The character of Shylock has fascinated actors, audiences and scholars for generations. On the one hand he exhibits stereotypical characteristics of the villainous "Jew": he is obsessed with money, he is an implacable enemy of his Christian neighbors, and he insists on following the law even when common sense dictates mercy and pity. On the other hand he is shown to be himself the victim of the prejudice and cruelty of his Christian neighbors. No better evidence for Shylock's victimhood and the plays portrayal of his humanity is his speech from Act 3, Scene 5. As his Christian neighbors question his pursuing his rights in taking a pound of Antonio's flesh, Shylock retorts:
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? (3. 1. 57-66).
What do you think? From your reading of the play is Shylock supposed to be a villain or victim (or perhaps a bit of both)? Is he a Jewish stereotype or a fully developed character that happens to be Jewish or somewhere in between? What is your take on the character of Shylock?
In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Shylock’s character seems to be villainous, but the way that other characters treat him makes him appear as a victim.
ReplyDeleteAntonio is desperate for a loan from Shylock, even though he despises him. When coming to a consensus for the conditions of the loan, Shylock demands something rather barbaric, “an equal pound/ Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken/ In what part of your body pleaseth me.”(1.3.161). Shylock really has no use for a pound of human flesh, except gaining the satisfaction that it would bring pain to Antonio, who he hates. Shylock seems to be cruel, revenge-seeking, and, when it comes down to it, a violent villain.
However, for someone to be so hostile toward another human being there is usually a rhyme behind their reason. For Shylock, Antonio has discriminated against him and pushed him down for years presumably due to the fact that Shylock is Jewish, a religion highly condemned in Venetian society at the time. As Antonio asks for money from Shylock, Shylock recalls the painful memories of when Antonio, “call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,/ And spet upon my Jewish gabardine,/ And all for use of that which is mine own.”(1.3.117). For quite some time, Shylock has been the victim of prejudice, and he doesn’t forget the horrible things Shylock has done to him. He has spit on Shylock’s beard, publicly humiliating him, and referred to him as an animal rather than a human. Although Shylock’s demand for Antonio’s flesh seems barbaric for a person to suggest, people have done scarring sins to Shylock to build up grudges and anger, causing him to appear as a victim, or at least explain his villainy.
When Jessica, Shylock’s Jewish daughter, runs away to get engaged to Lorenzo, a Christian, Shylock finds out and says, “Justice, the law, my ducats, and my daughter,/ A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats,/ Of double ducats, stol’n from me by my daughter”(2.8.17). The last thing, yet seemingly the most important, he mentions as he panics over Jessica’s departure is the loss of his daughter. Money and his own property are what worry him before the well-being of his daughter. This reaction makes Shylock appear to be greedy, self-centered, and again, an inhumane villain.
Given the fact that Jessica runs away from her father’s home and steals his money gives some insight into why Shylock is so angry at Jessica and puts her behind his money. Jessica tells Lorenzo to, “take her from her father’s house,/ What gold and jewels she is furnished with”(2.4.34). Jessica is supposed to be a stable family member for Shylock, but even she is trying to take his money from him. Perhaps Shylock puts money before Jessica in his initial reaction to her departure because money is a steady sense of comfort for him, whereas his own daughter turns on him and converts to Christianity in spite of his strict Jewishness. Shylock is also a victim in this situation because he has everyone turning against him and trying to steal his money, so the only thing he can do is try to defend his property.
From reading Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, I believe that Shylock's character is supposed to be considered both a villain and a victim. Throughout the play the reader has constantly has mixed feelings for Shylock's character whether it is sympathy or animosity.
ReplyDeleteNo one is perfect in the real world so I would not consider Shylock to be the victim not the villain. Yes, he does fit the stereotypes of a Jewish man living in Venice who is a usurer, greedy, unforgiving, barbaric and is occasionally not trustworthy and mean spirited, but we have to remember that he has a method to his madness. The only reason he fits this stereotype is because people push him into acting like that. In Act 1, Scene 3 Shylock thinks of whether or not he trusts Antonio enough to lend him money because he treats him so bad. Shylock says:
Shall I bend low, and in a bondman’s key,
With bated breath and whisp’ring humbleness,
Say this: ‘Fair sir, you spet 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’? (1.3.133-139).
The only reason he is mean spirited and unforgiving is because Antonio gave him a reason to act in this manner. He suffers harsh injustices for his religious beliefs. This is a time when readers of this play would feel sympathy for Shylock. Another example of this is when Shylock makes the deal with Antonio saying, “…let the forfeit/ Be nominated for an equal pound/ Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken/ In what part of your body pleaseth me” (1.3.160-164). The only reason he makes this extreme deal is because he does not trust Bassanio that he will go through with his part in the deal. He has justification to not trust him because he knows that Bassanio owes Antonio money still. Lastly, in Shylock's most famous scene when Shylock proclaims:
…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? (3. 1. 57-66).
He knows that he is no different from a Christian and that he should be treated equally like them. This is the scene that really moves people in the direction of seeing Shylock as the victim because he brings up the topics of racism and stereotypes that really move the reader.
In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Shylocks main purpose as a character is to be the villain of the play. However, the fact that he is victimized by the other characters of the play makes his acts of villainy more understandable to the audience. In some of Shakespeare’s other plays, such as Richard III, the villain is meant to be disliked by the audience. The actions of Richard can’t be understood by the audience and are even considered evil. Shylock’s actions are different than Richard’s. Even though they are both villains, the audience can relate more closely to Shylock than to Richard.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of this is in the scene where Shylock and Antonio make a deal where Antonio risks a pound of his own flesh. In the beginning of this exchange, Shylock says to Antonio,
“You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,
And spet upon my Jewish gabardine,
And all for use of that which is mine own.
Well then it now appears you need my help,” (1.3.121-4).
Before the deal is made, Shylock is making sure that Antonio knows how cruel he has been toward Shylock, and that there is very little incentive for Shylock to help him. This is also a passage where the audience is able to relate, and even feel pity for Shylock. However, this does not mean that Shylock can’t be a villain. Later in the conversation, Shylock tells Antonio that, “ in a merry sport, if you repay me not… let the forfeit be nominated for an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off,” (1.3.157-158;160-162). Shylock is telling Antonio that if he does not pay him back, that he has to cut off a pound of his own flesh. Furthermore, to coax him into this trap, Shylock even says that this is merry sport, meaning that it isn’t a real deal but rather just for fun. By the end of this conversation Antonio agrees to the bond, not knowing that Shylock is serious about cutting off a pound of his flesh. This scene depicts Shylock as the clear villain of the play, even though his actions are somewhat justifiable by the fact that he is victimized.
Even later on in the play when it is getting closer to the day that the bond is due, Salarino asks Shylock, “Why, I am sure if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh! What’s that good for?” (3.1.50-1). Salarino is implying that even suggesting to take a pound of another man’s flesh is ridiculous and doesn’t even have any use or function. Thus, the only reason to force a man to make such a bound is of someone were a villain, as Shylock is. In response, Shylock says, “To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge…The villainy you teach me I will execute,” (3.1.52-3; 70-1). Shylock says that he will use this pound of flesh to fish, and if that doesn’t work than it will feed his revenge. Only a true villain would take a man’s flesh for the sake of revenge. Also, at the end of that passage, Shylock is implying that Antonio deserves to lose a pound of flesh because of the way that he treated Shylock. This makes the audience understand and almost accept the justifications for Shylocks actions, but it does not make him any less of a villain.
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ReplyDeleteSorry Doc, accidentally deleted my post
DeleteShakespeare’s character Shylock is portrayed as both a villain and a victim throughout the play. However, I believe that he is primarily a victim for two reasons:
Firstly, Antonio instigated Shylock. All of Shylock’s anger and actions can be justified in context of Antonio’s initiation. Antonio spits on Shylock, calling him a “misbeliever, cut-throat, dog / Antonio, he instigated the situation by calling Shylock names and mocking his religion.
Secondly, Shylock never does anything against the law, or even against the conditions that Antonio foolishly agreed to. The two characters made a deal in the beginning: “In a merry sport, if you repay me not… let the forfeit be nominated for an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off,” (1.3.157-158;160-162).Antonio fell through on his side of the deal, and they had agreed that Shylock would be allowed a pound of flesh as payment if that were to happen. However, when Shylock went to reclaim his prize, everyone said he had no mercy and was a terrible person. Shylock’s going to collect his side of the deal does not make him a villain. He never tied Antonio down and forced him to agree. Antonio and Bassanio practically begged Shylock for the deal in the first place.
As if that wasn’t enough, Shylock was ultimately denied his right to the flesh. After being mocked and trying to collect what was rightfully his, the characters came up with a scheme to prevent him from collecting the flesh. None of what transpired was Antonio’s fault in the slightest. Antonio is truly a victim, despite the cruel actions that he attempts to take. All of his actions can be justified.
Shylock is a villain and a victim as well as being the stereotypical Jew and a fully developed character. When Shylock is first introduced in scene 3 act 1, he talks about how he is victimized:
ReplyDelete... many a time and oft
In the Rialto you[Antonio] have rated me
About my moneys and usances.
Still have I borne it with a patient shrug
(For suff’rance is the badge of all our tribe)
you call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,
And spet upon my Jewish gaberdine. (1.3.116-122)
The last time Shylock saw Antonio, Antonio made fun of him and spit on him. And now Antonio comes to him asking for money, and he expects Shylock to be nice to him. This is just one example of how Shylock is mistreated and victimized by the Christians. This gives him some depth as a character and does explain his desire for revenge on Antonio, although it does not justify it completely.
Shylock become the villain and stereotypical Jew in the court scene. He wants to follow the agreement to the word, which was a stereotype of Jew in that time period. Shylock is the villain in this scene because, he is unforgiving, not willing to let Antonio out of the agreement. He is not willing to take twice the sum of the original amount owed, instead he is set on taking a pound of flesh as revenge on Antonio. The biggest stereotype throughout the play is that Shylock is an usurer, which was the stereotypical job of a jew. Shylock is both the villain and the victim depending on the scene and he is more than just the stereotypical Jew.
Shylock is quite possibly the most complex character playing at the same time both the victim and the Villain. While some might argue that shylock is the clear cut villain of this play and there is certainly evidence to support that he also has a backstory that encourages compassion. Shylock is often abused throughout the play being called a Jewish dog and other demeaning titles even by the main character Antonio. One of the key elements that suggest his character is not supposed to be the villain however is his speech explaining his reasoning for going through with his deal on the pound of flesh. Where he says “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?”(3.1.57). Emphasizing his humanity Shylock suggests just like Christians and Jews everywhere that when he is wronged he will want revenge.
ReplyDeleteShylock is clearly not only villainous in this play, neither can it be said however that he is entirely the victim. In the court room Shylock enters with a stacked hand where even the judge admits to him he hopes shylock will simply press the issue to get more money but will back off as soon as he reaches the sum of compensation he wishes. Shylock however wants less compensation for his loss and more revenge for wrongdoings in the past. Shylock only stops his pursuit of the flesh when he realizes his own risks in taking it are enormous.
I believe that Shakespeare's purpose for Shylock and the audiences own feelings towards this character are completely different. Shakespeare wishes to pot ray Shylock as this villainous, greedy, stereotypical Jew. Shylock seems to focus a lot of his time on money and receiving it, making sure debts are paid, and just money in general. When Jessica, his daughter, shows up to announce about Antonio's financial ruin she says:
ReplyDelete"When I was with him, I have heard him swear
To Tubal and to Chus, his countrymen,
That he would rather have Antonio's flesh
Than twenty times the value of the sum
That he did owe him"(3.2.296-300).
This quote just plays into the stereotype that Shylock is this greedy, evil man. He just wants to see Antonio suffer, he is enjoying Antonio's misfortune.
Then on the other hand, we also see Shylock as this poor, unfortunate, bullied man, who is treated badly because he is a Jew. The stereotypes set by society feed into people treating him poorly because of his religion. One character that contributes to this horrible treatment is Antonio. It's one of the reasons he wants to have his flesh and wishes for his failures.
“You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,
And spet upon my Jewish gabardine,
And all for use of that which is mine own.
Well then it now appears you need my help,” (1.3.121-4).
Hearing this, you cannot help but feel sorry for Shylock. Even though he feeds into the stereotype, can be seen as a villain, and seems to root for the failures of others, he might be this way because of all the poor treatment he receives. He lashes out because people treat him like dirt and the stereotype he is made out to be.