“Suff ‘rance is the badge of our tribe.” This is spoken by Shylock to Antonio.
“You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
And spit upon my Jewish gabardine.”
This is also by Shylock to Antonio.
Solanio, Antonio and Lancelot also speak offensively about Shylock.
The audience feels sympathy for the victimized Shylock, and Shakespeare makes Shylock as victimized as possible in order for the audience to feel sorry for him. Shakespeare is remarkably non-prejudiced, and shows viewers a forceful statement of Jewish mistreatment through Shylock’s pleading speeches.
“If you prick us do we not bleed?
The villainy you teach I will execute.”
This shows not only that Jews are as human as Christians, but all villainy that a Jew may show or do, is a result of Christian mistreatment. This is a bold statement by Shylock, which shows that he is defiant to the Christian nobles of society and that he decided to put an end to treatment of his ‘tribe’.
Shylock and other Jews are frequently compared to the devil, and are ever labelled sorts of devils.
“The devil can cite scripture for his purpose,”
Antonio speaks of Shylock to Bassanio.
“Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnation.” Lancelot expresses his loathing for Shylock.
“Here comes another of the tribe – a third cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turns Jew.” Solanio talks to Salerio when Tubal shows up. Salerio also compares Jews and Shylock to the devil.
This comparison meant that Christians believed Jews to be the most evil of creatures, similar to the Devil.
Shakespeare uses these comparisons to bring jeers, screams for blood and cries for hate from the audience. Shylock clearly distinguished as a sort of devil by theses quotations, which were designed to make viewers despise and even fear him. Antonio and Bassanio are the heroes in the play, and therefore the crowed accepts Shylock as a villain when Antonio or Bassanio speak against him, because the enemy of a hero, is a villain.
The relationship between Shylock and Antonio is one of the most interesting aspects of the play. Shylock has a deep hate for Antonio for these main reasons. Firstly, Antonio is a Christian. Jews are hated and wronged by Christians, and have had to endure much suffering at the hand of Christians.
“He hates our sacred nation.” This is spoken by Shylock about Antonio.
Secondly, Antonio often mocks and criticises Shylock, and treats him little better than a mongrel. Shylock has been waiting patiently for his chance for revenge, and will not give up his bond, not even for ducats.
Thirdly, Antonio is very bad for Shylock’s business of money-lending because Antonio lends out money without interest, therefore limiting Shylock’s profit.
“You that did void your void your rheum upon my beard,
And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur.”
Shylock says to Antonio.
“What if my house was troubled by a rat,
And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducats
To have it baned? What are you answered yet?”
Shylock speaks to Antonio.
“I am very glad of it. I’ll plague him. I’ll torture him. I am glad.”
Shylock is eager to get his revenge on Antonio when speaking to Tubal.
Shylock compares Antonio to a rat that he would pay a substantial amount of money to poison. He would do this because he hates the rat and wants revenge on it. Antonio is like the rat to Shylock because he troubles him, and is like a disease brought upon his ‘home’ meaning the City of Venice.
When Shylock is glad of Antonio’s lose, he is extremely excited about finally getting his revenge, knowing that he has waited, tolerantly and patiently, for a chance to kill Antonio.
Shakespeare makes it clear then that Shylock will not settle for anything other than other than Antonio’s fair flesh’, and his bond.
“I’ll have my bond, speak not against my bond.” Shylock speaks to Antonio.
“If every ducat in six thousand ducats
Were in six parts and every part a ducat,
I would not draw them: I would have my bond!”
Shylock is stubborn and determined not to give in when Bassanio offers him six thousand ducats.
Shylock is greatly affected with the first of his great losses, his daughter, Jessica, who ran off with a Christian, along with his money and jewels. This may be the turning point in the Jew’s luck, the first step to his downfall. Shylock is unbelievably angry with Jessica, and even more so when the expensive search party cannot find her. He expresses his hate of her to Tubal, and how hearing of his news is like being stabbed with a dagger.
“I would my daughter dead at my feet, and the jewels in her ears!”
Shylock vents his anger to Tubal.
“I’d rather she married one of the villains Barabbas’s line than a Christian!”
Shylock says to himself during the trial.
This shows that Shylock is ashamed and feels betrayed by his daughter for eloping with one of those who he hates. Barabbas was a murderous, infamous Jew in Jesus’ time. Shylock has the lowest regard for Christians.
Jessica and Shylocks relationship is unique and fragile. Although Shylock is oblivious to his daughter’s regrets of being Jewish, Jessica plays to elope and give Shylock up as a father. Jessica falls in love with a Christian, Lorenzo, and has a completely different view of Christians to her father. Jessica is embarrassed and apologetic to those who Shylock has mistreated. Shylock’s daughter is not proud to be Jewish and is ashamed of her family and her father. She would like to become Christian and leave Shylock. This suggests that Shylock is a villain, because even his own daughter thinks badly of him, his own flesh and blood rejects him.
“And if my fortune be not crost, I have a father, you a daughter, lost.” Jessica speaks after Shylock leaves.
“Our house is hell.” Jessica talks to Lancelot.
“What heinous sin is in me?
To be ashamed to be a daughter to his blood.”
Jessica thinks aloud to her self.
Jessica, however, sees herself and is seen completely different to her father.
“But I thought I am a daughter to his blood. I am not to his manners.” Jessica talks alone.
“There’s more difference between your flesh and his
Than between jet and ivory.”
Salerio agues with Shylock.
“She’s more Gentile than Jew!”
Gratiano speaks to Lorenzo.
“If a Christian did not play the knave and get thee,
I am very much deceived.”
Lancelot says farewell to Jessica.
Shakespeare shows that people of that time assumed that the kind and beautiful were Christians, and had a different view of other races and religions.
By the end of the play, Shylock has lost everything, he is a ruined man. Although he is made to give half of his wealth to Antonio, and the other half to the Christian that his daughter ran off with, the final insult is to have to convert to Christianity. Shylock is shattered by this, and it is at that point that we know that he has fallen from a position of power.
“You take my life, when you do take the means whereby I live.”
Shylock pleads with Portia in the trial. This portrays Shylock is a victim, because he only wanted to honour his bond, but also a villain, because he is getting what he deserves for trying to kill a Christian, who would have been seen as the hero in Shakespeare’s time.
“A halter gratis- nothing else, for Gods sake!”
Gratiano begs Antonio to give him mercy by giving Shylock a noose to hang himself. He does this mockingly.
During the trial scene the audience feel more blood-thirsty than sympathetic, though they feel both. At this point Shakespeare’s audience would have been screaming for Shylocks blood, and it wouldn’t have been unusual if they had been sympathetic for him just minutes before.
Shylock looses all because he risked all, and there is a harsh punishment for trying to take a Christians life. Shylock is a very religious man, but also very stubborn and determined.
“An oath, an oath, I have an oath in heaven.
Shall I lay perjury upon my soul? No, not for Venice.” Shylock makes it clear to Portia that he won’t let Antonio off the bond.
“By my soul I swear. There is no power in the tongue of man to alter me.”
Shylock promises this to Portia.
This shows that Shylock would not go back on his bond, not even for Venice. But although he has religious morals, when he is thwarted by Portia, he is so shattered and appalled that he forgets about fulfilling his bond and laying perjury upon his soul, because he has broke his oath made in Heaven. This may show that he is a broken man, forgetting about his beloved religion, which would make him into a victim. On the other hand, he may not be as religious as he seems, and would rather give up his religion than be persecuted for killing a Christian (because he would spill Antonio’s blood). This could portray him as a villain because he has turned his back on his faith in order to protect himself. It also shows that what Shylock has just said about ‘An oath in heaven’ and ‘laying perjury on his soul’ did not mean enough in the end to keep to the bond himself.
Overall, I think that it is very hard to categorise Shylock as either a villain or victim, because he plays both the villain and is victimised. But I think that Shylock is more villainous than victimised, because of his unstoppable thirst for Antonio’s blood, although it is true that Shylock was treated badly, racially abused and insulted all of his life. Shakespeare doesn’t create an obvious distinction between Shylocks villainy, or his victimisation. It is almost impossible to distinguish Shakespeare’s views only Jews, since he portrays them as evil, scheming, deceitful villains, as well as abused and suffering victims. Shakespeare seems to have written The Merchant of Venice with an unbiased view, which perhaps makes the play even more dramatic. Making Shylock both a villain and a victim draws hatred, as well as sympathy from the crowd, making them feel all extremes of their emotions. Shakespeare used this in all of his plays, which may partially explain his outstanding success as a playwright.