THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
With reference to Act Four scene one examine the interaction between
Shylock and Portia. How does Shakespeare use the characters to
manipulate the audience? Does he present Shylock as a victim or a
villain?
Written sometime between 1596 and 1598,by Shakespeare The Merchant of
Venice is classified as both an early Shakespearean comedy and as one
of the Bard's problem plays; it is a work in which good triumphs over
evil, but serious themes are looked at and some issues remain
unresolved.
The play is about Antonio, a Venetian merchant, who complains to his
friends that he feels a sadness which he cannot explain. His friend
[1]Bassanio is desperately in need of money to court [2]Portia, a
wealthy young woman who lives in the city of Belmont. Bassanio asks
[3]Antonio for a loan in order to travel in style to Portia's estate.
Antonio agrees, but is unable to make the loan himself because his own
money is all invested in ships that are still at sea. Antonio suggests
that Bassanio secure the loan from one of the city's moneylenders in
Antonio's name.
In Belmont, Portia expresses sadness over the terms of her
father's will, which stipulates that she must marry the man who
correctly chooses one of three caskets.
In Venice, Antonio and Bassanio approach [4]Shylock, a
Jewish moneylender, for a loan. Shylock has a long-standing grudge
against Antonio, who has made a habit of criticizing Shylock and other
Jews for loaning money at large rates of interest, and undermines
their business by offering interest-free loans. Although Antonio
refuses to apologise for his behaviour, Shylock acts agreeably and
offers to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats with no interest.
Shylock adds, however, that should the loan go unpaid, Shylock will be
entitled to a pound of Antonio's own flesh. Despite Bassanio's
warnings, Antonio agrees.
In Shylock's own household, his servant [5]Lancelot
decides to leave Shylock's service to work for Bassanio, and Shylock's
daughter [6]Jessica schemes to run off with Antonio's friend
[7]Lorenzo. That night, Jessica escapes with Lorenzo by dressing as
his page. After a night of celebration, Bassanio and his friend
[8]Graziano leave for Belmont, where Bassanio intends to win Portia's
hand.
The climax of the play occurs in act four, scene one where
Shylock brings Antonio to court to exact his revenge on the Christian
and receive his bond. At this time in Venice Jews were extremely
prejudiced against so this kind of treatment towards Shylock would
have been seen as acceptable.
The Merchant of Venice has been labelled an anti-Semitic
play by some, but this is not the only way to look at it. The
character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play.
He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who,
outwardly, seems like a good Christian. The story, however, is much
deeper than this. Shakespeare gives reasons for Shylock's actions- if
they are acts of ...
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prejudiced against so this kind of treatment towards Shylock would
have been seen as acceptable.
The Merchant of Venice has been labelled an anti-Semitic
play by some, but this is not the only way to look at it. The
character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play.
He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who,
outwardly, seems like a good Christian. The story, however, is much
deeper than this. Shakespeare gives reasons for Shylock's actions- if
they are acts of hatred, it is not unfounded hatred. Instead, it is
clear that the Antonio has given Shylock ample reason to seek revenge.
Further, many of the Christian characters exhibit the same behaviours
which they persecute Shylock for. Upon looking at Shylock's motives
and the actions of the Christians in the play, it is not Shylock's
Jewishness which is being criticised, but the hypocrisy shown by the
Christian characters.
The normal first reaction to Shylock's character is that he is cruel
and evil because of his un-Christian hatred for Antonio. However, it
is actually Antonio who shows an unfounded hatred. Shylock does admit
to hating Antonio for being a Christian, but he adds that his hatred
really comes from reasons other than religion. Antonio drives down the
interest rates in town by lending money without interest; he knowingly
takes away the only livelihood which Shylock is allowed.
Antonio spits and kicks Shylock whenever he comes in contact with him,
"You call me a misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish
gabardine ..."
He gives no reason for this. Antonio, who later criticizes
Shylock for his hatred, proves a hypocrite because he hates Shylock
without reason, and in doing so, gives Shylock reason to return this
hatred.
Shylock is portrayed as a greedy character in the play yet, the
Christians in the play are in no position to judge him in this
respect. Lorenzo seems every bit as concerned with Shylock's ducats as
he is with Jessica. He explains the plan to Gratiano, "She hath
directed me how I shall take her from her father's house what gold
and jewels she is furnish'd with."
Though Antonio seems generous, lending his money to close friends,
other Christian characters are not. Bassanio admits in the first act
that he is in debt because he lives off of loans from others. His
greed is of an even worse nature than Shylock's because he repays it
through foolish means by borrowing without repaying. Even his love
interest in Portia seems strongly tied to her wealth. His first
argument to Antonio as to why he should attempt to win Portia is based
on money. He says, "In Belmont is a lady richly left..." He then
talks about her other qualities, but it is her wealth which has
obviously caught his attention, we gain gather from this that he is a
shallow and selfish person who is only interested in benefiting
himself.
Therefore the audience cannot accuse Shylock of being
greedy without also pointing out the same greed in the Christian
characters.
When Salerio questions Shylock's desire for revenge, Shylock points
out that he is not at all unlike a "good Christian" he says to them;
"If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? revenge. If a
Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian
example? Why revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and
it shall go hard but I will better the instruction."
This is interesting as it follows Shylock's argument that
Jews bleed, laugh, and die in the same way as Christians. It is an
addition of this argument to say that it is also a common human
characteristic to look for revenge on those who have done you wrong.
Bassanio challenges him in Act Four when they are trying
to talk Shylock out of demanding the pound of flesh. Bassanio asks,
"Do all men kill the things they do not love?" The implication is that
this is the unmerciful thinking of a Jew, a statement to which Shylock
responds: "Hates any man the thing he would not kill?" His statement
suggests that revenge is a human reaction, not a Jewish one.
Shakespeare places a plot twist which further depicts the hypocrisy
which Shylock is talking about. Lorenzo steals Shylock's daughter from
him. When Shylock speaks of the act, he says, "My own flesh and blood
to rebel...I say, my daughter is my flesh and my blood" In this sense,
Lorenzo a Christian has taken a kind of flesh from Shylock.
Throughout Act Four, scene one we see some interaction
between Shylock and Portia in the court. Upon entering the court room
Portia says "Which is the merchant here, and which the Jew?" this
could be conceived as just Portia not wanting to show any favourites,
however, she would have been able to recognize Shylock immediately
from his distinctive dress. Antonio and Shylock both step forward, and
Portia asks Antonio if he confesses to signing the contract. He does,
and Portia then says that Shylock therefore must be merciful. Shylock,
impressed that Portia is supporting his case, says, "A Daniel come to
judgment, yea, a Daniel!" (It is ironic that Shylock says this as only
a few lines later Portia not only frees Antonio, but convicts Shylock
of attempted murder.) Portia rules that Shylock has the right to claim
a pound of flesh from next to Antonio's heart according to the bond.
Antonio's chest is laid bare and Shylock whets his knife getting
ready to cut, making him look like a villain. Portia asks him if he
has a surgeon ready to stop the bleeding once he has taken his pound
of flesh. Shylock says, "I cannot find it. 'Tis not in the bond"
Just as Shylock is about to start cutting again, Portia
says that the bond does not give him permission to shed Antonio's
blood, this is where the scene peaks. The laws of Venice are such that
if any Venetian's blood is shed, all the goods and lands of the
perpetrator may be taken by the state. Shylock realizes that he cannot
cut the flesh without spilling blood, and instead agrees to take the
money instead. However, Portia is not willing to back down and instead
only gives him the pound of flesh, saying that if he takes a tiny bit
more or less he will be put to death himself. Shylock, unable to
comply with these new regulations, decides to withdraw his case. It
becomes very obvious here that the court is strongly biased against
Shylock, Antonio's character comes across here as very "smug" as he
plays the court making them sympathetic for him when he knows he
stands a good chance of winning the case.
Portia tells Shylock to remain in the court. She says that
Venice has a further law which says that if any foreigner tries to
kill a Venetian, the foreigner will have half of his property go to
the Venetian against whom he plotted, and the state will receive the
other half. In addition, the life of the foreigner will be in the
hands of the Duke, who may decide to do whatever he wants to. The Duke
pardons his life before he can beg for mercy.
Shylock instead asks the Duke to kill him, saying, "Nay,
take my life and all, pardon not that. You take my house when you do
take the prop that doth sustain my house; you take my life when you do
take the means whereby I live" Antonio talks on Shylock's behalf, and
asks the Duke to allow Shylock to keep half of his wealth. He further
offers to take care of the half he was awarded as a form of
inheritance for Jessica and Lorenzo. The only requirements Antonio
puts on his offer are that Shylock must convert and become a
Christian, and further that he must give everything he owns to Lorenzo
upon his death. Shylock is humiliated and has his identity stripped as
a Jew. A modern day audience would have seen this as harsh. Shylock,
having lost everything he owns, tells the court that he is content to
accept these conditions.
Shakespeare has used a lot of dramatic devices throughout
the play such as Portia being disguised as Balthazar the doctor of law
and only the audience having knowledge of this and the characters
being unaware raises the audience tension., this lets them know
something dramatic is about to happen.
In all the play ends positively for the Christians,
something which would have been expected by the audience and they
would have been thoroughly satisfied with the conclusion and the final
judgement on Shylock. We can only guess how Shakespeare intended
Shylock to be portrayed, I feel that Shakespeare intended Shylock to
be a victim, I think he was created to challenge the ideologies of
racism at that time, Although saying this, I feel that it is not
prolific for us to simply categorise Shylock as either victim or
villain. Modern audience are probably more likely to be sympathetic as
we share different beliefs because of events we have witnessed through
time mainly after World War Two.
References
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