Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 152 views

    Character of Shylock

    Uploaded by

    nikolasbourbaki
    Shylock is a complex character in The Merchant of Venice. On one hand, he is portrayed as the stereotypical greedy Jewish moneylender, but he also exhibits fully human traits as we see his pain over his daughter Jessica's betrayal and his insistence on the common humanity between Jews and Christians. Throughout the play, Shylock fluctuates between emphasizing the differences between his Jewish faith and Christian characters, and expressing his thirst for revenge against Antonio, revealing the multifaceted nature of his character.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Character of Shylock

    Uploaded by

    nikolasbourbaki
    152 views2 pages
    Shylock is a complex character in The Merchant of Venice. On one hand, he is portrayed as the stereotypical greedy Jewish moneylender, but he also exhibits fully human traits as we see his pain over his daughter Jessica's betrayal and his insistence on the common humanity between Jews and Christians. Throughout the play, Shylock fluctuates between emphasizing the differences between his Jewish faith and Christian characters, and expressing his thirst for revenge against Antonio, revealing the multifaceted nature of his character.

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Shylock is a complex character in The Merchant of Venice. On one hand, he is portrayed as the stereotypical greedy Jewish moneylender, but he also exhibits fully human traits as we see his pain over his daughter Jessica's betrayal and his insistence on the common humanity between Jews and Christians. Throughout the play, Shylock fluctuates between emphasizing the differences between his Jewish faith and Christian characters, and expressing his thirst for revenge against Antonio, revealing the multifaceted nature of his character.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    152 views2 pages

    Character of Shylock

    Uploaded by

    nikolasbourbaki
    Shylock is a complex character in The Merchant of Venice. On one hand, he is portrayed as the stereotypical greedy Jewish moneylender, but he also exhibits fully human traits as we see his pain over his daughter Jessica's betrayal and his insistence on the common humanity between Jews and Christians. Throughout the play, Shylock fluctuates between emphasizing the differences between his Jewish faith and Christian characters, and expressing his thirst for revenge against Antonio, revealing the multifaceted nature of his character.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    The Character of Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice”

    Although “The Merchant of Venice” is named after Antonio, not Shylock, the play’s widespread
    popularity comes from the complex character of Shylock. Reading the play through modern eyes,
    Shylock can be seen as both an Elizabethan stereotype and also as a fully drawn human being who
    deserves a certain degree of compassion and understanding. On one hand he is the stage "villain"
    who is required for the plot but on the other hand he is the human being who suffers the loss of his
    daughter, his property, and, very importantly for him, his religion.

    Stereotypical Jew and Unpleasant Personality


    Shylock’s role in the play starts off in an expectedly Elizabethan manner with Shylock exhibiting
    every sign of being the money-hungry Jewish usurer that was a common character in Elizabethan
    drama. Shylock shows unpleasant and greedy aspects of his character, with asides to the audience
    stating that he hated Antonio because Antonio was a Christian -- "but more" he continued, because
    he lent money without interest, thus competing with Shylock's business and threatening Shylock's
    sole means of supporting himself and his family.

    Materialistic Shylock?
    Throughout the play, Shylock's attitude toward money and human relationships is reveals important
    traits of his character. When we hear about Shylock's response to Jessica's elopement, it seems that
    he is more worried about the gold Jessica stole than the fact that his daughter is gone. Solanio tells
    us that Shylock screamed "'My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! / Fled with a Christian! O my
    Christian ducats!" (2.8.2). This apparently sounds like Shylock is more concerned about his money
    than his daughter.

    But, later, Shylock's response to the news that Jessica traded an important family heirloom shows
    that the turquoise ring Jessica discarded is important to Shylock because it was a gift from his dead
    wife, not because it is worth a lot of money. So here, we can see that Shylock is not exactly the
    money-hungry villain he is made out to be.

    Shylock's Opinions on Jews and Christians


    Shylock's pained response to Jessica’s actions reveals that he is deeply human, a point that he makes
    at a pivotal moment in the play, when Salerio and Solanio taunt him with Jessica's elopement:

    Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands,……

    Here Shylock insists on the fact that Jews and Christians share a common humanity. He also exposes
    the hypocrisy of the Christian characters who are always talking about love and mercy but then go
    out of their way to alienate Shylock because he is Jewish and different.

    Yet as powerful as this speech is, elsewhere in the play Shylock tends to emphasize the differences
    between Jews and Christians. When Bassanio invites him to dinner, Shylock emphasises his separate
    faith and states that though he interacts with Bassanio in business dealings he would never eat or
    drink with him ("I will buy with you, sell with you, ….).
    Thirst for Revenge
    Shylock’s intense thirst for revenge is repeatedly demonstrated throughout they play. But this
    vengefulness is best expressed through his response to a query made by one of Antonio's friends,
    who asks him what his pound of forfeit flesh is good for. Shylock’s response is “To bait fish withal; if
    it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge.

    Intelligent and Articulate


    Throughout the play, Shylock shows keenness of observation, a memory for details, and a strong
    amount of energy. He is well versed in the Bible and is able to draw analogies from various Biblical
    sources and stories to strengthen his own arguments against his opponents. His speech reveals a
    practical and agile thought process, which helps him in his business dealings.

    Conclusion:
    Shylock is drawn in bold strokes; he is meant to be a "villain" in terms of the romantic comedy, but
    because of the multi-dimensionality which Shakespeare gives him, we are forced to sympathize with
    him at times, loathe him at others. Shakespeare's manipulation of our emotions regarding Shylock is
    a testament to his genius as a creator of character.

    You might also like