Bassanio, the young Christian Venetian is trying to woo the wealthy heiress Portia, he needs money for travel and goes to his wealthy friend Antonio who is a rich merchant. The two hold a very special friendship. Antonio has all his money tied up in ships at sea. Antonio has very good standing in the community and so allows Bassanio to use his note of credit. Bassanio goes to Shylock to lend the money and puts Antonio up as the bond.
Shylock knows that Antonio is the Christian who spat upon him in the street only days previous; he sees this as a way of embarrassing the Christian.
“Three thousand Ducats for three months, and Antonio bound.”
A1.S3.L8
Shylock will lend the money but, only if Antonio comes to him in person so that he can make his bond. He asks a “pound of flesh” from Antonio which, Antonio agrees on. Would the pound of flesh be the normal bond? No probably not but, I think that Shylock sees this as a way of avenging not only Antonio but, all Christians.
“How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is Christian; But more, for that in low simplicity he lends out money gratis, and brings down the rate of usance here with us in Venice. If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. He hates our sacred nation, and he rails, even there where merchants most do congregate, On me, my bargains, and my well-won thrift, which he calls interest. Curs’d be my tribe if I forgive him!”
A1.S3.L36
Bassanio invites Shylock to eat with them, Shylock agrees to go but very grudgingly.
“Yes, to smell pork, to eat of the habitation which your prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into. I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you”
A1.S3.L29
This shows that Shylock has the same contempt for the Christians as they do for him. The Christians denounce him in the street when it suits them but, do not hesitate to ask for a loan and Shylock’s, happy to lend them money but, will not consider them equal enough to eat with or share social occasions with them.
Shylock thinks that the Christians are always plotting against him, maybe this is the impression that they give him. Shylocks daughter Jessica even seems to be plotting against him. She sees her father as a mean man and so plots to run away with all his money and be with a Christian and even denounce her religion and become a Christian herself. Shylock is aware of this and, of course, blames the Christians for this.
“Farewell, good Lancelot. Alack, what heinous sin is it in me to be ashamed to be my fathers child! But though I am a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners. O Lorenzo, If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife, Become a Christian and thy loving wife”.
A2.S3.L14
Antonios ships have failed and when Shylock hears of the news he is pleased and wants to call in his bond and, will take Antonio in front of the high Duke to claim his “Pound of Flesh”.
“I’ll have my bond; speak not against my bond; I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond. Thou call’dst me dog before thou hadst cause, but since I am a dog, beware my fangs. The Duke shall grant me justice. I do wonder, thou naughty jailor, thou art so fond to come abroad with him at his request”
A3.S3.L4
Even though Antonio tries to reason with Shylock, he knows that the law must be upheld. Shylock will not reason with Antonio, he has made a bond in good faith, (even though it is a gruesome one) and believes that the law is on his side and wants it to be carried out.
When the case is taken to the Duke, Shylock is offered repayment on the loan in full and some, but Shylock has come to court with his knife demanding his pound of flesh.
“If every ducat in six thousand ducats were in six parts, and every part a ducat, I would not draw them; I would have my bond!”
A4.S1.L85
Here, we can see that Shylock will not stand down from his bond, it is not a matter of money to him, and it is now a question of the law as he sees it. He feels that the law should now be upheld and, it should make no difference that he is a Jew.
The trial could have been seen as Shylock’s chance to prove himself more superior than the Christian’s and as Antonio’s death draws closer the audience deny sympathy for Shylock and take the side of the Christians. One of the leading characters could now be seen to hold power and then in front of the court is stripped down to nothing but embarrassment. Throughout the play Shylock is seen to be secluded on a number of occasions and once again he is overpowered. Shylock did not get his bond fulfilled and was even made a cast out, people would say, by his own greed and revenge.
Shylock’s final appearance is degrading and humiliating for him yet still the audience are able to laugh and mock Shylock along with the Christians believing he has received a fair punishment.
“He presently becomes a Christian; The other, that he do record a gift, Here in the court, of all he dies possess’d Unto his son Lorenzo and his daughter.”
A4.S1.L385
For Shylock’s greed and unjust behaviour he has only one choice as stated by the judge, to become a Christian, give up all he owns and allow his daughter who betrayed him and her partner to have a share in his possessions. The sympathy possibly goes back to Shylock at this point as we know how much this infuriated and ripped his heart to pieces. He states that he would rather end his life then live a life of a Christian but the choice is not his.
So, was Shylock a victim or villain? I think that he was both. He was a villain in the first instance for being a money lender “Usury”. He knew that this was against Venetian law, but, he also knew why the Christians turned a blind eye to it, they were using each other in that respect and, of course Shylock made a very good living from it. The victim part as he felt it, was, his cruel treatment at the hands of the Christians, he saw them as hypocrites, and he was probably justified in those feelings. Antonio detested Shylock for his religion but still had the arrogance to use him when he saw the need.
Shylock was most certainly a villain by asking Antonio to pay such a high bond. Shylock was seeking revenge when he asked for his bond as he knew it would take Antonio’s life, was Shylock justified in asking for such a thing? No because had it been anyone else borrowing money, the bond, would have been interest on the loan, not the persons life.
Shylock was right to take Antonio to court to fulfil the bond but, could have redeemed himself in the eyes of the court if he had taken the money offered, which was much more than he had originally leant, after all he was just a money lender, he would have made a good deal on it as the Christians saw it. Shylock felt he could not stand down on his bond because of his religion and his hatred of the Christians. He felt that if he took the money it would be seen by the Christians that they could continue to operate outside the law and Jews rights would become less than they already were, so, maybe it could be seen that Shylock was a victim of his religious birth circumstances but, also that he was a vengeful man because of his actions and, of the way that the Christians tormented him for his religion.
