Several Jewish groups say that the play itself is a racist and offensive performance towards their race and religion; however the scenes that are most likely to be referred to as ‘racist’ and ‘offensive,’ are most probably the main scenes, which create the great effect of the play.
In this essay I will be evaluating the character of Shylock in depth, to show if Shakespeare is trying to portray him as a villain or a victim. This question is a question asked by many people, whether Shylock is a ‘villain or a victim,’ but no-one has been able to solve this question, as Shakespeare is the only person who knows the secrets behind Shylock’s character. Shylock is one of the most perplexing characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays, and has a distinctive persona that can be interpreted in various ways. Shylock can be judged for his ruthless way of thinking and his greed of money, which would easily personify him as a villain, however it is also possible that he is forced to act like the way he does due to unequal circumstances and the anti- Semitic behaviour that he himself is forced to endure at the time, making him the victim.
Shylock’s character is what I would describe as a split personality. He reacts to his surroundings according to what he is surrounded by; he becomes callous and full of hatred around Christians, which I personally would say is what portrays him as a villain.
‘How like a fawning publican he looks!
I hate him for he is a Christian;’
This quote represents his hatred towards Christians; how he can’t even bare the sight of them, and how forwardly he proposes this to the audience. From a biased point of view in the audience, numerous people are more likely to class Shylock as a villain not just for his cold-blooded decisions that he made against Antonio, but also for what he says, how he says it and more importantly who he is addressing it to. Although in the story itself, Shylock is only looking to ‘get his own back’ on Antonio through gaining a pound of his flesh, his reason for this may be seen as self-centred and remorseless but it could also be seen through a whole new perspective, as he could be doing it for his race and principals and not just for his own sake. Shylock may be trying to gain a sense of independence for all Jews showing Christians that they are also humans, and aren’t as lower class as they are made out to be. However this point can be contradicted yet again, because when Shylock finds out that his daughter has fled with a Christian, taking all his precious possessions, he roams the streets proclaiming;
‘My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!
Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!
Justice! the law! my ducats, and my daughter!’
Is Shylock more worried about his daughter or more worried about his ducats? If you were biased then you would most probably say that Shylock is more anxious about his money; mostly because he is associated with being money-hungry and villainous man, even so, in the quote Shylock cries out ‘My daughter!’ at the beginning of the quote and even at the end finishes with ‘and my daughter!,’ so from and unbiased point of view Shylock could be grieving over the loss of his daughter to a Christian, and although he is disappointed about his jewels, his is going through mixed emotions, and therefore bringing it back to the point that he might just want Antonio’s flesh not only because he is a Christian, but also to revenge the fact that his daughter ran away with a Christian; Shylock as we know in the play, acts appallingly to Christians because he is at war with them, which makes him look like a villain however after all opponents/ enemies always believe that other is obnoxious.
Characters in the play which portray Shylock as a villain are most unquestionably the Christians. Shylock is made to sound like a complete criminal in the ‘court scene,’ where he is addressed as a convicted scandal (when it should be Antonio in trial), only because he wants what he right fully deserves in the bond drawn up with Antonio; what is the reason for this? It is because he is a Jew. Although the bond itself is relatively unpleasant, Antonio himself signed the bond knowing the terms and conditions therefore why call Shylock the villain; he only wants what is on the bond; if looked at legally Christians abide by laws, and a contract therefore cannot be broken, therefore it is injustice to Shylock as Christians themselves go against what they believe, so wouldn’t this be a crime? Wouldn’t this make Christians also villains?
‘What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong?
You have among you many a purchased slave,
Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules,
You use in abject and in slavish parts,’
Shylock purely explains that Christians contradict their own decree, which is going against the system. Shylock’s treatment at the hand of his fellow Venetians is typical of the intolerance suffered by Jews over the centuries. Throughout the play Shylock suffers constant verbal abuse e.g. ‘goodly apple and rotten at the heart’ and incessantly using words and phrases such as ‘inhuman wretch; evil soul, and a recurring use of the word devil.’ I think Shylock felt profoundly enraged, and the bond was just his way of getting back at all Christians due to all the mishaps and adversity that he (and all Jews) had to endure.
The convention in Shakespeare’s time was for playwrights to give verse to ‘high-born’ characters and prose to those of a lower status (e.g. Jews). Many of the Christians in the play are wealthy and educated, so speak mainly in verse.
Just as their clothes are richly elaborate their language is often similarly extravagant or high-flown.
‘Like a golden fleece
Which makes her seat of Belmont Colchos’ stand,
And many Jasons come in quest of her.’
Such literary references have the effect of making their language impressively elaborate which adds extra depths of meaning, comparing the actions of the characters to the heroes of the Ancient World.
The poor and uneducated in the play are represented mainly by Lancelot and Gobbo. They always speak in prose- by convention, it would be thought out of character for them to be given verse. Lancelot’s language is usually comic which makes the play a tragic comedy.
As an outsider in Venice, Shylock can’t be categorised with either the wealthy or the poor Christians. His business activities are much more restrained, and he rarely mixes socially outside his own ethnic group. He disapproves of the Christian prodigal, extravagant behaviour preferring a quiet and simple life in keeping with his strict religious faith.
Throughout the entire play, the most memorable detail would be Shylock’s famous speech. What makes this speech stand out from rest of Shakespeare’s memorable speeches, is that it is specifically written in prose, whereas normally all Shakespeare speeches are usually written in verse. Shakespeare uses the prose technique to make the speech more powerful and prominent.
‘Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?’
The most unforgettable line in the whole play out of the famous speech, however there isn’t a write or wrong way to declare it as an actor. Is Shylock trying to portray anger, sorrow, or hate, no-one will ever know; this is another one of Shakespeare’s mystery that can only be questioned but no right answer can be drawn from it. I personally think that the speech itself would be delivered with a lot of rage and fury, because the short sharp sentences build up tension, and it is contrasted with long sentences and many rhetorical questions, creating a severe sarcastic tone, almost as if he is trying to mock the Christians. It also portrays that he feels emotionally victimised as he goes onto saying, ‘If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?’ the lines can easily be interpreted as a cry for help, or even a plea to be treated as an equal, exposing the audience to an emotional side, and trying to gain sympathy.
In those days Shylocks famous speech would most likely have been seen as a sly and conniving way to somehow manipulate Christian’s minds to gain empathy and compassion- for himself; Jews were seen as self-centred schemers who only cared about themselves, nonetheless a very small majority besides the Jews, may have looked beyond Shylocks religion and more so into his character to gain an appropriate understanding of what Shylock is trying to get across to the audience; this is what we are doing in this day and age, understanding certain situations for what they are and not what they’re background might be, which has allowed us to appreciate Shylock’s speech over the centuries.
To conclude, the representation of Shylock’s character may seem completely over rated; nonetheless I think it shows the hardship of a strong Jewish man, who is driven by Christians and their verbal abuse as well as physical abuse, to withhold so much hate, and mental anguish that he turns himself into a bitter old man, purposely, to withstand the acts against him, which is why he is represented in such a harsh manner.
The loss of his wife; his daughter running away; his precious jewels being stolen, and an outcast of the society; over and over again he seems to endure a new type of persecution; as one problem passes another seems to comes along - just like the weather it is completely unpredictable, and it is unknown how much damage it will do, but it is known fact that it will always leave a scar, which makes Shylock the person he is- a destroyed cold hearted man.
Considering all the points above, and keeping in acknowledgment that the book was written almost five centuries back, I would say that Shylock wasn’t a villain, but a victim who was forced to have some villainous qualities to survive in the ‘game’ of life. To be able to judge Shylock you have to be very open-minded; his individuality is what makes him the person he is- you cannot judge him unless you put yourself in his shoes and try to understand what it must feel like day after day to endure what he had to, and yet still there will be many questions left unanswered. Shylock exhibits qualities of both a villain and victim, but I myself cannot say he is one over the other. I believe a person does everything for a specific reason, which is somehow related to past motives, surroundings, people and this can be said for Shylock, therefore Shylock is neither villain nor victim, or he is both victim and villain.