When Antonio first asks for the money Shylock is very Sarcastic he says things like “Hath a dog money?” and “is it possible a cur can lend three thousand ducats?” in Act 1 Scene 3 which shows that Shylock is angry at Antonio because Antonio regularly makes fun of him and calls him names. However Shylock sees this as an opportunity to get revenge on Antonio. This is shown in the language he uses and was especially emphasized in the performance I saw. In the performance Shylock speaks very slowly when he is being sarcastic but when he realizes that Antonio is willing to agree to his terms he is very eager to seal the deal and starts to speak quickly and is the first one to extend his hand. Shylock was very happy when Antonio agreed to forfeit a pound of flesh if he can not pay Shylock the money back by a certain date. From this point onwards the trial scene was inevitable.
Shylock was determined not to listen to anyone else including Antonio in Act 3 scene 3.
“I’ll have my bond. I will not hear thee speak”.
This also proves that he actually wants revenge and not Antonio’s money.
The events earlier in the play create tension that builds up to the trial scene, this is a dramatic device used by Shakespeare to prepare the audience for the climax of the scene.
The trial scene is a pivotal one and is constantly foreshadowed by Antonio and Bassanio’s hate for each other. Everything changes and almost everything is decided in this scene. Portia talks about mercy and justice as she tries to win the case for Antonio
When the trial scene begins the main characters present are The Duke, Antonio and. When Shylock entered the courtroom in the performance that I saw he seemed very confident that he was going to get his bond this is shown when he says “…I sworn to have the due and forfeit of my bond if you deny it, let the danger light upon your character and your city’s freedom”. In the performance that I saw he says this loudly and confidently with his head up and he was also standing at this point which shows that he believes that he is right and that he will get justice.
The other characters present in the scene at this point included Bassanio, Gratiano. These men seemed to be all against “the Jew” and more caring towards Antonio. Bassanio asks Shylock-
“Why dost thou whet they knife so earnestly”
And he answers-
“To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there”
Again this shows that Shylock is very sure of getting his bond (he is preparing to cut Antonio’s flesh). Shylock’s strong language in the text shows that he is not intimidated by the hate against him because he is sure he will get justice. “Repair thy wit good youth, or it will fall To cureless ruin. I stand here for law.” I found that the performance that I watched portrayed this aspect more than the text and Antonio seemed to be the underdog throughout the scene. Shylock is also portrayed to be a stronger, forward character but there is also a sense of humanity about him throughout the performance.
A dramatic tension is induced when Portia (Bassanio’s wife), disguised as a young doctor, cross-examines Shylock in the court. She allows Shylock to believe she is on his side “there is no power in Venice Can alter a decree established”. And in the performance that I saw she seemed to know what she was doing through out the seen yet she still gives Shylock the chance to show mercy this is shown perfectly in the speech she makes in act 4 scene 1 “the quality of mercy is not strained” which I personally thought was as effective in the text as in the performance. However Shylock still does not show mercy and replies, “I crave the law the penalty and forfeit of my bond”. Here I think that Shylock is very arrogant as he keeps mentioning justice because he believes he is in total control and therefore does not need to show mercy.
Shylock was also given more opportunities to show mercy, from the Duke and from Portia but Shylock did not. Why? I think the main reason why he did not was that he had been driven mad by Antonio’s hatred towards him and also the recent loss of his daughter or more likely his ducats. Shylock used the argument of seeking justice to cover his anger towards Antonio, which had built up through out the play. However I believe that near the end of the scene he actually started to believe that he was looking for justice.
Shylock is determined to get revenge although he does not mention this to the audience already know from other scenes that the Duke was not in.
All the way through the trial scene Shylock praised Portia every time she said something that was in Shylock’s favor. “O wise young judge I do honour thee ” This is because she says that the law says that it is just to cut Antonio’s flesh as the bond is legal and only Shylock can save Antonio by showing mercy. I find this very ironic as later the exact wording of the bond is the very thing that ruins Shylocks plans.
As Shylock prepares to take the pound of flesh Portia tells him to stop and says that he cannot take one drop of blood and not any more than a pound of flesh. She says “this bond doth give thee here no jot of blood” and “the words are expressly ‘a pound of flesh’”.
Shylock was then offered the chance to take the bond but this would mean he would definitely make Antonio bleed. Therefore Shylock will also have to be killed. Shylock, for obvious reasons, does not attempt to take the flesh and the Duke says that Shylock’s fate rests in Antonio’s hands. Here Shylock is made to give up half of his wealth and must convert to a Christian. An Elizabethan audience would see this as a merciful thing as Shylock is allowed to keep half of his money. An Elizabethan audience would think that by converting Shylock into a Christian Shylock was being shown mercy because, they thought, he was being saved from going to hell. Here all the Christians are shown to be just and merciful. On the other hand a modern day audience would see the forceful turning of a Jew into a Christian to be wrong. Mainly because the jew would be denied his right to believe in whatever faith he wants.
In conclusion, I feel that the conflict between justice and mercy, although not completely, does get resolved. This is because the wrong doer (Shylock) is shown mercy and justice is still served. Shylock is shown mercy in the sense that he is allowed to keep his life and that he can keep half of his wealth (the thing that is most important to him). However Shylock is also punished for attempting to take the life of another person. Shylock must give away half of his wealth and also become a Christian consequently losing the two things he loved most. I think that Shylock could only hold himself responsible for his punishment. He insisted on the exact wording of the bond to be followed. Therefore leaving him with no bargaining power whatsoever once a flaw in the bond was found. In the end it is Justice that is the victor in the fight between mercy and justice because more Justice is served than mercy shown.
