Essay: The Many Faces Of Shylock.

Laura Smith

11G

9/9/05

In 'The Merchant of Venice', by William Shakespeare, one of the most notable and distinctive
characters is Shylock, the Jewish usurer. Though, at first, he seems to be the typical 'bad-guy', as
the play progresses we find he is not just a pantomime villain. At the beginning, because of his
seemingly miserly ways and his request for such a sanguine bond, he appears to be a plain
villain. However, throughout the play, it is obvious from the emotions he displays, that he is not
just the unfeeling opposition. He is, in fact, a human being, and is presented as such, with strong
emotions that manipulate our feelings towards him. Also, some of his cruelty may be explained as
his anger at the racial abuse he must have been subject to.

He is also capable of feeling love and warm feelings, namely for his daughter, Jessica. All these
factors make us react to him as we would anyone else. We are repulsed when he is needlessly
cruel, and we are sympathetic when his daughter leaves him. His emotions control our feelings
towards him in the play, and so he can never simply hate him as a villain.

First and foremost in the play, Shylock is a usurer. He is forced into this position because he is a
Jew, and christians are hypocrytical on that subject in that they persecute the jews for lending
money, because it is also against christian law for a christian to lend money.

While Shylock is forced into this role, he appears to somewhat enjoy it. He has, to all
appearances, an obsession with money. Though agreeing to lend three thousand ducats to
Bassanio, he also imposes quite a painful and potentially deadly bond on Antonio. He asks that
the bond be 'an equal pound/of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken'. This is an example of how
he entraps the needy, making them sign a bond in forfeiture for if they fail to produce the ducats.
It is also an example of his hatred for Christians, Antonio especially, as he sets up such a
dangerous bond, and then places it upon Antonio instead of Bassanio. However, some of his
spitefulness may be partially justified, as his treatment by Christians is less than fair.

Shylock is also presented as a miserly father and master, with Jessica and Lancelet. Jessica
percieves him as an oppressive father, trying to force her to conform to his life and beliefs. She
despises this, and in the phrase 'Our house is hell,' clearly shows her hatred of the cage she has
been put in.

Lancelet Gobbo views him as the cruel master, with standards he feels are too high for the
servant to reach. Lancelet feels he is abused and unappreciated, and makes this clear by saying
'that the Jew hath done me wrong,'. This tells us he feels scorned and ignored, and that he is
worth better treatment than that.

Also, Shylock's attitudes towards socializing with others may have something to do with the way
he treats his daughter and servant. His attitude to socializing is generally negative, and when he
is invited to Antonio's for supper, he tells Jessica, 'I am not bid for love; they flatter me. But yet I'll
go in hate, to feed upon the prodigal christian.' This shows he is at a loathe to go to the christian's
dinner, but suffers the politeness to stay civil and in good graces with him. He also tells Jessica to
ignore the 'masques' outside her window, the christians having fun and going to parties. He
scorns them for making merry, but this may be a somewhat jealous reproach, as Shylock does
not appear to be able socialize normally.

Another face of Shylock is of the savage and ruthless jew. Throughout the play, he has an
apparent fixation with the bond, and his revenge on Antonio for not paying him. The fact that he
repeats himself a lot, continually saying things like 'let him look to his bond.', is an example of
this. Though a lot of this anger is because Antonio is a Christian, Shylock is particularly angry at
Antonio as a person, because Antonio is abusive and rude because of Shylock's race. When
Tubal tells him Antonio 'hath an argosy cast away,' Shylock os constantly interrupting in his
eagerness to find out what ill luck has befallen Antonio, and laughs when he finds out. He takes
great delight in this fact when Tubal tells him of the wrecked ships and says 'I thank thee, good
Tubal. Good news, good news-', repeating himself in his relief and happiness.

Shylock may want revenge on Antonio for all the wrongs done to him by christians. As a jew, he
has been persecuted by christians all his life, and has never had an excuse to get revenge. This
would be a good opportunity for his revenge.

Shylock goes on at great length about justice and the law. He wants to claim Antonio's flesh, and
calls it justice. He refuses to give mercy, even with Portia's speech and the Duke's comment of
'and then tis thought/Thou'lt show thy mercy and remorse more strange.' He may be
demonstrating this lack of mercy because he wants revenge on Antonio so much.

The fact that Shylock openly sharpens his knife in the court shows his eagerness for Antonio's
flesh and revenge. When asked about the scales, after bringing them out, it emphasizes his
anticipation of Antonio's pain. Shylock says that because it was not in the contract, Antonio
cannot have a doctor. This shows his ruthlessness and his hunger for Antonio's death.

However, for all his prejudices, Shylock is a great believer in racial equality, and he is the victim of
a great racist society. In his 'Hath not a Jew...' speech, he speaks with dignity and great passion
about how a Jew is equal, in every respect, to a Christian.

One of Shylock's final faces in the play is of a victim, defeated. This completely throws our current
opinion of him, as we are not used to him being so vulnerable. This particular moment of change
is pivotal because it first exposes Shylock as having genuine emotions. He is especially broken
when Portia, after supporting him so far, turns on him and tells him the law, and he says 'Is that
the law?' his tone completely changes. He is no longer clear and confident of his revenge on
Antonio, but fragile and small, unsure of his future.

Shylock's final punishment is being forced to convert to Christianity, losing everything he has ever
known or believed in. It is not a just punishment, though he has commited such atrocities, and
mercy, for all Portia's claims, is not shown. The punishment is forcing him to give up everything
he's ever known and loved, all his beliefs and the society he's grown up in. Also, possibly the only
people who will ever accept him. It leaves him alone and out in the cold, isolated, looked down
upon by Christians as a Jew, and hated by Jews as a Christian.

Shylock's exit, and his last line of 'I am not well', creates a sense of pity and sympathy from us.
We do not view him as an evil creature, but as a human being, broken and torn, alone in his pain.
We feel anger at Portia for being so cruel and contradicting her earlier speech about mercy.

Many playgroups and thespian organisations have interpreted this last line as an indication of
suicide once he leaves the courtroom, adding gunshots and the like from off-stage. However, I
believe this is over-played and a bit too melodramatic as Christianity and Judaism both hold
suicide as a sin, and therefore, if Shylock commited suicide, he would be going against his belief
and theoretically, to hell. Though broken, I do not believe Shylock would foresake either religion to
commit suicide.

Ultimately, Shakespeare has established Shylock as a many-faceted personality, instead of a

completely evil character. He has presented Shylock as having many different human emotions,
and because of this, we can identify Shylock with characteristics within ourselves. This helps us
connect with the play and the people in it. In him, Shakespeare has created a warped reflection of
human society and it's many failings.
Shylock is a memorable character because of some of the very real issues he talks about,
including racial prejudice towards jews. His very blunt speeches about the equality of Christians
and Jews is, for many, a prompt wake-up call. It makes people re-examine themselves and their
actions towards those different to them.

Over all, Shylock was a very modern thinking man for his time, and, though fictional, his
precociousness is still as sharp a reminder of current attitudes towards racial differences.