The Merchant of Venice and Shylock Essay

Submitted By ma12ir34a
Words: 2119
Pages: 9
Open Document
With close reference to the text do you think that Shylock should have shown mercy to Antonio in the play
The Merchant of Venice?

In Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice, (which was influenced by the Jew of Malta, written by Christopher Marlowe in 1589), a Jew named Shylock has been insulted in many ways. Examples of these are, he was spat at, been called a dog, had his religion insulted, had disruptions in his business and have his only daughter kidnapped. To add to this, he had Jewels and ducats stolen, in which contained his late wife's turquoise ring. Moreover the differences between the Jews and Christians had continued for 16 centuries since the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Because of all these examples Shylock has made a judgement whether or not to show mercy towards Antonio. Due to the Ancient Grudge his decision has been influenced, therefore is unlikely to show mercy.

The Merchant of Venice has been influenced by The Jew of Malta written in 1589 by Christopher Marlowe. Seven years later in 1596, Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice. Marlowe's play has had a big influence on Shakespeare's play. Both plays are based upon the anti-Semitism (so the play is anti-semantic) during the 1500's in Italy. For instance they are based on how the Jews were treated, (e.g. how their religion was insulted and how they were treated). Similarities between the two plays are, in The Merchant of Venice the character named Shylock is a money lender with a daughter and in the Jew of Malta the main character who is a Jew is a man named Barabas, who is a merchant with a daughter as well. So, when Shakespeare read the Jew of Malta his main character Shylock was influenced by Barabas. The main difference between these two characters are that Barabas is a fairytale devil of the medieval Miracle Plays who literally ends up in a boiling cauldron, whereas the Christians tortured Shylock which is a modern, also he is a mortal man whose life ends in humiliation and tragedy.

The reason why Shylock is not likely to show mercy is because he was spat at.
Act 1 scene 3, page 15, line 107, "And you spit upon my Jewish gabardine, and all for use of which is mine."
No one would want to show mercy towards someone if that same person would spit at them. Also this has a negative influence to Shylock's decision, as it's similar to showing revenge; as you're doing the same thing back to them. In addition even after Antonio signed the bond (without interest) he did not promise anything in return to Shylock, so this might influence his decision in a negative way, as it would want him to stick to his bond, as even after this everything will still be the same therefore nothing will change, for example life will be the same, so he would get spat at and still be forced to live in ghettos, as well as wearing a red hat.

Another reason why Shylock is unlikely to show mercy is because of the ancient grudge. "If if can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed far the Ancient Grudge I bear him."
The Ancient Grudge dates back to 1AD when Jesus Christ was crucified. 16 centuries back in Jerusalem Jesus was crucified. The history goes back to the time where Jesus and Barabbas were put forward to a crowd of people, (the majority of them Jewish) to choose who should be set free. On one side was Jesus who innocent and had not done anything, however he was imprisoned because of having protests and having many followers, yet the Jews hated him as well as the king, and on the other side was Barabbas who was a prisoner accused of committing many crimes, (e.g. murdering, raping, assaulting etc). When these two different men were confronted, because the people of Jerusalem were frightened of Christ, they chose to set Barabbas free. At that time, the Jewish king (because he was afraid of Christ) wanted Jesus to be killed and Barabbas to be set free. As a result Pontius Pilate, a roman governor of Judea declared to crucify him (even though he
Show More

Related Documents: The Merchant of Venice and Shylock Essay

Merchant of Venice Shylock Analysis Essay

resistance.” In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Shylock is the core of all ripples. He lashed out against the prejudice that was thrust upon him and is considered evil for doing so. The Merchant of Venice brought together different characters of different religions. Shakespeare used characters in this play to reflect sixteenth century views on Christianity and Judaism. The character Shylock wass…

Words 1040 - Pages 5

The Merchant of Venice and Shakespeare Portrays Shylock Essay

The play “The Merchant of Venice” was written by William Shakespeare in the late 15th century and was then published in the 16th century. Shakespeare wrote many of his plays for the independent queen, Queen Elizabeth. The play was initially written as a comedy in order to portray the division of the Jews and the Christians, by using anti-Semitic text. The play portrays the theme of power in different parts of the play and by different characters. Power can be shown by money and wealth, as the plot…

Words 1165 - Pages 5

Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice Essay, Is Shylock a Victim or Villain? Grade a

In The Merchant of Venice how does Shakespeare present both Shylock as both victim and villain? Throughout the play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’, Shylock reveals many personalities; therefore making him such an emotionally complex and detailed character that shows elements of being both a victim and villain; and to come to my decision to whether Shylock is either of the two, other characters language towards him and his reactions will perceive different ideas from different era’s in time to determine…

Words 1885 - Pages 8

The Merchant of Venice Long Essay

The Merchant of Venice Long Essay – Question 4 The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s greats, part of the reason why it is regarded so highly, which includes the way it can be interpreted as an extremely complex play, is the way in which the characters interact and their personalities which evolve into incredibly detailed, three dimensional figures. One main person that falls into this category of being truly complex is the title character, Antonio. Although he may seem straightforward…

Words 311 - Pages 2

Essay William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice: A Review

The Merchant of Venice - Themes - The world is full of hatred, but it is also full of love. Shakespeare’s play, “The Merchant of Venice,” reveals and examines through events, several timeless and universal themes: prejudice and the many different manifestations of it, hatred and vengeance and how it is a cycle, and love and its different forms. Prejudice comes in many different forms, including racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism. Portia dislikes the Prince of Morocco because he is dark-skinned…

Words 1297 - Pages 6

The Merchant of Venice and Shylock’s Character Essay

Armish Singh Eng 245 A04 Scott Wilkins 02/14/13 Shylock is a complex character from William Shakespeare’s tragic comedy, The Merchant of Venice, who personifies Jewish stereotypes and is despised and insulted by the other characters throughout the play. Shylock is an outsider, both literally and figuratively; he lives separated from Christian society and is cast as an archetype Jew. At many points in the play, Shylock--and by extension, all Jews--are depicted as greedy, devious, and cruel. Jews…

Words 1003 - Pages 5

The Merchant of Venice Essay

characters in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, love money so much they will go to great lengths for it, even if that means that they have to choose money over their religion or friends. On the other hand, one character chooses friendship over money and will go to an even greater length to keep it. When Antonio decides to borrow three thousand ducats from Shylock to help pay for his best friend, Bassanio’s trip to see Portia, a very wealthy woman, he must be able to pay Shylock back or he will have to…

Words 807 - Pages 4

Essay on Merchant of Vience

English Coursework: The Merchant of Venice The two settings of Belmont and Venice seem worlds apart. Is this true? The Merchant of Venice is a play which uses themes and the contrast between these themes to great effect. Situated across two main settings, it first appears that Belmont and Venice are extremely different places. However, despite their initial, apparent differences, as the play develops it becomes clearer that Belmont and Venice may be more similar as to how they may have first…

Words 3044 - Pages 13

Copy Of The Merchant Of Venice Overview Essay

The Merchant of Venice is the darkest of William Shakespeare's romantic comedies. No other comedy threatens its title character with imminent death or portrays its villain as an outsider with a thirst for blood. No other comedy engages such serious issues as the contrast between law and grace or between mercy and justice. And no other comedy is so lacking in comic characters and comic scenes. More important than all these, no other comedy is so dominated by a single character, nor is any other character in Shakespeare so fully developed…

Words 794 - Pages 4

Character Analysis of the Main Characters in The Merchant of Venice Essay

Ali Hussain English 11 February 6, 2011 Character Analysis of The Merchant of Venice What is character? Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual and can be determined from what a person says, does or what others think of him or her. In the play The Merchant of Venice Antonio’s generosity, caring attitude and cruelty to Jew’s, Bassanio’s friendliness and good reputation, Portia’s thoughtfulness and Shylock’s manipulative nature along with generosity are understood…

Words 1101 - Pages 5