Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Character of ShylockConclusionIntroductionThroughout The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare presents a multi-faceted presentation of Shylock. Although Shakespeare's presentation of Shylock conforms to the stereotypical views of Jews in many ways by presenting Shylock as a villain and the problem that must be overcome in this Shakespearean comedy. Shakespeare also presents Shylock as an underdog and presents a softer interior to Shylock's character, challenging this atrocious stereotype that was so typical of the Elizabethan era by presenting an unknown side of the Jews on stage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Character of Shylock When we first learn about Shylock in Act 1, Scene 3, it is obvious that Shakespeare presents Shylock as hateful. This is seen when immediately after being introduced to Antonio by Bassanio, Shylock says, “I hate him because he is a Christian.” The word "hate" clearly shows the extent of his antipathy for Antonio, furthermore, the alliteration between the words "hate" and "him" further demonstrates his hatred. Shylock also explicitly stated that he hates Antonio "because he is a Christian", which shows that Shylock's hatred for Antonio is based on religion. This correlates with the historical context, because during the Elizabethan era, Jews were considered inferior beings, the animosity between Christians and Jews was so great that even King Edward I exiled them from England. In the same excerpt, Shakespeare uses vivid imagery to further convey Shylock's hateful emotions when he says, "If I once catch him on the hip, I will feed with fat the old grudge I bear him." The imagery used when Shylock says, "I will feed on fat," creates in our heads the image of Shylock being a barbaric monster, feeding on Antonio's fat. Shakespeare also uses alliteration here, with the words “feed” and “fat.” When the entire line is spoken out loud, these two words attract the most attention, emphasizing Shylock's venomous nature. Finally, on the other end of the line, Shylock said, “Cursed be my tribe if I ever forgive them.” Shylock swears on his religion that he would not forgive Antonio, and earlier in the excerpt, Shylock referred to his religion as "sacred", which obviously means that it is important to him. By having such a religious man swear on his own religion in revenge, Shakespeare creates an ominous atmosphere of foreboding as the audience worries about Antonio. Furthermore, public antipathy towards Shylock continues to grow, because not only is Shylock Jewish at a time when Jews were looked down upon, but he was also plotting against a "righteous" Christian. Additionally, Shylock calls his religion his “tribe.” In doing so, Shakespeare implies that Shylock is barbaric and primitive, as the word "tribe" was mostly used to describe groups of uncivilized people. At the beginning of the play, Shylock's hatred of Antonio was quite secret, when he spoke aside: Shylock called Antonio a "flattering publican", while in public he politely called him "Signor Antonio". The contrast between these two ways that Shylock referred to Antonio is evidence that Shakespeare presents Shylock's deception and trickery. This is also evidence that Shakespeare emphasized the inferior position and segregation of Jews in society, as they were not allowed to express their opinions out loud, only in complete secrecy, byfear of legal sanctions. Even in Act 4 Scene 1, Jews were legally considered "foreigners" in Venice, even though they were citizens. However, as the play develops, Shylock's power over Antonio increases. The turning point comes when it is revealed that Antonio's ships have all sunk. When this happens, it is the Christian's turn to bend down before the Jew and ask for mercy. Since Shylock was Jewish, it was difficult for Elizabethan audiences to relate to him. However, when their beloved Christian Antonio is called "mad" by Shylock, a simple Jew, Antonio's helplessness spreads throughout the audience. Cleverly, Shakespeare could attempt to make the audience understand Shylock's suffering by forcing a Christian character to endure the same mistreatment as a Jew. Not only is Shylock presented as hateful, but he is also presented as vengeful throughout the play. In agreeing to the terms of bail, Shylock said that if Antonio broke bail, he would receive "an equal pound of your fair flesh." By using the adjective "fair" to describe Antonio's flesh (which would not conventionally be described as fair), Shylock could be seen as mocking Antonio, almost daring him to stand down because he feared a Jew. Disgust would reverberate through the audience as Shylock persuades Antonio to sign the bond. This vengeful presentation of Jewish characters was not abnormal in the Elizabethan era, as there were countless plays depicting Jews in the same vengeful light, such as Christopher Marlowe's presentation of the Jew Barabas in his infamous play: " The Jew of Malta. However, unlike these other pieces, Shylock is not looking for money or anything of monetary value: "If every ducat out of six thousand ducats were in six parts, and each part was a ducat, I would not draw them." I would have my deposit. Shakespeare could be trying to show that the Jews were not motivated solely by a desire for money, contrary to what was believed in the Elizabethan era. As the play continues, Shylock's desire for revenge remains unwavering. In Act 3, Scene 1, Shylock repeatedly repeats the phrase "Let him turn to his bond" in response to Solanio and Salerino begging Shylock to lessen the repercussions on Antonio should he break the bond. The short, monosyllabic line suggests a tone of stubbornness and determination to make Antonio suffer. This would be quite disturbing to contemporary audiences, while Elizabethan audiences would simply have their prejudiced ideas about Jews confirmed. Furthermore, the repetition of this line indicates Shylock's determination to have his "guarantee." Similarly, in Act 3, Scene 3, when Antonio begs Shylock to spare him, Shylock continually interrupts his pleas with the declaration: "I will have my bail." . This reveals a lot, firstly, it shows how in terms of power, the situation has completely reversed. At the beginning of the play, Shylock was constantly interrupted by Antonio while trying to speak, although the opposite is true in this scene. This would be completely unexpected to the Elizabethan public, as they viewed the Jews as worthless. However, Shakespeare proves that a person's religion does not determine their influence in society. The short, monosyllabic line and contraction "I'll" suggest a sense of finality, confirming to both the audience and the characters that Shylock will not ease Antonio's punishments. Additionally, whenever Shylock refers to the "bond" with Antonio he uses the possessive pronoun "my", this shows how important the fulfillment of the bond is to him.However, Shakespeare also presents Shylock as oppressed and mistreated countless times throughout the story. play. First, Shylock is constantly dehumanized from act to act. He is constantly referred to as a “devil,” a “dog,” a “bad guy,” and a “bad guy.” By having the characters call Shylock such derogatory names, Shakespeare shows how Jews were wrongly considered an inferior species, inferior to Christians in the Great Chain of Being and among the animals. Additionally, by referring to Shylock to each character using these terms repeatedly, Shakespeare reveals that everyone in society viewed Shylock in this way. Shylock is also constantly insulted with words from the same semantic field of religion, such as: "devil" and "unbeliever". This shows how the insults thrown at Shylock were not simply because of the characters' dislike of him, but also because of the dislike of his religion. Shakespeare highlights not only the mistreatment of Shylock, but also the mistreatment of all Jews during this time. The words indicate that the characters considered Judaism to be an inferior religion and that anyone who followed this religion was to be mistreated. Additionally, Antonio, who was supposed to be the perfect Christian, treated Shylock with the utmost disrespect. In Act 1, Scene 3, when Shylock says, "You, who have emptied your cold upon my beard," Shakespeare uses vivid and disgusting imagery to summarize the mistreatment of the Jews in a single, atrocious image. By showing this oppressed side of Shylock, Shakespeare questions the audience as to whether Shylock's bond against Antonio was actually justifiable, because even though Shylock's idea of ​​punishment seemed excessively harsh, Shylock is right when he says : “If you wrong us, we will.” we don't take revenge? If we are like you in everything else, we will be like you in that. By using a rhetorical question, Shakespeare questions the paradoxical theme of justice. Shakespeare asks the question: why is it that on the one hand it is completely unacceptable for a Christian (Antonio) to be almost killed by a Jew (Shylock), even though it was well within Shylock's rights, while Is that perfectly fine for him? a Jew forced to abandon his religion, for fear of wanting death, and forced to give up most of his property and wealth, which is arguably worse than death, by a Christian? There are also moments throughout the play where Shylock's harsh, hateful speech on the outside is cut through and his inner emotions are revealed. The most apt example is found in Act 3 Scene 1. When Shylock is questioned by Solanio and Salarino, Shylock delivers his famous “Have he no Jewish eyes?” speech. In this speech, Shylock constantly uses rhetorical questions to express his displeasure with the mistreatment of the Jews. Normally, Shylock only shows anger and hatred towards Christian characters and always tries to differentiate himself from them. However, in this speech, Shylock says that the Jews are like everyone else, which was contrary to his previous actions. By doing this, Shakespeare shows that beneath his hateful and angry exterior, Shylock is just an ordinary man who just wants to be treated with equality and respect. Since this was performed on stage, it could also suggest that Shakespeare was indirectly questioning the mistreatment of all Jews by society at the time. Additionally, rhetorical questions are used to communicate with the audience, reinforcing this notion. Later in the same act, nature more,.