Merchant of Venice- is he a victim or villain

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Aamna Khan 10G

Mr. Warner         English Literature Coursework

“It seems as if Shakespeare was determined not to create a ‘stage villain’ who would always evoke a simple, hostile response. Shylock is a most complex and dominating character; he appears in only five scenes and yet for many people he is the centre of the play’s interest.”

In the light of this quotation discuss Shakespeare’s representation of the character and evaluate whether Shylock is entirely evil, a victim of persecution or a mixture of both.

In the ‘Merchant of Venice’ it can be argued that Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, undergoes a metamorphosis from victim to villain. The character has a very controversial portrayal and some what vague. However, in this essay I hope to reach a conclusion to whether or not  Shakespeare was determined to portray Shylock as a victim of persecution or a classical ‘stage villain’ who would evoke a simple and hostile response. During the course of this essay I will be considering the following aspects; the various staged productions and how through out the ages, societies interpreted Shylock’s character and the recent film adaptations of the production.

In relation to the quote, it does seem true to say that Shylock has a dominant and complex disposition. He seems to go through an emotional rollercoaster which in effect has an impact upon the audience. Shylock’s character, throughout the years of the play’s performance, has been portrayed in many different ways. Initial interpretations expressed the Jewish moneylender’s personality in the form of a ‘stage villain.’ A stage villain is a classical character who embodies negative characteristics, probably physical and psychological, which encourage negative feedback from the audience, but not be taken seriously or sympathetically. In general terms he was a figure of a pantomime. In this case, the physical features of Shylock originally consisted of a red wig, a large distorted nose and beard; this was used to capture the stereotypical Elizabethan image of Jews. At this time, the play was considered more of a comedy; however in the late 1800’s an actor called Edmund Kean changed the way Shylock was portrayed. He dramatically transformed the character making his mood change throughout the five scenes of Shylock’s appearance encouraging different attitudes from audiences; some sympathetic responses and some which evoked a hostile response. From there on, the Jew’s character was portrayed differently especially after the Second World War, if we take the historical context into consideration. During this period, there was a genocide, as we today as the Holocaust. This was the mass murder of six million Jews and ethnic minorities. To quote, an article states that ‘it is not just the personal prejudice that influence people’s behaviour, but socially and historically constructed attitudes, woven into the fabric of society’. This tells us that history can change the contemporary views of societies therefore changing the portrayal of a character that could increase the risk of accusations of racial discrimination. This would modify the degree of sympathy sought for Shylock.

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First we shall look at the aspects of the text that portray Shylock as a villain. We are first introduced to Shylock in Act I Scene iii where we learn of his usury. It is in this scene that Bassanio seeks Shylock out and asks to borrow money from him in Antonio’s name. Also in this scene do we learn of Shylock’s hatred for Antonio and the Christians: ‘ How like a fawning publican he looks! / I hate him for he is a Christian; ’ (Act I Scene iii)

Shylock also displays elements of belligerence in his refusal ...

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