STUDENTS PROFILE

Name- Pratyush Agrawal

Class- 10
Section- L

Roll Number- 13453

ICSE BATCH- 2022

In the historic play “The Merchant of Venice” written by William Shakespeare,
Shylock is one of the main characters for whom I have great pity. Shylock is
presented as unloving and unloved. His presentation is a way of expressing the
truth about intolerance, a defect that reflects on an entire community, and can cast
a shadow on its strengths. He is a man, like everyone else, and deserves to be
treated like one, not like a ‘cur’ as Antonio would. He has enormous reserves of
patience because for years, he has quietly borne the Christians’ insults and abuses.
The critical opinion on the character of Shylock is divided into two extremes of
‘hate’ and ‘love’ for him. The truth lies somewhere between the two extremes.
Shylock isn’t such a black devil as he is seen by some. He isn’t a noble martyr
either. Shylock, to some extent is a sinner, but he is more sinned against. His
enemies are not saints. They too have sinned against him. The difference between
Shylock and his enemies is a difference of degree, not of kind. On the contrary, his
enemies, out-Shylocked Shylock.
What are the sins of Shylock? His first sin is that he is revengeful and vindictive;
but was he not driven to revenge by the insolent behaviour of Antonio, who
unashamedly declared that he was likely to spit upon Shylock again and to call him
a cut-throat dog?
The first sign of victimization is seen in the theme of prejudice outlined by
Shakespeare. This is first evident in Scene 3 of Act 1, which is one of the main
scenes in which Shylock could be seen more as a victim than a villain.
Mistreatment of others can become extremely addictive for abusers and sometimes
it seems as if everyone wants to be a part of the mistreatment of Shylock. The poor
Jew is insulted in the public, spat on and called names by Antonio.
We see the above, when Shylock says, “you call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
and spit upon my Jewish gabardine” to which Antonio replies, “I am as like to call
thee so again, To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too”. This proves my point that
Antonio and other merchants, frequently criticize and belittle Shylock and his
business and insult his religion and culture. This is one of the major reasons why I
feel pity for Shylock, because he is not accepted into society and I would hate to be
in his shoes.
Shylock was the victim of prejudice because he was Jewish and because he loaned
money on interest for a living. During the Elizabethan era, Jews were not allowed
any regular jobs, but could lend money. There is no reason Shylock should be
abused and disrespected just for trying to make a living for himself and his
daughter. No one accepted him for who he was, and nobody wanted to be around
him. As a human, and a person trying to earn a living, it is evident that it is very
unfair and is another reason why I pity Shylock.
In addition to insults and abuses, Shylock suffers a deep betrayal from his own
flesh and blood. Shylock’s daughter, Jessica meets secretly with Lorenzo and steals
from her father, lies to him and abandons him. In my opinion, going behind one’s
father’s back is very disrespectful and a horrible sin to commit. Shylock must have
been heart broken when he found about Jessica’s elopement and that she stole a
great deal of his wealth. She also stole his most valuable possession, a turquoise
ring which his late wife, Leah had gifted him. On top of it, she trades the ring for a
monkey. Shylock was very hurt after hearing this. He says to Tubal, “Out upon
her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was a
bachelor. I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.” The image of a
broken Shylock, walking down the streets of Venice, crying out loud, “Oh my
daughter, Oh my ducats” is carved in the reader’s mind and it instantly evokes
sympathy for the hard-working Jew who was robbed and betrayed by his daughter.
In the courtroom scene of Act four Scene one I perceive Shylock as a victim
because of the criticism and insults of the Duke- “Go one and call the Jew into the
courtroom”. Here we can clearly see that the Duke refers to Shylock as a Jew and I
find this very ignorant. Why can’t Shylock be called by his name like everyone else?
This gives me an impression that the Duke’s opinion of Shylock is very low. From
the beginning it is evident that the Duke is on Antonio’s side. When the Duke says,
“I am sorry for thee. Thou art come to answer a stony adversary, an inhuman
wretch”, we can conclude that they will try to put Shylock down, and cancel his
bond, with whatever little chance they can get. At the end of Act IV, Scene I,
Shakespeare deploys an unexpected and dramatic twist having Shylock fall into a
trap that robs him of his livelihood and dignity all at once.
In conclusion, we realize that years of persecution, hatred and ill-treatment,
accompanied by abusive language, have made Shylock bitter and revengeful.
Shylock is interpreted as an unfortunate victim yet a vindictive villain. He still
deserves to be pitied rather than condemned. Personally I think that people were
so overwhelmed by how Jews were treated back in the those times that they didn’t
get the chance to learn that there is a sensitive caring side of Shylock, as we can see
from his reaction to losing his late wife’s ring. Shylock is a passionate person who
has hidden behind a tough exterior, which has grown harder due to the racial
attacks from people like Antonio, who has been made out as the supposed victim
in “The Merchant of Venice.”
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Mr. S. Ghosh, our English teacher for giving us
an opportunity to gain insight into Shylock’s Character.
Bibliography
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. (The Verity Edition)