Merchant of Venice - Comparing and Contrasting Antonio and Shylock

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Comparing and Contrasting Antonio and Shylock

The play is mostly built on racism against Jews around 1290 when Jews were expelled from England. “The Merchant of Venice” is one of Shakespeare’s most accessible plays. The play is a comedy, however a modern audience consider it a tragic-comedy, and the play has an underlying plot of considerable moral dimension. This is because a Shakespearean audience would have believed that prejudice against Jews was acceptable, and would have believed “The Merchant of Venice” to be funny, a Jew who seems to have everything and at the end looses everything. Today, however it would believed to be a tragic-comedy because anti-Semitism is not acceptable and jokes against Jews would not be considered as funny. There are three main characters, portrayed in ways uncharacteristic of Elizabethan times: Antonio the wealthy merchant, Shylock the greedy usurer and the heiress Portia.

Antonio is an ideal friend and is idolised within the community he is a wealthy man. He also lends money but does not charge interest. Antonio hates Shylock but not purely because he is a Jew. He disagrees with Antonio’s money lending to make interest. He irritates Shylock because he helps people pay off their debts to Shylock before they have to have a forfeit.

Shylock, on the other hand, is a money obsessed usurer. He charges great amounts of interest and if it is not paid off by the due date he demands forfeits. He is portrayed in three different lights. The first as a villain, secondly a victim of racial taunts and third as a comedian laughing back at the Christians. Shylock’s character was based on Barabas, the main character in Marlowe’s ‘Jew of Malta’. Some critics say that Shakespeare copied his idea.

Shylock however is a money obsessed usurer. He charges vast amounts of interest and if it is not paid off in time then Shylock will charge forfeits. Shylock is portrayed in three different lights, the first as a villain; secondly a victim of racial taunts, and thirdly a comedian laughing back at all the Christians. Shylocks character was based on Barabas the main character in Marlowe’s “Jew of Malta”. Some critics say that Shakespeare copied his idea.

The first scene in the play opens with Antonio’s sadness, his vast amounts of friends are all curious as to why he is sad.

“In sooth I know not why I am sad”.

This immediately gives the audience a sense of negativity and curiosity to find out why he is sad. Shakespeare uses a good technique he is intriguing the audience within the first line of the play. Antonio is also surrounded by the majority of his close friends. This shows that the sadness must be great, if his friends cannot distract him from his worries. It also gives the audience an impression on how popular he is within the community.

Antonio is worried about his ships that are out at sea. Solerio and Solario tell Antonio not to worry. His ships will be fine; but they warn him of the dangers of the ocean,

“Your mind is tossing on the ocean”.

Shakespeare is using a metaphor to show the audience that Antonio’s mind is “tossing” like the waves in the ocean. The writer uses this image to show the audience exactly how Antonio is feeling. Antonio is so sad that his ships could crash and Antonio could be left with nothing. Antonio cannot bare to think about what is happening to his ships. 

Bossanio, Antonio’s dearest friend of all, enters the scene. He does not ask Antonio why he is sad. He comes straight in and asks to borrow money from Antonio. Antonio would do anything for Bossanio. Therefore, he says,

“Try what my credit can in Venice do”.

This shows that Antonio would do anything for Bossanio. He will try to get as much money as he can for Bossanio to travel to Belmont to seek his true love, Portia. In the past Bossanio has borrowed money from Antonio and he still owes money, but Antonio does not mind. He wants Bossanio to be happy. Antonio finishes the scene promising he will get the money for Bossanio, no matter what. This shows a great deal about Antonio’s character. It shows a Shakespearean audience exactly how a heroic Christian should be played; no matter how much money Bassanio owes, Antonio still wants Bassanio to go and seek his love even though it will break Antonio’s heart to see him leave. He knows that his friend’s happiness is more important than his own.

Shylock appears for the first time in the play in Scene 3, Act 1. The scene opens with a meeting between Shylock and Bossanio. Shylock is portrayed as a cautious business man.

“Three thousand ducats for three months – and Antonio bound”.

 This shows that Shylock is being cautious; he is showing that he is prepared to offer money for a certain amount of time.  Bossanio pleads with Shylock, but Shylock teases. Shylock enjoys having the power, this shows that Shylock is being very business like, but Antonio will sign the bound. This may also show that Shylock is plotting revenge and expecting them to fail. This shows the power that Shylock has.

Shylock now speaks a soliloquy to the audience. He says,

“I hate him for he is a Christian.”

This shows the audience that Shylock is a racist. However it also shows the audience that Shylock is a hypocrite because Shylock becomes very angry and upset when people are prejudice towards him, but he is prejudice against Christians but seems to have no problems with this. It also demonstrates his great hatred of Antonio. The audience now sees Shylock in another light, a mean and villainous Jew. He thinks Antonio is a fawning publican. This is ironic because the audience have seen Shylock be extremely nice to Antonio and Bassanio to their faces, but in Shylocks soliloquy he talks about how much he hates them. When talking to Bassanio about Antonio he says that Antonio is a good man, but when talking about him now he says that he hates him purely because he is a Christian. 

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In the first meeting between Antonio and Shylock, Shakespeare emphasises the contrast between the characters immediately. Shylock says,

“Rest you fair, good signor.” (Bows to Antonio)

As a first time viewer of the play, Shylock would appear to be very two-faced, In the soliloquy he speaks about how much he hates Antonio and yet when speaking fact to face he is extremely nice, and even bows to him. However, after studying the play Shakespeare is showing the audience that Shylock is being sarcastic and almost laughing in Antonio’s face. He enjoys having power over Antonio. This is ...

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