Shylock, the Hated Jew of The Merchant of Venice :: Merchant of Venice Essays

Shylock, the Hated Jew of The Merchant of Venice Many of William Shakespeares plays have sparked controversy. Probably the superstar that has sparked the most controversy is The Merchant of Venice, which many intellectuals have dubbed an anti-Semitic play. The tone that this intelligence centers around is Shylock, the rich moneylender Jew. The problem with most of these anti-Semitic arguments is that they lack the perspective of the one-sixteenth century audience. Throughout Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice (M of V), the audiences perception of Shylock moves mingled with utter hatred and varying amounts of pity. In contrast to todays audience, the original sixteenth century audience saw Shylocks religion as his biggest shortcoming. Our first glimpse of Shylocks character comes in Act I, scene 3, where Shylock reveals to the audience why he hates Antonio. The first reason he gives of why he hates Antonio is because he is a Christian. (I. iii. 43) This to the si xteenth century audience would be unreasonable, and this would evoke a sort of villainy towards Shylock. But a few moments later, the audience witnesses Shylocks speech about Antonios abuses towards Shylock. (I. iii. 107-130) This speech does tumefy in invoking the audiences pity, however little it might be in the sixteenth century. But again at the end, Shylock offers that Antonio give up a lb of flesh as penalty of forfeiture of the bond, which Antonio sees as a joke, but which Shylock fully intends to collect. (I. iii. 144-78) This action negates any pity which Shylock would have one from the audience just a few moments before. Shakespeare, in this scene, uses Shylocks dialogue and soliloquies to push loyalties of the audience back and forth in a result of a disconfirming view of Shylock. In Act II, scene 8, Salarino and Salanio describe to the audience Shylocks reaction when he finds out that his daughter, Jessica, has run away to marry a Christian. Says Salanio I never heard a passion so confused, 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