On_the_Character_of_Shylock_in_The_Merchant_of_Venice

On the Character of Shylock in The Merchant of

Venice

Rachel

Class 00, Grade 2007, School of Foreign

Languages and Literature, 00000000

Abstract: Critics tend to agree that Shylock is the most n oteworthy figure in The Merchant of Venice. Some people read him as a bloodthirsty bogeyman and a clownish Jewish stereotype.

They think that he is selfish, cruel, avaricious and niggard. However, the others hold different ideas for the woeful treatments he has got, which makes it hard for us to label him a natural born monster. So, nobody has given him an exact image for now. Indeed, Shylock is the play’s antagonist, but he is also a creation of circumstance; even in his single-minded pursuit of a pound of flesh. Here, I am going to give him a positive image. Except for being a

villain, he is a warrior also to life and even to the society.

Key Words: Merchant of Venice，Shylock，Character, a creation of circumstance, a warrior

1 Brief introduction

1.1 A brief introduction of the whole story

The Merchant of Venice is one of the Shakespeare’s famous comedies in his early time. Its theme is to extol kindness, friendship and love. This story begins with the Venice businessman, Antonio. Antonio’s money is all invested in mercantile expeditions. In order to help his best friend, Bassano, he has to borrow from the Jewish usurer, Shylock. Shylock has made a strong bond that requires Antonio to surrender a pound of his flesh if he fails to repay him within a certain period of time. Antonio’s letter now releases that his ships have all been lost, and he is penniless, and will have to pay the pound of flesh. The bound issue has come before a court of law at which Portia appears disguised as a young lawyer instructed to judge the case. She first appeals to Shylock to have

mercy, but when he insists on the letter of the law she lets him have it: he may take his pound of flesh, but there is no mention of blood in the bond; if he sheds a single drop of a Christian’s blood, his lands and goods will be confused by the State according to the law of Venice. Thus, Antonio is saved, and Shylock has to undergo certain severe penalties, including compulsory conversion to Christianity.(Zhang Boxiang, 2004:176)

1.2 A brief introduction of the social background

In 16th century, England is under the leadership of Elizabeth at that time. With the rapid development of capitalist economy and the growth of the bourgeoisie, the discrimination and exclusion towards the Jews has become increasingly serious. Even in Venice, the strongest and most powerful country in Europe, the sufferings of the Jews are the inevitable facts. According to the laws at that time, the Jews were forced to live in the old plant or slums in isolation. They were under the guard of Christians after sunset. During the day, any Jews who wanted to leave the civilian area should always bring red hats showing that they are “Jews”. Because they were not allowed to possess private property, they could

only deal in usurious loans for life, but this was against the laws of Christianity. The merchant of Venice turned a blind eye to their sufferings. But the Religious Fanatics who were hostile to the Jews would beat, abuse, and even deprive their rights to exist. And it is this kind of injustice that contributed to the main cause of Shylock’s abnormal personality.

1.3 A brief introduction about Shylock in this tragic comedy.

Shylock, in this play, is the antagonist. He is the model of Jewish usurer and is the representative of the voice of an oppressed nation. Most people read him as a bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype. He is selfish, cruel, avaricious and niggard. Once he has the chance to revenge his foes, he will try his best to make them into deathtrap. He loves money and cares it than anything else. He doesn’t care about his only daughter, and this makes Jessica’s elopement with her lover. In the court, he is clam and wisdom, even fights against several Christian’s attacks. All of this makes people take unkind attitude to him. But the character of Shylock has also been the subject of much critical debate: How are we meant to evaluate the attitude of the Venetians in the play

toward him? Is he a bloodthirsty villain? Or is he a man “more sinned against than sinning”? One of the reasons that such questions are raised is that there are really two stages of Shylock in the play: first, there is the stage “villain” who is required for the plot; second, there is the human being who suffers the loss of his daughter, his property, and what`s worse, his religion.

2 Analysis of the character of Shylock

2.1 Shylock’s attitude towards his eloped daughter

We can say that there is no love between him and his only daughter which is based on the following points. He locks his daughter at home and makes her guard wealth every minute just like a tool and does not allow her to go out. As a result, his daughter regards her home as the hell and decides to run away with his lover without any hesitation in a dark night. This can be proved in ACTⅡSCENEⅤ. When Shylock will go out to take dinner with Antonio, even under his unwillingness, he calls three times before Jessica’s vacant response. There is no common father-daughter relationship. Besides, Shylock

cares more about money than his daughter, When Jessica steals precious gems thousands of ducats from him, he doesn’t care weather she is alive or dead. What’s worse，he says:

I would my daughter were dead at my foot,

And the jewels in her ear!

Would she were hearsed at my foot,

And the ducats in her coffin!

No news of them? Why, so;

And I know not what’s spent in the search;

Why thou- loss upon loss!

The thief gone with so much,

And so such to find the thief (Shakespeare,1996:7; ACT ⅢSCENE Ⅰ);

There is no warm in their home.

2.2 Shylock’s attitude towards money

Shylock cares more about money than anything else. He loves it and tries his best to earn it. So, he cherishes it, even becomes miserly in some extent. As a usurer, Shylock is stingy and avaricious of wealth. He has the most vivid image.With the development of the plot and the thorough description of contradiction, his true features gradually appear before us: Being a miser,

he makes his living by practicing usury and regards money as his life. Since Shylock loves money very much and in this affect he becomes a devil and hates everyone who holds him back from making money or making him lose money. And he is rapt in money and in order to collect more, he even just let his servant suffer starvation. What’s worse, he abandons his servant and calls him “lazy wasp”, eventually his servant turns a new host for help. Simultaneously, it is also a no-warm relationship concerning about money between Shylock and his daughter.

2.3 Shylock’s attitude towards enemy

Once he has the chance to revenge his foes, he will try his best to make them into deathtrap. In this play, for the unfair sufferings he has got, it is obviously that Shylock’s enemies are a series of individuals, groups and even the society who discriminated the Jews, among which Antonio is the typical one. The reason why he chooses to revenge Antonio, I believe, is not by accident. There are three main reasons: first, Antonio has ever despised him, abused him in public and spitted to him, which hurt his self-esteem; second, as a usurer, Shylock must eradicate Antonio who lends money without asking for any interest; third,

Shylock’s daughter eloped with Antonio’s friend and stolen his money. He thinks it is Antonio’s conspiracy. Therefore, he had to put this debt onto the Antonio.

There is a monologue of Shylock:

How like a fawning publican he looks!

I hate him for he is a 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 Cursed he my tribe

If I forgive him (Shakespeare,1996:7; ACTⅠCENEⅢ) !

2.4 Shylock’s attitude towards abusers

To the insults and discriminations, Shylock has learned to be brave and can deal with it in a flexible way. As Mr. Lu Xun(1982:134) says “To explode in silence, or to die in it”. In that society, the Christian Law is the power. So he just endures the unfair affirmation by law. The non -resistance doesn’t mean he is weak. In contrast, he is waiting the chance. Once he has the chance, he will try his

best to fight. When he suffers insults and spurning from Antonio, he chooses to bear it without any words. Because he knows clearly that he is a Jew in the lowest-class. However, at the minute when Antonio borrows money from him, he recognizes that he has got the time. He makes full use of the Christian Law, which settled to forbid the Jews, to defend for himself. Here, I must give him a positive image: he is a good law-abiding citizen, which is contrast to Portia takes advantage of the loophole of the law in a cheeky way. As the letter of the contract, he can get a pond of flesh, in which can make Antonio into deathtrap. From this, we can get the information that Shylock is a man of resource.

As he says:

Signior Antonio, many a time and oft

In the Ratio you have rated me

About my moneys and my usances

Still have I borne it with a patient shrug

For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe

You call me misbeliever, cut-throat 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

(Shakespeare, 1996:7; ACTⅠSCENEⅢ) .

The pound of flesh which I demand of him,

Is dearly bought; `tis mine and I will have it,

If you deny me, fie upon your law!

There is no force in the decrees of Venice.

I stand for judgment: answer; shall I have it

(Shakespeare, 1996:7; ACTⅣCENE 0Ⅰ) ?

3 My views of Shylock

3.1 A lowest-class Jewish at that time

Shylock is a typical Jewish in the 16th century, who is plagued and oppressed by life, social and anti-Jewish people. He lives in the bottom of the society. At that time, the Jews had no position and they are even less than the dog in Christian’s eyes. Poor Jews were always abused in public, even were unlawfully deprived of their own life. In order to live, they had to give up their dignity and bear all sorts of unequal treatment. Shylock has no property, but he must feed himself and his only daughter. Therefore, he lends out money at an exorbitant rate of interest so as to maintain the daily life. So he cherishes the hard-earned fruits of his labors and hates those who spend money like

water, especially the “affluent second generations” like Antonio. Shylock has no dignity, but in order to live, he has never given up hope. His noble qualities to face a painful situation bravely and stoically, his virtue to be frugal in life and his firm faith to the furture are should be learned by all of us.

3.2 A poor old man for living

Shylock is an old man. He has no son except a daughter. As we know that woman is not the main person to earn money. So, although he is over fifty, he has to work out and worries about living every minute. For family, he has no choice but learn to live in the adversities. What `s worse, the Jews are not allowed to possess private property at the time, so he could only deal in usurious loans for life。Shylock cherishes money which he uses sweats to change back; he saves money to support family. Besides, Shylock suffers many insults and unfair things outside. He swallowed his anger for life. Inside, he carries the heavy burden alone. Thus, this old man is under too much strain. And these we can not see from the “affluent second generations” like Antonio.

After his daughter eloped with Lorenzo, he becomes lonely. Because there is no relatives

around him any more. He will be alone to the end of life. The worst of all is that he loses his money after the court, even loses his religion. Such a poor old man

3.3 A warrior to abuser, life and society

Shylock is a warrior. In this unfair society, he has been hard done by. He is insulted by someone, is spurned by someone and is discriminated by someone. At last, he loses his self-respect, even his religion. And facing to the life tragedy, he choose to fight against like a hero.

3.3.1 To abusers

He is calm, intelligent and brave. He uses his powerful words to deal a deadly blow to them. In the court, he argues with several people at the same time. For example, when Geatiano, as a representative of abusers, says this to Shylock:

O, be thou damn’d ”, in execrable dog!

And for thy life let justice be accuse`d.

Thou almost mak`st me waver in my faith,

To hold opinion with Pythagoras,

That souls of animals infuse themselves,

Into the trunks of men: thy currish spirit,

Govern`d a wolf, who, hang`d for human slaughter,

Even from the gallows did his fell soul fleet,

And whilst thou lay’s t in thy unhallow`d dam,

Infus`d itself in thee; for thy desires, Are wolfish, bloody, starv`d, and

ravenous(Shakespeare, 1996:7; ACTⅣ

SCENEⅠ)

He gives a powerful reply to the sharp criticism:

Till thou canst rail the seal from off my bound

Thou but offend`st thy lungs to speak so loud;

Repair thy wit, good youth, or it will fall

To cureless ruin. I stand here for law (Shakespeare, 1996:7; ACTⅣSCENEⅠ).

From what we have discussed above, we can see that he is very good at debating. He can talk or argue logically and persuasively. Sometimes he refutes the opponents with hypothetical inference while sometimes emphasizes with irony.asis.

Such as:

You will ask me, why I rather choose to

have

A weight of carrion flesh than to receive

But say it is my humour: is it answer`d?

What if my house be troubled with a rat,

And I ht pleas`d to given ten thousand ducats

To have it ban`d? What, are you answer`d yet?

Some men there are love not a gaping pig;

Some, that are mad if they behold a cat;

And others, when the bagpipe sings i` the nose,

Cannot contain their urine: for affection,

Mistress of passion, sways it to the mood

Of what it likes, or loathes. Now, for your answer:

As there is no firm reason to be render`d,

Why he cannot abide a gaping pig;

Why he, a harmless necessary cat;

Why he, a wauling bagpipe;

But of force

Must yeld to such inevitable shame

As to offend, himself being offended;

So can I give no reson, nor I will not,

More than a lodg`d hate and a certain loathing

I bear Antonio, that I follow thus

A losing suit against him. Are you

answer`d( Shakespeare, 1996:7; ACTⅣ

CENEⅠ)?

3.3.2 To life

In terms of life, he is the strong one. He knows that life is not fair, so, he tries his best to live better. In that society, he is squeezed and discriminated. No one has been nice to him ever. So when Duke asks him to be mercy to Antonio, Shylock just feels it is very funny. He thinks that MERCY has been died out in the world. He always asks himself: who is mecry to whom?He hates the hypocritical society. He hates the pretty down- to- earth people. So, these words are come into the play:

What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong?

You have among you many a purchas`d slave

Which, like among you dogs and mules?

You use in abject and in slavish parts

Because you bought them; shall I say to you?

Let them be free, many them to you heirs?

Why sweat they under burdens? Let their beds

Be made as soft as yours, and let their palate

Be season`d with such viands (Shakespeare, 1996:7; ACTⅣSCENEⅠ) ?

3.3.3 To society

He expresses his discontentment clearly. He is strongly against race discrimination, especially the suffering which Jews has got. He is also hates the oppression and exploitation from the higher-class. Before, for the Christain Law, he does not dare to speak it out but to bear it. However, after he gets the information that Atonioto loses business and has to repay with a pond of flesh, he gets the chance and to speak bravely his words from inner heart out. He is eager for equality, for national freedom, and for the respect for his faith. We can know his voice of heart from these:

Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,

dimensions, senses, affections, passions?

Fed with the same food,

Hurt with the sane weapons,

Subject to the same disease,

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.

If a Jew wrongs a Christian, what is his humility?

Revenge

If a Christian wrong a Jew,

What should his sufferance be by Christian

example (Shakespeare, 1996:7; AVTⅢ

SCENEⅠ) ?

4. Conclusion

Indeed, Shylock is avaricious, and cares about money than anything else; he is cruel and gives devilish revenge to his enemy; he is selfish and makes his only daughter elope with her lover and he is sophistic and gives a powerful attack to the

abusers in the court. But we can not blame all the evils on him. From the other side, Shylock is a man worth sympathizing. He is greedy, but it is for making living; he is cruel, but it is for the same treatment which he has been suffered; he is indifferent to his daughter, but it is for the humanlity destruction by the wicked society; he is trickey, but it is for the argument for himself. All of these, we can say that Shylock is the creation of circumstance.

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