming with Lead. Portia gives Bassanio her ring and makes him promise never to part with it. Also Gratiano and Nerissa, Portia’s maid, have also fallen in love and she also gives him her ring on the same terms.
Lorenzo and Jessica arrive, bringing a letter from Antonio saying that all is lost. Portia quickly arranges a speedy wedding and then sends the two husbands back to Venice with an offer of several times the Original loan.
Lorenzo and Jessica are left to look after the house as Portia and Nerissa pretend to go to a religious retreat to pray for the success of their husbands. In reality, they are going to Venice, with Lawyers robes and Legal advice from one of Portia’s cousins, Bellario.
Antonio has been allowed to visit Shylock from gaol to try and persuade him to be lenient. Shylock, however, is having none of it as he is bent on having his revenge.
In court, Antonio casts a sorry figure, he makes it clear that there is no way that Shylock will change his mind and has psychologically resigned himself to his fate. He knows that the law cannot be altered for one man’s convenience.
After appealing in vain to Shylock, Portia confirms the law.
Shylock has all of his apparatus with him and ready prepared. At the last moment just before he is about to kill Antonio, Portia points out that he is not to spill any blood, and that he must take only a pound of flesh, no more, no less. If he breaks this rule then Shylock must die. Also, he has tried to kill a Venetian citizen, so half of his goods must go to his intended victim and the other half of his goods to the state. The Duke now has control over whether Shylock lives or dies, he spares his life. Antonio gives his half of the goods to Jessica and Lorenzo. Shylock must also become a Christian.
As the lawyer and clerk, the only gifts that Portia and Nerissa want are the rings that they gave to their husbands under an oath. They get them.
At Belmont, Portia and Nerissa soon clear up the misunderstandings over the rings, Lorenzo and Jessica are delighted with their fortune, and Antonio discovers that all of his ships came safely to Harbour.
Elizabethans viewed Jews very differently to how we view them nowadays. We see Jews in a different light after World War 2 and the Holocaust. Nowadays there isn’t as much anti-Semitism as there would have been in Elizabethan times, we usually feel sorry for Jews rather than be nasty to them.
However, we still stereotype Jews, we typically think of Jews as having “big noses” and being “tight fisted” with their moneys.
Apart from this we are more sympathetic nowadays towards Jews than they would have been in Elizabethan times. We would have more sympathy with Shylock in the play, in Elizabethan times there wouldn’t have been a lot of sympathy at all.
The first Scene that I am going to look at in detail is Act 1 Scene 3.
The scene starts off with Bassanio and Shylock discussing the loan. They have obviously been talking for some time before as Shylock seems to be contemplating when the scene starts. “Three thousand ducats – well.” This suggests that Shylock is considering the terms of the bond. Shylock is running over the terms of the bond. Bassanio is trying to seal the bond and get the money.
Shylock is drawing it all out; he knows Bassanio wants to get the money as soon as possible, so he is repeating everything Bassanio says to drag it out. He is enjoying the power that he has over Bassanio.
The main section of this scene is Shylock’s speech. In this speech he uses a lot repetition to add emphasis on certain words.
In the speech Shylock is saying how Antonio has treated him badly. He says “many a time and oft In the Rialto you have rated me”. This means that Antonio has called him names. When he says “rated me” he means that Antonio has put him down, as though he is a lesser person.
This speech is the first chance that Shylock has had a chance to say anything to Antonio and he says everything that he has to say!
He uses many different techniques in this speech to try and make the audience feel sympathy towards him. He uses examples of Antonio being nasty to him personally, or to other Jews, he tries to make it out that Jews are treated as second – class citizens. He uses Sarcasm and Repetition also.
Shylock is basically saying in this speech that he and all of his fellow Jews are mistreated. He refers to himself and his fellow Jews as a “tribe” to further emphasise their outsider status. He uses plenty of Repetition on words such as “You” and “Me” to emphasise his view that he is in the right and Antonio is in the wrong.
An actor would place emphasis on these words to portray this view. For instance, in the phrase “you call me misbeliever,” the actor would extend the words “you” and “me” and possibly say them a bit louder to victimise Shylock and criminalise Antonio.
Shylock even manages to recall an incident in which Antonio was nasty to him, he says “fair sir you spat on me Wednesday last”. Here, he is poking fun at Antonio whilst victimising himself at the same time. Also, “fair sir” would be said sarcastically.
He is constantly attacking Antonio all the way through the speech. He twists around what Antonio has said about him and throws it back into his face. For instance he says “You call me misbeliever, cut throat dog” and later on in the speech he says, “Hath dog money”.
Shakespeare also uses a lot of rhetorical questions in Shylock’s speeches; they help to emphasise the pain that Shylock feels.
This speech would make the audience feel a great deal of sympathy for Shylock, not only has he been mistreated, but so have all of his Jewish “tribe”. They have been spat on, spurned and called “dogs”. Any audience would feel a tremendous amount of sympathy for Shylock. Any actor would have to play this part to the full to get the full sympathy of the audience.
Antonio’s response to Shylock’s speech seems quite blunt. He says, “I am as like to call thee so again, to spit on thee, to spurn thee too”. With these two lines Antonio has shown us that he is not in the slightest affected by what Shylock has to say. Antonio has just shrugged off what Shylock said. He is basically saying that he is likely to call Shylock names, spit on him and spurn him again.
He goes on to say “If thou wilt lend this money, lend it not as to thy friends,” then he says “but rather lend it to thine enemy”. He is suggesting to Shylock that they keep the loan as a business deal and nothing else.
The audience would be completely shocked after this. Instead of getting the expected apology from Antonio they get a blunt, cold reply. The actor playing Shylock would, at this time, be surprised, as Shylock would have been expecting an apology, yet Antonio shows no remorse.
The next scene I will examine is Act 3 Scene 1.
In this scene, we see Shylock, along with his fellow Jews Salerio and Solanio. They are discussing the flight of Shylock’s daughter. The conversation suddenly turns to the topic of Antonio when Shylock gets angry.
This is where we see Shylock’s revenge speech. Shylock is by this time very distressed.
Shylock begins by reminding us that everyone in Venice is all human. “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?” He is saying here that if a Jew and a Christian are both human beings then, why should they be treated any differently?
At the beginning of Shylock’s speech the audience would certainly feel sympathy for the Jew; he has been wronged many a time by the Christians. He has been wronged so much, and his right to fair treatment neglected so much by the Christians that he must remind them that he has “hands, organs, dimensions, senses”. But he soon turns.
Shylock delivers this speech in a way which would not be expected, he attempts not to rise above his Venetian tormentors, but he lowers himself to their level, he vows to act as villainously as they have. He says “if a Jew wrong a Christian then … by Christian example? Why revenge”. This shows us that Shylock is ready to perform the unthinkable to Antonio and that, if given the chance, kill Antonio. This changes our view of Shylock completely, we see him as a cold – blooded killer instead of the gentle Jew we had so much sympathy for.
An Actor playing Shylock would be full of emotion, Shylock is at this time very emotional, and his voice would be very loud, yet the tone would fluctuate from sentence to sentence, perhaps pausing on important words. An actor would vary the volume of his voice. Also the actor would be storming about and waving his arms about angrily, perhaps performing stabbing actions in the last sentences.
The language in this speech is very particular; Shylock uses lots of rhetorical questions. These signify the similarities between Jews and Christians; through these we see that Jews and Christians are indeed alike.
The last Scene I am going to Examine is Act 4 Scene 1
In this scene we see the court convening for Antonio’s trial. The duke of Venice greets Antonio and expresses pity for him, calling Shylock an inhuman monster who can summon neither pity nor mercy. Antonio says he knows the duke has done all that he can to lawfully counter Shylock’s malicious intentions, and that since nothing else can be done, Antonio will respond to Shylock’s rage “with a quietness of spirit”. The Duke brings Shylock into the courtroom and says “that thou but leadest…the last hour of act”. The duke is saying that no – one believes that Shylock will actually go through with it.
Shylock counterattacks with “If you deny it, let the danger light upon your charter and your city’s freedom.” Shylock is saying that should the court deny him his right, the city’s very laws and freedoms will be forfeit.
Shylock offers no explanation other than he hates Antonio.
Bassanio, who has arrived from Belmont, tries to argue with Shylock to no avail. Shylock will not relinquish his pound of flesh.
News then arrives that a messenger from Dr Bellario has arrived and Salerio runs off to fetch him.
In this section of the scene, the audience would be captivated by the pure evil emanating from Shylock. They would be horrified and hoping for the Jew to relinquish his hold on Antonio.
An actor playing Shylock would be very confident at this time, sitting high in his chair, and talking loudly, Shylock at this time believes he has won the court case and is set on killing Antonio.
Portia then enters disguised as Balthasar, the clerk sent by Bellario. The duke greets her and asks whether she is familiar with the circumstances of the case. Portia answers that she knows the case well, and the duke calls Shylock and Antonio before her. Portia asks Antonio if he admits to owing Shylock money. When Antonio answers yes, Portia concludes that the Jew must be merciful.
This is where Portia makes her speech. “The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath… It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings; It is an attribute to God himself, And earthly power doth then show likest God’s When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, Though justice be thy plea, consider this: That in the course of justice none of us Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy, And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy.
This is Portia’s most important speech in the whole play, she is telling Shylock of the value of Mercy. Alas, Shylock will have none of it and shrugs it off, to which Portia asks whether Antonio is able to pay the sum of the loan, To which Bassanio offers double the sum.
At this time the audience would be dumbfounded, they can see that the clerk is in fact Portia in disguise, but none of the other characters seem to have noticed.
Shylock would be confident at this point still, but growing impatient, as he wants to kill Antonio.
This is when the court suddenly turns against Shylock, as Antonio is stripped to the waist and Shylock is about to cut, Portia points out that he is not to spill one drop of blood, and that he is to take exactly a pound of flesh, no more, no less. The forfeit for this will be death. Portia then points out that Shylock has indeed tried to kill a Venetian citizen, directly or indirectly, but he has still tried, for which the forfeit is one half of his goods to the intended victim and the other half going to the state. The Duke spares his life but Antonio is then to finish him off by commanding that he become a Christian.
At this point Shylock is suddenly a broken man, he has gone from slavemaster to slave in a matter of seconds. An actor would be broken, on the floor, sobbing, unable to move, he must fully portray the hurt that comes with losing everything that you have except for life. This is when the actor must portray Shylock as a broken man, not as a devil.
The Audience would be cheering, as they would now have no sympathy for Shylock whatsoever, they have seen him try to kill Antonio and he has lost.
In Conclusion, Shakespeare is trying to portray Shylock as a human being who has lost everything. Shylock is a man who has lost his daughter, his money and his pride. Shakespeare Portrays him as both villainous and humane.
Shakespeare shows us that every man has the willingness to kill. Shakespeare gives us unmistakably human moments, but he often steers us against Shylock as well, painting him as a miserly, cruel, and prosaic figure.
