Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice Essay Example

There is always a victim and a villain in a movie, book, or play. It is typically quite straightforward to distinguish between the two; the victim is the one who is mentally or psychologically harmed. The villain, on the other hand, causes troubles and sticks out as the cruel figure. In William Shakespeare's novel/play Merchant of Venice, there is a character who is so complicated that it is unclear whether he is the victim or the villain. Shylock is a Jewish character who constantly faces racism and Anti-Semitism in his everyday life just for his religious practice, he is betrayed by the ones he was closest to and is manipulated on several occasions. In every part of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” Shylock is constantly victimized as he faces racism, betrayal, and manipulation.

Anti-semitism is the racial discrimination directed toward Jewish people, and this is the case that happens to Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. To acquire a loan for Bassanio, who had plans of owing the rich Portia into marrying him, Antonio takes him to Shylock, the Jewish moneylender in Venice. The people of Venice view the moneylending practice as immoral, given that the lender imposed huge interests on the borrower. Hence, by going to Shylock, Bassanio and Antonio are desperate for the money. Shylock knew this and reminded Antonio, a rich, influential Venetian, of all the vices he had done to him, and now he wanted Shylock's help. When Antonio starts to get frustrated by Shylock's insistence on lending only three thousand ducats for three months, Shylock tells him of the racial abuses Antonio has been directing to him due to being Jewish. Shylock indicates that,

“Signior Antonio, many a time and oft

In the Rialto you have rated me

About my moneys and my 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,”  (ACT 1, SC. 3 Lines 116-122).                                                                                       The statement reveals that Antonio has been using his powers in Venice to discriminate Shylock due to his racial background of being Jewish. Many a time, Antonio had tried to spoil Shylock's business and even went on to call him a misbeliever and a cutthroat dog. The racial abuse went on to be even physical as apart from the insults, Antonio had also spat on his Jewish gabardine. The depictions showcase the clear existence of racism at the higher level of society, and Shylock emphasizes this during the court hearing of his case against Antonio. To prove his point of wanting the pound of Antonio’s flesh, Shylock goes on to talk about the racial issue 

“ What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong?

You have among you many a purchased slave,

Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules,

You use in abject and in slavish parts

Because you bought them. Shall I say to you

“Let them be free! Marry them to your heirs!

Why sweat they under burdens? Let their beds

Be made as soft as yours, and let their palates

Be seasoned with such viands”? You will answer

“The slaves are ours!” So do I answer you:

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:” (ACT 4, SC. 1, lines 90-102)

Even before judgment, Shylock already knows that the courtroom is racist, and there are high chances he won't earn the justice he seeks. The people of Venice find it easy to discriminate against other people and mistreat people and through the quotes, it is clear that racism has a strong connection to the victimization of the minority group members as their ability to attain equality and justice is limited. 

Leaving an environment where one is from a minority group comes along with victimization experiences that occur through betrayal from both close people and those with whom the person has a distant relationship. In the play, “The Merchant of Venice”, Shylock’s victimization experiences through betrayal come from his daughter Jessica and the Venice society. Even after telling Jessica that she should lock herself in the house and not get involved in the Christian festivals, Jessica still sneaks out and elopes with a penniless Christian by the name of Lorenzo and even steals her father’s money in the process. While narrating to Salarino, Salanio tells of how Shylock was crying in the streets, not believing that his daughter had betrayed him. Salanio says, “So strange, outrageous, and so variable/As the dog Jew did utter in the streets./My daughter, O my ducats, O my daughter!/Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!” (ACT. 2, SC. 8 Lines 13-17). Shylock is a victim of a trickery conducted by his daughter and goes on to the streets to cry for help so that she can be found. Apart from defying the recommendation not to go to the Christian festivals, Jessica went a step ahead to elope with Lorenzo. As a businessman who was offering Venetians essential services, it seemed like Shylock had felt betrayed by the society for ages and so considered taking the pound of Antonio’s flesh rather than double the amount he loaned out. After the decision from Portia, Shylocks leaves after saying, “Why, then, the devil give him good of it! I’ll stay no longer question” (ACT. 4, SC. 1 LINES 359-360). The victimization does not only stop with basic aspects of daily life interactions but goes deep into betrayal in the legal system. There is nowhere in the Venetian society that Shylock is given a chance to prosper, which showcases betrayal given his hard work to acquire wealth. 

Manipulation is a technique that people use to convince individuals to accept things they do not desire or are uncomfortable with. This is usually done to people with fewer powers in situations such as Shylock in Venetian society. While seeking a loan to finance Bissanio’s pursuit for Portia, Shylock is manipulated into giving Antonio and Bassanio the loan even after they expressed their hatred for the business. After being Shylock's rival for a long time, to convince him to provide the loan, Antonio says, "Content, in faith. I’ll seal to such a bond, And say there is much kindness in the Jew” (ACT. 1 SC.3 Lines 164-165). These words come after he had called Shylock a devil who was playing with scriptures to entice the into agreeing with his treacherous requirements. Eventually, Shylock is manipulated into giving the loan, and the manipulation goes on to be witnessed again in Portia's judicial proceedings. To manipulate Shylock into conceding defeat in the case against Antonio, Portia tells Shylock, 

“Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh.

Shed thou no blood, nor cut thou less nor more

But just a pound of flesh. If thou tak’st more

Or less than a just pound, be it but so much” (ACT. 4 SC.1 Lines 338-341)

(ACT. 4 SC.1 Lines 338-341) 

Cutting only one pound of flesh without spilling blood or increasing or reducing the weight of the extracted flesh is impossible. Portia uses the trick to manipulate Shylock into accepting that the justice he thought he deserved was impossible to attain. Nevertheless, Antonio knew that the agreement meant that his failure would have led to bloodshed. Portia protects him through the manipulation of Shylock, which leaves the Jew victimized.

Conclusion

To conclude, the role of Shylock in the play The Merchant of Venice offers a detailed view of the ethical conflicts that arise when minority group members interact with the dominant ethnic group in society. Shakespeare's writing reveals that victimization is closely related to racism while still influenced by betrayal and manipulations.