Essay on Shakespeares the Merchant of Venice

In Shakespeare's book Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who holds a grudge with a Christian merchant Antonio. The resentment becomes open when Antonio asks Shylock to lend him money, and Shylock asks for his flesh in case he does not return the loan in time. Here, Shylock acts as a negative stereotype, but he is only acting in that manner due to forced circumstances. The persecution and discrimination of Jews have forced Shylock to be vengeful and cold hearted. In the Christian values, these actions are not tolerated, and thus he is marked as a bloodthirsty creature, who is mean and thus seen as an enemy of the Venetian citizens. The Venetians uniformly express hatred and intolerance towards shylock and other Jews in Venice. In fact, that exclusion of "others" is what makes the Venetian Christians have a stronger bond.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Shylock, in Shakespeares book Merchant of Venice, is a victim of circumstances. The play reveals him as a vicious monster, a Jewish stereotype or a disastrous character whose sense of decency has been altered by the persecution he suffers. It is portrayed in his frequent mentions of the cruelty he has undergone in the hands of the Christians. The Christians in this play are viewed as superior creatures and have legal protection from the state, unlike the Jews who face discrimination. In this play Merchant of Venice, the dominant class does not rule by wealth, but it rather rules by faith. Many of the Jews are wealthier than Christians but face treatment as fewer equals because of their faith. Jews are discriminated upon by the Christians and are viewed to be objects of the king. The discrimination is first seen at the beginning of the play when Antonio spits on shylock. He further defames him with no legal recourse, and according to the state, that is not a crime since the Jews do not have the rights and freedoms as Christians do. The Jews are made to live exceptionally within ghettos that are always locked at night, evidently outlining their subservient status in contrast to Christians who had no want of physical mobility.

The play is championed by the deliverance of justice. Justice is served for the innocent merchants by the advent of a formidable female lawyer, the play vilifies a minority group and perpetuates discrimination in the name of the law. The law sanctions discrimination towards Jewish people on the play. For instance, Antonio openly defames Shylock, an act that should not be condoned by law. However, the law does not mention any protection to Shylock even though his source of revenue is being jeopardized by the acts of Antonio. In this case, the law should have protected the reputation of Shylock but it was unavailable due to his religious status.

Shylocks revenge is not fueled by the defamation from Antonio nor just for a default long repayment, but it is in an attempt to reattribute against his persecutors. This is in term of humanistic account that even a criminal may be acting out of resentment of justice rather than pure wickedness or revenge. The play allows him to assert a more complex humanity since his vengeance does not stem from defamation but from the oppression he has faced in the hands of Christians. In his speech, he outlines principles of similarities between both Christians and Jews, for example, he says that "If a Jew wrongs a Christian what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrongs a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute and shall go hard, but I will better the instruction." Shylock begins by outlining the physical attributes that are similar to both Jews and Christians. He states that their hands, organs, eyes, affections and senses are similar to both Jews and Christians. They eat the same food, they die the same way, they are hurt by the same objects, they suffer the same diseases, they are warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as Christians are and are healed in the same manner; thus he wonders why Jews should not revenge the same way Christians do. Eventually, he arrives at a conclusion that Jews are not different from Christians and therefore, they should seek revenge if they are wronged.

In Shakespeares book Merchant of Venice, Shylock is the antagonist in the play. He is seen as a villain who just wants flesh and blood. For example, he is reprimanded when he expresses his hate for Antonio. He says he hate him because he is a Christian, he lends out money gratis, brings down the rate of usance to Venice and that he can catch him upon the heap; he will feed fat the ancient grudge he bears him. Shylock also want Antonios flesh after he refuses to pay his loan in time. Shylock says that "I hate him because he despises 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 be my tribe if I forgive him!" This makes Shylock a bloodthirsty bogeyman. He is scary enough to seriously endanger the happiness of Venices businessmen and young lovers alike. This does not only make him an enemy but also makes him a cruel monster. Shylock coldly attempts to revenge the wrongs done to him by his prosecutor, Antonio. This calculated revenge attempts paint him as a miserly, cruel and prosaic figure. Shylock, however, is a creation of circumstance; even in his single-minded pursuit for flesh, his complaints about how he has been persecuted by Christians prevents us from marking him as a villain. Shylock is a victim of a Venetian justice system and who tried to enforce it. By doing so, he is seen as unjust when acting to uphold the law. This symbolizes how Jews are treated unfairly by the Christians because they are viewed as the minority group. The Christians however, are seen as just even when they are in the breach of law. The Jews are the religious minority who have always been persecuted and are the real victims irrespective of which party yields the knife. The implication here is that Jews suffered at the hands of Christians.

In this case, Shylock fights to uphold the rights and freedom of the Jews and therefore should not be reprimanded nor be labeled as a bloodthirsty creature. In fact, he is acting in a way any other Christian could if in the same situation. In Merchant of Venice, Christians are allowed to act upon or rather to revenge if offended whereas, the Jews should just remain silent and be oppressed. If they act upon the oppression, they are regarded as villains and cruel monsters as well illustrated in the case of Shylock. The Jews community in Shakespeares Merchant of Venice, are treated as minorities and secluded as a result. The play illustrates how the law is often complicit in discrimination, even approving it, the reason being that it is controlled and seeks to benefit and please the dominant class.