At the beginning of Act 1 Scene 3 Shylock is introduced. His first appearances suggest that he is rich, because his first lines are associated with money. Shakespeare associated his lines with money, as Shylock is a usurer. At the beginning of Act 3 Scene 1, Bassanio and Shylock have a conversation and Bassanio requests a loan of three thousand ducats, which is a large sum of money. In his first lines, the audience’s attitude of Shylock varies sharply. He makes Antonio angry, and then surprises him with an offer of friendship, and an interest free loan. We see his skill as a negotiator, then his tight fisted domestic tyrant. But when Jessica elopes we see him taunted by Christians, and tortured by Tubals news.
In Act 3 Scene 1, Shylock has a lengthy speech, starting with the answer to a question posted by Salerio, as to why he needs one pound of human flesh. His answer is to bait fish- “to bait fist withal” and follows this with “If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge” meaning that it will satisfy his need for revenge as he has had constant abuse from Christians. Following this Shylock lists all of the basic abusive actions towards him, which have great effect on him. This would have evoked emotions in the contemporary audience as, despite them being viewed as an arrogant anti-semetic audience, they would have had a view from a Jew, and would have a glimpse of what their abuse would feel like. Although evoking sympathy in a modern audience, the sympathy would have been much different than that of the contemporary audience. A modern audience would be multi-racial and therefore they would feel the same level of emotion, but it would be different, as only an extremely small minority of the modern audience would have mistreated Jews so consequently, they would almost be able to feel Shylock’s emotions, as they can relate to them. He gives a very powerful performance. His speech is then concluded with further evoking of sympathy, “If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh?” stating that he is not merely a religion, which he is seen as by the people who discriminate against him, he is a human. This particular sentence has become very famous, and further evokes sympathy and shows that Shylock is human with feelings and has a valid reason for wanting revenge.
The play has two plots; the flesh-bond plot, and the marriage-caskets plot. Bassanio wishes to offer marriage to Portia, the Heiress of Belmont but cannot compete with her other suitors. Portia is the heiress to a great fortune, but her father’s will states that she can only marry the man who chooses the correct casket, made of either Gold, Silver or lead. The potential husband must choose the casket containing her portrait. In Belmont, after the Princes of Morocco and Aragon have both chosen the wrong caskets, Bassanio chooses the correct casket, containing her portrait, and Portia gives him a ring, which makes him her husband. He vows never to part with it, this is relevant to creating sympathy towards Shylock, by the contrast of Portia’s events, opposed to the events in Shylock’s life. Portia is living blissfully, just after becoming engaged, and Shylock has lost his daughter, whom he loves immensely and he is burning for revenge. The sympathy comes from the contrast between their lives.
Jessica becomes a Christian, purely for material reasons, first and foremost to distance herself from her father, who takes great pride in being a Jew. She does this in the knowledge that he will be greatly hurt by this, and shows the extent that she will go to upset her father. Despite being chiefly Christian, this event would have made the contemporary audience feel sympathy towards Shylock, as they have got to know him, and understand his character. They would, care about what happens to Shylock and know that this would cause the most harm to him, as he takes great pride in his religion. Jessica’s intentions of eloping to Christianity are finally revealed in Act 2 Scene 3, in a conversation with Launcelot. She says “to be ashamed to be my fathers child, but though I am a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners” proving her hatred of him. Jessica seeing an opportunity to hurt Shylock elopes to Christianity, hoping that this will be her revenge. Here lies a similarity between her and Shylock’s plots, both themed on revenge.
The contemporary audience may sympathize with Antonio. Shylock first appears to be cautious, then as one who takes, and gives offence, and finally appears consumed with revenge. When Shylock first takes sight of Antonio, Antonio does not acknowledge Shylock, who speaks openly to the audience but not to his enemy. At each point of Shylock’s rapidly changing character, a Christian audience may not sympathize with him, as his plot to “catch” a Christian comes out. The audience would rather sympathize with someone of the own religion, an as shylock becomes increasingly restless, the audience would sympathize less and less.
Shylock’s plan is thwarted, as it is stated that he can only take a pound of flesh, no more, no less, even if he took a drop more, the bond would be broken, and Shylock would be charged with attempted murder. This is the climax of the play, focusing on the central conflict of justice and mercy. The pound of flesh has escaped Shylock, and he has just heard that the penalty for attempted murder is death and forfeit of goods. A modern audience would feel sympathy for Shylock, he has built-up his hopes for this moment, where he gets his ultimate revenge, for the years of torment he has suffered, and instead of getting what he desired, he lost everything. The modern audience would sympathize more with Shylock, as they would be able to see past his religion, and fully understand his character.
After the trial, Jessica and Lorenzo settle together in Belmont, the arrival of Portia and Nerissa is announced with music greeting them. When they return, the husbands are confronted for giving the rings away. A contemporary audience would find the final act comical for two reasons, when Portia is angry with Bassanio because he has given away the ring that symbolizes their love. The comical thing about this is the audience knows that Portia received the ring but Bassanio doesn’t. Portia pretends she is so angry that she and Nerrisa will have sex with the barrister and his clerk if they return to Belmont. A modern audience would also find this comical. When Portia demands Antonio to give Bassanio another ring he is amazed that it is the same ring. The contemporary audience would find this comical.
In comparison to the preceding trial scene, Act 5 is decidedly lighter. Shakespeare also delivers the happy ending required of a comedy: the lovers are restored to their loving relationships, Antonio's supposedly lost ships arrive miraculously in port, and no threatening presence looms in the distance to suggest that this happiness is only temporary. The language of the play returns to the realm of comedic romance after Shylock's departure. Now that Shylock has been banished, Lorenzo imagines that the each star in the sky produces music as it moves, “choiring to the young-eyed cherubins” (Act 5 Scene 1). In describing the “sweet power of music” to Jessica, Lorenzo claims that such sounds have the ability to tame even the wildest beasts. Thus, as the music plays on the hills of Belmont, the characters seem confident that the forces requiring taming—Shylock and his bloodlust—have been tamed, leaving them to enjoy the “concord of sweet sounds”. A modern audience might find this entirely inappropriate because Shylock has been forced to give up his religion and his beliefs, and the Christians are celebrating his conversion and how he has been tamed.
In my opinion Shylock’s punishment to become a Christian is not deserved, I feel his punishment is unlawful and should have the right to die a Jew. A contemporary audience would find it lawful that Shylock received this punishment. Shakespeare throughout the play is trying to imply that the Christians are racists but at the time they would be too arrogant to notice this slight implication. This play shows that Shakespeare can subtly manipulate the audiences minds without them noticing. This shows Shakespeare’s brilliance.
Shakespeare throughout the play is saying to the anti-semitic audience that they should treat the Jews how they themselves, want to be treated. Shylock is The Merchant of Venice's most noteworthy figure; you could interpret him as a bloodthirsty specter, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been fractured by the persecution he endures. Certainly, Shylock is the play's antagonist, and he is menacing enough to imperil seriously the happiness of Venice's businessmen and young lovers alike. Shylock is also, however, a creation of circumstance, and even in his single-minded pursuit of a pound of flesh, his frequent mentions of the cruelty he has endured at Christian hands make it hard for us to label him a natural born monster. In one of Shakespeare's most famous monologues, Shylock argues that Jews are humans and calls his quest for vengeance the product of lessons taught to him by the cruelty of Venetian citizens. On the other hand, Shylock's coldly calculated attempt to revenge the wrongs done to him by murdering his persecutor, Antonio, prevents us from viewing him in a positive light. Shakespeare is therefore, intending the audience to sympathize with Shylock.
By Jon Garland 101B
