Kwan-young Kim

Mrs. Sutterfield

IB English III

3/28/2011

The Merchant of Venice essay

In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock, a Jew, experiences the prejudice firsthand that the

Christians apply toward him. In one point of view, Shylock deserves pity, but Shylock is also a

man who is unreasonable and self-centered, demanding, as one of the important quotes in The

Merchant of Venice goes, “a weight of carrion flesh” (110) from a man he wants to get revenge

against. Shylock’s collisions with the Christian religion show the extreme sense of identity

within Shylock.

Throughout The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a character who is hated by almost all

of the other characters. As a member of Venetian society, Shylock is marginalized because he is

a Jew and occupies the stereotypical profession of a money lender. He almost ensures that the

people around him will not like him through his stubbornness to not let go of his tendencies to be

greedy in situations that seem to warrant mercy and pity (at least in others’ eyes). Shylock takes

a cantankerous approach to almost everything throughout The Merchant of Venice.

At the same time, however, the reader feels pity for Shylock, who is so clearly disliked.

Although Shylock has basically put hatred on himself by declaring that he will not “eat with you,

drink with you, nor pray with you.” (53), the reader can begin to understand the reason behind

why he has isolated himself from social life when he makes his speech concerning racism in Act

III, in which it is asked by Shylock, “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions?” (87) After this speech, the reader begins to understand

how Shylock is not understood because the only thing that they see in him is his Jewish heritage.

The reader feels pity for Shylock; as members of a relatively non-marginalized society, the

reader feels that Shylock is wrongly treated although Shakespeare depicts Shylock as a truly

despicable character. Again, this creates a complex relationship between Shylock and as a result,

the reader feels pity for Shylock when he receives his punishment.

Shylock’s experience teaches the reader and his Christian counterparts about how

Christians and Jewish people are so similar and how the racism they put toward him is

unjustified. His speech in Act III further carries Shylock’s meaning to the reader. Shylock’s

response to the cultural conflict between the Christian and Jewish religions carries a profound

meaning in the meaning of the book. A hidden moral in the book, Shylock’s response gives The

Merchant of Venice a meaning of “anti-racism”.