In this portrayal of the play we see Shylock being played as broken hearted. I think this because Shylock says to Antonio "you knew none so well, none so well as you of my daughters flight." He seems genuinely concerned but this then turns to rage as he is mocked by the Christians. There is racism again the Christians make fun of Shylock saying things like, "Here comes another of the tribe," and,"a third can not be cannot be matched unless the devil himself turned Jew. The Christians laugh at him not only behind his back but to his face. This helps the audience to feel sympathy towards Shylock.
In the script Shylock is written as a cold, hardened character. I think this may have been due to the loss of his wife, which left him heart broken. Although Shylock is supposed to be the strong villain, he is still vulnerable as he says, "Out upon her thou torturest me Tubal it was my turquoise." he is upset because the ring has sentimental value, so much so that Shylock nearly breaks down crying.
All in all I think Shylock is a character of mixed emotions that is open to interpretation by any actor looking for a challenge.
Themes
There are many themes that run though out The Merchant of Venice each adding a different level to the play. I will be looking at the three main ones which all have relevance in every day life, and then I'll try to interpret them.
The first and main theme in the play is racism it is very clear that Shylock is unfairly persecuted and is treated very badly by the Christian Venetians. The language used by them towards Shylock is very harsh and insulting. They refer to him as, “cut-throat dog”, “bloody creditor”, “damned, in execrable dog” and “cruel devil”. This brings across a feeling of pure hatred towards Shylock from the Christians merely because he is a Jew.
The second theme is money, this involves Shylock lending money to Antonio. Shylock's first scene starts with him saying, “Three thousand ducats, well." This is important because it shows that right from the start Shylock is associated with money. Shylock and Antonio are both wealthy business men and this theme lets us contrast the two characters.
The third theme is that of revenge, Shylock is angry with Lorenzo for leaving with his daughter. Then when Shylock hears about Antonio’s ships being lost he says "I thank thee good Tubal, good news, good news!" He seems very happy as now he can reek his revenge. He wants the pound of flesh he was promised and say, “I’ll have my bond; speak not against my bond! I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond.” This all gives a picture of a man hell-bent on revenge.
Language
There are various points in the play were Shakespheare used certain word or writing to give emphasis, tone or to speed up the pace of a scene. I have chosen some examples to comment on.
The type of writing used in this play is mostly blank verse. Shylocks speech however is written in prose, I think because prose sounds more like real speech it also allows flexibility and emphasis on the words.
There is repetition used to give emphasis to certain words, first Shylock says “You knew, none so well, none so well, as you" he repeats the world you to give emphasis on Salerio. Then he repeats, "Let him look to his bond” three times to show that Shylock is going to take the flesh.
The actors can also add emphasis to the words by how they act and say the words. The Peck version showed Shylock pause before saying, "I'm a Jew" this was a pause of empathy because it emphasises the word following it.
Staging
The staging of a play is very important as it gives atmosphere to a scene. The staging involves things like lighting, music, and setting. I will be looking at aspects of these more carefully.
The play is set in two locations In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shakespeare creates an interesting contrast between the merchant city of Venice and the peaceful and gracious world of Belmont. The striking difference between these two settings helps to capture and maintain our attention. There are differences in the value systems of the people belonging to the two different cities. The contrast between Venice and Belmont is that one deals with all the real life issues like money and racism, but the other is more like a fairy tale place of love and romance.
Music is used to set the mood of a scene, when Shylock is arguing with Solanio the music used is slow and heavy to show the seriousness of his speech. In Belmont in the music is lively because it is a nice happy place.
The camera is used in many ways to give different angles and perspective, I have decided to look at Shylocks speech to Salerio and Solanio. The speech starts with all three of the men in view, then as Shylock begins the camera starts to zoom in slowly until only Shylock is in shot. This is to add emphasis to his speech, there is then a close up of Shylock as he says the words, "I'm a Jew." The camera is used to bring the film script to life giving us every possible angle.
Audience
The Audience in Shakespeares time would have had different views from a modern audience. There was a typical stereotype Jew years ago of a rich, miserly, moneylender and this may have caused some hatred towards Shylock. In an audience today I think people would feel more sympathy towards Shylock because people are less judgemental of others.
Conclusion
The Jews have been persecuted for centuries. Hitler used them as a scapegoat in Nazi Germany and there has been a rise in Neo-Nazism today. ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a good example of racism in Shakespeare’s time. The Christians treated Shylock very badly and mocked him, when he hears of Antonio's ships he sees a way to have his revenge. However when Shylock tries to claim what is rightfully his he ends up leaving with no money or pound of flesh, now where is the justice in that?
I personally enjoyed the play because of its real life relevance but I would have preferred it if Shylock received justice.
