The Merchant of Venice
How does Shakespeare create tension in the trial Scene?
The Merchant of Venice was written around 1597. At the time, Venice was an important trading centre and the English were impressed by the Italian culture. In the play, laws and rules had been manipulated for cruel purposes, such as Shylock being over-confident and convinced that he would get a pound of Antonio's flesh using the laws.
Shylock is a money-lending Jew and has a daughter named Jessica. Antonio is a wealthy merchant and a Christian who detests Jews, but he is forced to borrow money from Shylock (as all his cargo are out at sea) to help his dear friend Bassanio win Portia as his wife. Shylock demands "a pound of flesh" from Antonio, if he cannot repay the loan over three months. Antonio was certain that he would be able to settle the bond, so he agrees to Shylock's terms confidently. Unfortunately, Antonio's ships are wrecked at sea and Shylock refuses mercy upon Antonio and craves for his bond. Disguised as a lawyer, Portia finds flaws in the bond and outwits Shylock. Shylock is forced to convert to Christianity and forced to give half of his money to the state of Venice and the other half to Antonio, who leaves the money with Lorenzo, a Christian, who eloped with Jessica. There is a merry and romantic ending for the married couples but Antonio ends up being alone and Shylock is now outcast from his community.
In the trial scene (act 4 scene 1), Shakespeare uses many different dramatic techniques to make the tension in the court room rise making it the climax of the play. He uses dramatic irony when Antonio is giving a speech of love to Bassanio, "Commend me to your honourable wife/ Tell her the process of Antonio's end", when the audience and two characters know that Portia is already there, disguised. He uses many other techniques to engage the audience in this particular scene in the play. These techniques would have worked on an Elizabethan audience or a modern day audience. Although, these two eras do not share the same views on some of the things Shakespeare wrote about (religions).
Knowledge about the previous acts and scenes makes the tension build because the audience know about the bond which is held between Antonio and Shylock. This fear of the bond is even stronger when they enter the trial scene because the audience can see just how determined Shylock is to receive his pound of flesh. Shylock is persistent to get his bond from Antonio. Shylock's determination to get his flesh from Antonio makes him seem even more villainous and evil than the audience previously thought.
Before Shylock enters the court, the duke shows his sympathy towards Antonio ...
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Knowledge about the previous acts and scenes makes the tension build because the audience know about the bond which is held between Antonio and Shylock. This fear of the bond is even stronger when they enter the trial scene because the audience can see just how determined Shylock is to receive his pound of flesh. Shylock is persistent to get his bond from Antonio. Shylock's determination to get his flesh from Antonio makes him seem even more villainous and evil than the audience previously thought.
Before Shylock enters the court, the duke shows his sympathy towards Antonio and expresses the way he feels about Shylock, by saying "I am sorry for thee; thou art come to answer/ A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch/ Uncapable of pity, void and empty/ From a dram of mercy". He also addressed Shylock as a "Jew" instead by his name when he asks for someone to bring him in, this shows that the duke is biased based only on the fact that he is a Jew, but this develops the tension in the court room as the audience will still have no idea whether Shylock will have the pound of flesh. Shakespeare structures Shylock as a sympathetic character as he has no companions there to support him, whereas Antonio has Bassanio, Gratiano, the Duke and the entire court (as they are all Christians).
We already know from our knowledge that Venice's legal system is strong and cannot be altered. Shylock uses this as an advantage because he understands that he will be allowed to take his bond. If they do not let him, then others will see a flaw in Venice's legal system and they too will try to find ways of escaping their punishments. Shakespeare extends the suspense whether Shylock will insist on his "bond" by using different people to ask him questions. For example, Bassanio asks "Do all men kill the things they do not love?" Shylock's responses to the question seemed to end with him having the bond and that there are is no way out of this. Shylock makes sure there is no misunderstanding when he declares his hate for Antonio, "More than a lodged hate and certain loathing/ I bear Antonio, that I follow thus/ A losing suit against him". Shylock describes the word "loathing" as "More than a lodged hate" to show how much he despises Antonio; this tells the audience that shylock is not going to give him mercy, not even taking "trice" the amount of money that was loaned.
Shakespeare tightens the tension, when Antonio tells Bassanio that reasoning with shylock is worthless. "I pray you, think you question with the Jew." This builds the tension because Antonio is saying that there is no aim in reasoning with the Jew as he is being rapacious. It also shows that Antonio thinks he has been defeated, as Shylock has made what he wants patent to him. Shylock cunningly uses the law to support his ghastly demand, to preserve himself. He brings up a valid point the runs parallel to his situation, when the Christians buy slaves, they would not be pleased if he had told them " 'let them be free, marry them to your heirs' ". He brought this point to show them, in his defence that they shouldn't advise him what to do as they "bought" slaves and they treat them poorly as they own them. However the bond that Antonio has agreed to is being delayed because of racial prejudice. He refers to "the pound of flesh" as his. "The pound of flesh, which demand of him/ Is dearly bought, 'tis mine, and I will have it".
The tension has ascended with the arrival of Nerissa disguised as a clerk. Meanwhile, Shylock is whetting his knife on the sole of his shoe. "Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?" This creates further tension for the audience because they believe that Shylock is about to obtain the pound of flesh, killing Antonio at that moment, as Shakespeare describes Shylock becoming prepared. The effect this action, had upon the crowd in the court room must be distressing, as they are just about to witness the killing. The thoughts the Christians' would be thinking would be far worst then it was at the start of the scene, as they weren't expecting the Jew to get what he wanted. Shylock must be over-whelmed by how well the trail was going.
The duke welcomes young Balthasar, who is, Portia disguised as a lawyer. Portia acknowledges that she is familiar with this case and its "strange nature," and she is acquainted with the integrity of Venetian law. She advises Shylock "Then must the Jew be merciful". This increases the tension in the court because the remark has outraged Shylock. Portia answers, "mercy is not strained:/ It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven" She continues and says that mercy is an attribute of God. At this point shylock still thinks that he is getting his bond. The tension grows when Portia request for the bond and no-one know what Portia is about to do.
When Portia's delay holds Shylock from killing Antonio, by asking for a surgeon,(giving him one last chance of mercy), Shylock's response to this was, "I cannot find it; 'tis not in the bond". If Shylock had chosen to have a surgeon maybe there would have been the slightest chance of sympathy from the audience toward him, but unfortunately, the revenge had got to him and as he noticed no flaws in the bond, all he wanted to do is kill Antonio. The fact that Antonio has called out Bassanio to tell him his final words, indicates to the audience, that Antonio is expecting himself to be killed by Shylock. This builds the tension because the audience is unsure when Shylock will kill Antonio or if he will have mercy on him and spares his life. Then when continuing with the proceed, Portia yelled out "Tarry a little; there is something else,". This lightened Antonio's mood along with the audience as this could have been a sign of Antonio not being killed.
When Portia reveals to the court what flaw she had detected in the bond, Gratiano mocks Shylock the way that Shylock had ridiculed them when he was winning the case. Gratiano starts by saying "O upright judge! Mark, Jew. O learned judge!" and repeats it again, with an outburst of joyfulness. The tension descends by a small amount as the audience will want to know what Shylock is left with when the case is over. When Shylock replies with a defeated tone, asking for the money they had been offered earlier. Portia feels to give him no mercy, as he wasn't going to be merciful to Antonio, and says he will leave will no money. When shylock is about to leave Portia exclaims "Tarry a little....." , which causes the tension to increase again. Shylock leaves the court room with nothing, as he has no money, no family and no beliefs anymore. Shylock would seem to be the tragic figure to the audience as he wanted to kill Antonio; however he was determined to kill him for the things Antonio had done to him in the past, but in my opinion, when shylock had asked for the "pound of flesh", it gave me the impression that he wasn't going to be a likeable character in the play.
Shakespeare has been successful at maintaining the tension in the trail scene. At the closing stages of the play, the three married couples (Bassanio and Portia, Gratiano and Nerissa, Lorenzo and Jessica) have distracted us from the loneliness of Antonio and how Shylock is now an outsider as he is now a Christian.
Richa Patel 10.9
