Merchant of Venice Coursework

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Louis Austin                                                                             Candidate Number: 8007

“Thou call’dst me a dog before thou hadst a cause,

But since I am a dog, beware my fangs”

Does Shakespeare’s use of language present Shylock as a victim or a villain in “The Merchant of Venice?”

Throughout ‘The Merchant of Venice’, Shakespeare uses language to make Shylock appear as being both a victim and a villain in the play. The definition of a victim is an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance, and is usually made to seem innocent and vulnerable in affect to the bad deeds of others. The term villain on the other hand is a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately to inflict suffering on others. Although the two terms are contrasting, there are different sides to Shylock’s character in the play that relate to both of these definitions, and gives the reader mixed impressions as to what his personality is really portrayed being portrayed as. Shylock is shown as a villain because he attempts to kill Antonio, he abuses Jessica's freedom and cares more about his money than his daughter. He is, however, presented as misunderstood and a victim, because not only is he physically abused in the play from the way he is spat on and kicked, his business is also destabilised. A modern audience would not understand Shylock's personality as well as an Elizabethan audience, because the racial tensions between Christians and Jews throughout Shakespeare's time have been mostly resolved, and because it was written for an Elizabethan/Christian audience. As a result, it shows Christians in a forgiving light, in that their actions against Shylock, the Jew, are largely justified, both morally and in the courts.

Shakespeare first establishes the role of Shylock as a victim in Act 1 Scene 3 where he is humiliated by Antonio: “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog and spit upon my Jewish Gabardine". Antonio replies: “I am as like to call thee so, to spit on thee again, to spurn thee too". The disrespect shown to Shylock in this statement reverses the roles of the characters that William Shakespeare originally establishes in the play, for example making Antonio appear as being the villain and Shylock the victim. The fact that Shylock is being mocked mainly for being a Jew makes Antonio appear as being small-minded and racist. However the Christians in Venice are throughout the play portrayed like this to the reader, while the Jews must live together in ghettos and wear red hats to distinguish themselves in a society that persecutes Jews. As Venice was a trading city and relied on merchants like Antonio so that the city would not collapse, the profession as a merchant was much respected, and the merchants were very proud of this. On the other hand 'usurer' was a hated profession but many Jews were forced to take up this job, such as Shylock, and this may lead to Antonio feeling like he has the right to talk and treat him like he does. This fact emphasises the Jews as being a victimised minority who have no choice but to follow the rules of the Christians who treat them with very little respect.

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The way in which Antonio treats Shylock leaves little to wonder why he chooses to act like a villain when he comes asking him for money to allow Bassanio to meet Portia in Belmont. In this scene Shylock talks to himself about his hatred for Antonio, feeding the audience’s early impressions of Shylock that he is a villain and iniquitous: “ I hate him for he is a Christian (…) I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear against him. He hates our sacred nation, and he rails.” Racism against religions is emphasised in this quotation, and basically tells the ...

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