If I was directing this play I would portray Shylock as a victim because I think that Shylock is the victim in the play and not Antonio. I think that Antonio deserves his revenge against Antonio as Antonio humiliated in front of everyone even though Shylock had done nothing to him. I also think that Shylock was trying to reform the way Jewish people were treated by Christians. He wanted to other Jews to stand up against the Christians and I think that the contract was the only way to do s without breaking the Christian law.
I would direct the trial scene to make Shylock look like the victim. I would set the stage out with the duke in the centre of the stage at a higher level than everyone to show that he has the highest authority. On the right side of the stage there would be a witness box where Antonio would sit behind him would be a crowd of his supporters. On the left side of the stage would be a witness box where Shylock would stand alone, without any supporter, showing that the trial is unfair as there are many people against one. To show Shylock as a victim I would concentrate on the following speeches.
In act four scenes one the Duke is seen sympathising and siding with Antonio. This is a crucial part as you can see that the trial is going to be unfair as the Duke is biased and is favouring Antonio over Shylock. If I were directing this scene I would have the Duke stand up and hug Antonio while he says
“I am sorry for thee; thou art come to answer.”
He would say it in a soft comforting and sympathetic tone. He would then turn toward the door where shylock is standing on the other side. When he stays
“A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch, incapable of pity…”
he would say it with an angry and rough tone, almost grinding his teeth. He would look toward the door as if he could see right through it and could see Shylock waiting outside. I would emphasise the commas to build a dramatic effect.
Shylock is repeatedly referred to as the Jew. This shows that he is looked upon condescendingly and his identity is that he is a Jew and nothing else. To show the racism you can emphasise the word Jew. When Shylock enters the court the supporters of Antonio can start booing and jeering at him and would have to be restrained from attacking Shylock. This is effective as it helps to show the hatred against Shylock. When the Duke says
“Thou’lt show thy mercy and remorse …Thou now exact’st the penalty, which is a pound of this poor merchant’s flesh...”
He would say thou louder than other words making it sound like everything is Shylock’s fault. When he says poor merchant he could look towards Antonio sympathetically trying to show that he is victim.
Shylock is sworn at many times in the court. Gratiano calls him an inexorable dog. To show that Shylock is the victim he can look down in sadness whenever he is sworn at to show tat he is the one who is being treated unfairly. When Portia says “then the Jew must be merciful” she can lean towards Shylock, almost intimidating him and forcing him to do as she says.
When Portia offers Shylock nine thousand ducats instead of three Shylock is appalled and disgusted. He can take a step back in shock. When he says
“An oath is an oath .I have an oath in heaven.-shall I lay perjury upon my soul? No, not for Venice.”
He can spit the words out in anger, his voice would be very loud. He can raise his hands up when he says the word heaven to show that he has sworn on god himself.
When Shylock is told that half of his wealth would go to Antonio and half would go to the state he would fall to the ground. When Gratiano says
“ halter gratis; nothing else, for god’s sake!”
tears start trickling down Shylocks eyes. At this point I would have a close up of Shylock’s face to make the audience feel more sympathy towards him. I would also have a close up of Gratiano with an evil grin on his face. When Antonio tells shylock that after he dies his money would be given to his daughter and Lorenzo, Portia, the Duke, Bassanio Antonio and Gratiano can stand around him like a structure almost trapping him. Here the camera angle would be at floor height and facing upwards to show that Shylock is trapped between a high and overpowering structure. This shows that they are at an unfair advantage to Shylock who is all alone. When Shylock says “I am content” he can burst out crying as his skull cap is knocked off his head and falls to the ground. His star of David can be ripped of and thrown aside. He would be forced to kiss the cross. Here there would be a close up of Shylock’s face. All of Antonio’s supporters start cheering. As each person leaves they brush pass Shylock almost knocking him over and stepping on the star of David and kicking side his skull cap. At this point I would have Shylock moving slower, almost frozen of the characters to make the scene even more dramatic. The music would be simple and low.
As you can see Shylock is a very flexible character. He can be portrayed as a villain or as a victim. Shakespeare allows us to do this because he has written two different sides of him. In the beginning Shylock is shown as a victim of racism. However towards the end you can see Shylock as evil and greedy. Shakespeare has also written two sides to Antonio. At first he is a villain and then he is show as a victim. By directing the play as I have done I believe that I have brought out to the audience that Shylock is a victim.
