Early in the play, a different side of Antonio is shown; he is illustrated as a malicious and pitiless man. For, not only did he ‘spit’ and ‘spurn’ on Shylock, he also claims that he would ‘spit on thee again, to spurn thee too.’ These highlights the great extent to which Shylock has faced with the torment from Antonio. Shylock can be seen as a victim of racism, through the content of his speech. All the appalling things make the audience feel empathy towards Shylock, and it is further backed up with the style of language used by Shakespeare. He uses very dominant emotive language; like ‘borne’ and ‘sufferance’, which makes the audience feel even more sympathetic.
Shakespeare’s style and layout consists of rhythm similar to an iambic pentameter for Shylock; ‘Still have I borne it with a patient shrug’. It gives him more dignity and formality, because poems are usually concerned with the more noble characters in Shakespeare’s plays. The use of three violent descriptions consecutively; ‘You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine’, is very persuasive and powerful. It makes Shylock appear to the audience as very vulnerable, and they may therefore feel pity for him.
On the other hand, kindness is a virtue that Antonio possesses. While Shylock has a love for money and self-interest, which prevents him from consisting of any such kindness, Antonio is a charitable and admirable friend. Unlike Shylock, he lends money ‘gratis’, free of interest, to people in need. He offers an alternate method of borrowing from Shylock’s enormous interest rate. Since Antonio charges no interest, he is surrounded by many friends whom all admire him, one of which is his close friend Bassanio. Shakespeare has clearly portrayed his stereotypical view of a Christian’s social success, and a Jew’s social failure. This may prove to the audience that Antonio is the more favourable one rather than Shylock, due to his admirable social achievements.
A high opinion is held about Antonio and he has many loyal friends. When Bassanio asks Antonio for money to court Portia, although all his ‘fortunes are at sea’, he tells Bassanio to ‘try what my credit can in Venice do’. The love he has for his friend is so great, that it prompts him to sign the bond with Shylock, which nearly causes his death. It shows that he is not selfish; he will sacrifice his life to make his friend happy. Thus the audience will feel sympathy for the good-natured Antonio.
Lorenzo says that if Shylock, ‘the Jew’, ever enters ‘heaven’, it will be because of his ‘gentle daughter’s sake’. He is implying that Shylock’s faith and his Jewish heritage is not strong enough to get him into heaven. If Jessica chooses Christianity over Judaism, it will save Shylock. The statement can be interpreted, as that Lorenzo believes that Christianity is the religion that is powerful enough to admit one into heaven. This will make the audience feel sympathetic towards Shylock, because not only is Lorenzo plotting to elope with his daughter behind his back, but he is also insulting Shylock’s whole belief and religion.
Following this, Shylock is mocked and betrayed by the other characters. One of which is his only daughter, Jessica, who elopes and converts to a Christian, behind Shylock’s back. She also robs him of his riches before she leaves, and claims that she is ‘ashamed’ to be her ‘father’s child’. This is a great significance to the character of Shylock, because it conveys that his daughter’s home life is so dire, that she must run away. Antonio, however, has friends who stay with him in the darkest hour, and speak greatly of him when he is not present. On the contrary, Shylock is mocked whether he is present or not.
When Shylock discovers that his daughter is gone, along with his ducats, the Christians mock him. Upon first hearing this, he exclaims, ‘My Daughter! O my ducats!’ Although he mentions the loss of his daughter first, he seems more worried about his ‘precious stones’. He wants to find her purely because she ‘hath the stones upon her’. It shows his love for his fortune and pride, rather than a father’s love for his daughter when he discovers his daughter has eloped with a Christian. Hence, the audience realises that Shylock is actually a greed-minded and self-centred protagonist.
Not merely Jessica, but Lancelot too, wants to ‘run away’ from Shylock. Lancelot is ‘famished in his service’ and so thin that you can ‘tell every finger’ he has with his ribs. He is poorly treated, and would rather work for Bassanio, who is less rich, but have ‘the grace of God’. Shakespeare refers to Shylock as a ‘rich Jew’, which can be depicted as a stereotypical Elizabethan view of Jews. Shylock earn a lot of money, but do not share the money with anyone else, like Lancelot, who receives none of the profit. Lancelot will be ‘a Jew if’ he serves ‘the Jew any longer’, this is an anti-Semitic view. This statement by Shakespeare is quite racist as it suggests that Jews will contaminate Christians. As a result the audience would have Shylock’s sympathy because he is being discriminated against, simply for his religion.
Antonio has constantly ‘rated’ Shylock, but Shylock wonders, can a ‘cur’ ‘lend three thousand ducats?’, when Antonio requests that he lend ducats to him. Certainly, Shylock cannot be blamed for disliking Christians, especially Antonio, because he has received dreadful treatment from them for the most part of his life. Therefore, the audience will not only empathise with Shylock, but they may also think that Antonio is very proud and arrogant, merely for the reason that he is a Christian who thinks Jews are less superior.
The issue of racism further complicates Shylock’s character, although it earns a greater sympathy with the audience, of the 21st century. It shows that the Venetian Christians denied Shylock’s humanity and the audience is reminded of the anti-Semitism of the Nazi’s regime, which took place. Shylock is an example of the result of racial persecution. With this, he may win the audience’s sympathy, but the action he takes with his hatred is just as dreadful as some of the tormenting Christian’s. The audience is repulsed by Shylock’s treatment towards his daughter, employee and his mercenary attitudes. Therefore, the more generous and loyal to his friends, Antonio wins my sympathy.