“Three thousand ducats”
Antonio is shown as dismissive of money being the cause of his sadness. He is unconcerned about money. It is not extremely important to him as it is to Shylock. This portrayal of the two characters could be telling us that the Jew is interested in his money; however the Christian is interested in his emotions.
ACT ONE SCENE TWO
Here we are introduced to Portia, the heiress of Belmont, and Nerrisa, her waiting gentle-woman. In this scene we see Portia mock “stereotypes” from various countries, including a Baron from England. This scene could be racist since all stereotyping is prejudice and therefore racist. However Portia may just be mocking the people that she knows. Shakespeare could have just meant this as a comic scene and this is why the comments about the English are added.
ACT ONE SCENE THREE
Here we first meet Shylock, who appears to be a stereotypical Jew, since his first line is about money.
“Three thousand ducats, well.”
However we see him break away from the money hungry stereotype later in the scene by seeing him put getting revenge on Antonio, a Christian, above monetary gain. Antonio, a Venetian gentleman who has borrowed money from Shylock to lend to his friend Bassanio has upset Shylock so much by his insults that the Jew was willing to forgo his profit to get a chance to hurt the Christian. Shylock shows extreme prejudice. One of the comments he makes about Antonio is:-
“I hate him for he is a Christian”
However Shylock has reason for this hatred
He says to Antonio
“Fair Sir, you spat on me on Wednesday last;
You spurned me such a day; another time
You called me dog; and for these courtesies
I’ll lend you thus much moneys”?
It could be argued that in view of Antonio’s actions and comments towards Shylock, Shylock’s racism is justified. However if Shylock obeyed the Bible, which he often gives reference to, and if Antonio obeyed the Bible, which as a Christian he should, then there would be no hatred between the two men.
ACT TWO SCENE ONE
This scene introduces us to the Prince of Morocco, a suitor to Portia, who is a black man. Morocco’s first line is
“Mislike me not for my complexion”
This could mean do not hate me for my skin colour, which suggests that
white people were prejudiced against black people in Elizabethan society. However the Prince could also be saying that Portia should not judge him because he seems arrogant “best regarded” Portia replies by stating that he
“Stands before her as fair as any other challenger”.
(for her hand in marriage) However because Portia has mocked all her previous suitors this comment needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.
ACT TWO SCENE THREE
Here Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, and Launcelet, Shylock’s servant, are talking together; Jessica is sad Launcelot is leaving and says:-
“Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil”
and goes on to say to herself
“Alack, what heinous sin is it in me to be ashamed to be my father’s child!”
and
“I shall end this strife, become a Christian”
This continues the stereotype of the “evil Jew” whose own daughter cannot wait to leave him .However this scene could also suggest that Shylock is just a “normal” over protective father since Jessica feels remorse over wanting to leave.
ACT TWO SCENE SIX
Here Jessica elopes with Antonio’s friend Lorenzo, who is a Christian. This scene may be showing the contrast between the disobedient Jewish daughter and the loyal obedient Christian daughter Portia who obeys her father even after his death. It could be argued that this scene is racist for this reason or it could be simply showing that both Jewish and Christian families are the same because all families have problems regardless of their religion.
ACT TWO SCENE SEVEN
We meet the Prince of Morocco again in this scene when he is about to make his choice between three caskets one of which, if he chooses the correct one, will enable him to marry Portia. From this scene we learn that the Prince is a very shallow person and does not have a strong religious belief. He says
“Some god direct my judgement!”
He mocks the inscription on the lead casket and says
“A golden mind stops not to show of dross;
I’ll then nor give nor hazard aught for lead”
The Prince is unable to see inner beauty unlike Portia which is why he chooses the gold casket. This is showing us that the Prince and Portia are not compatible .This scene cannot be called racist since we see the Prince of Arragon, another of Portia’s suitors, who is white, behaving in the same way as the Prince of Morocco later on in the play.
This scene is used to portray the theme of appearance and reality by presenting the idea that
“All that glistens is not gold”
ACT TWO SCENE EIGHT
We are shown in this scene Solanio and Salerio, Antonio’s companions, reporting Shylocks reaction to the discovery of his daughter’s elopement with Lorenzo and also to the fact that his daughter had taken his money. The description of Shylock’s reaction could be considered racist since he is portrayed as being equally upset over the loss of his daughter and of his money. He is reported by Solanio as saying
“My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!
Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!”
This is portraying Shylock as the stereotypical money hungry Jew. However his confusion over his loss can be understood. His business, his life’s work, has been struck a severe blow by his daughter so obviously he is going to be emotional. However Shylock is also upset that his daughter has fled with a Christian, his worry is not just over the loss of his money and jewels .It is also important to remember that this is a second hand account of what happened and related by an unsympathetic source, Salerio, so the account may be exaggerated.
Also in this scene we hear, from Solanio and Salerio, of Antonio’s selfless reaction to the news that Bassanio (who Antonio loves like a father) is to go away and court Portia. This is a dramatic contrast to Jessica’s feelings towards her own father.
ACT THREE SCENE ONE
In this scene Shylock makes one of the most famous speeches in the play. In it he expresses his anger towards the everyday abuse he receives, Shylock lists his similarities with Christians and uses emotive language to gain our sympathy and show his own pain and anger :-
“I am a Jew. Hath
not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food. hurt with the same weapons,
subject to the same diseases, healed by the same
means, warmed and cooled by the same winter
and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us, do
we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If
you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong
us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest,
we will resemble you in that.”
This speech shows Shylock regards himself as equal to a Christian and intends to take revenge the same as a Christian would take revenge for a slight or insult. It could be said that Shylock is naïve to believe that he is equal to a Christian. An Elizabethan audience may have found such an idea amusing but we can see the truth and logic of his position.
I do not believe this scene to be racist since Shylock shows emotions in this scene which go against his “money hungry stereotype” He shows that an object of no monetary value, a ring given to him from his wife, has sentimental value for him when he says, after hearing his daughter has swapped it for a monkey
“I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor. I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys”
ACT FOUR SCENE ONE
Here Shylock appears in Court of justice arguing for his pound of flesh from Antonio. From the start of this scene it is clear that Shylock’s trial will not be a fair one since the Duke of Venice says to Antonio:-
“I am sorry for thee, thou art come to answer
A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch,
Uncapable of pity, void and empty
From any dram of mercy”
Shylock is unable to show mercy because he sees himself as standing up for his people against the Christians and through the law is the only way he can do this.
In this scene we see Portia dressed as a man and acting as a lawyer, to defend Antonio. When Portia enters the court room she says:-
“I am informed thoroughly of the cause.
Which is the merchant here? and which the Jew?”
This was an intentionally comic line as it would have been obvious to everyone in the audience who the Jew was. Shakespeare also uses more stereotyping when he shows Shylock as being pedantic when he says
“Look to the bond ,if it is not
written there then it shall not
happen”
However Shylock’s insistence on keeping to the letter of the law works against him and signals the beginning of him losing his case.
It could be considered that this scene is racist as Shylock’s punishment is very severe. He loses his money to his daughter and is forced to become a Christian. Shylocks punishment could be considered extreme however most plays of the same time as the Merchant of Venice was written, and modern plays, have the villain either dying or being harshly punished .This is what an audience expects and even demands.
CONCLUSION
On balance I would have to argue that “The Merchant of Venice” is not a racist play. Shylock is not a very sympathetic character and could be said to deserve the way he is treated. Jessica, even though she is Jewish, is a good person and so is treated sympathetically. Overall it could be said that Shylock and Antonio are only stereotypes of Jews and Christians for that time. These tie in with the main theme of the play which is inner beauty. If both Jews and Christians were able to put their prejudices aside then they would be able to see the inner beauty in each other.
It could be said that looking at the Merchant of Venice and calling it “racist” is an anachronism since racism is a modern word, even though racism can be recognized throughout history.
