The Roles of Portia and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice Essay

Antonio was a typical narrow minded christian when it came to religion; however, he was so true and passionate about his friends he was willing to risk his life to help his friend in need. Antonio, a christian, strongly abhors and is very abrasive towards Shylock, a jew: “You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog, And set upon my Jewish gaberdine,... You, that did void your rheum upon my beard, And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur” (1.3.121-128). Within this quote Shylock is talking to Antonio and telling him after he has called him a dirty dog, spit on his beard and Jewish clothes, and kicked him he wants to ask to loan money from him. This shows that Antonio is very narrow minded because the main reason he mistreats Shylock is because he is a Jew. In addition, this shows that he is very abrasive when it comes to Shylock because he has done so many terrible things to him over a period of time and hasn’t felt sorry or bad once for what he has done and how he as treated him. In addition, although, Antonio is very narrow minded when it comes to religion he is willing to risk his life to help a friend in need. Bassanio, one of Antonio’s friends had asked Shylock to put a loan under his name to wow his dream girl, and Antonio ends up sealing a bond risking his life for Bassanio: “Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit Be nominated for an equal pound Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken In what part of your body pleaseth me….” (1.3.160-163). Within this quote Shylock

Shakespeare criticizes society’s output on Judaism through his play with the characters Shylock and Jessica. Shylock and Jessica are seen as outsiders in Venice and are discriminated by the Christian characters in the play for being Jewish. For instance, Gratiano describes Jessica, a former Jew, as an "infidel "(III.ii.223) despite converting and marrying a Christian. By calling Jessica an “infidel”, Gratiano is implying that she isn’t a true Christian and is still a Jew. Later in the play, Jessica is also told there’s "no mercy in heaven.."(III.v.31) because she was Jewish. This statement evokes the idea all Jews are sinful and can’t enter heaven. The two examples above show how Jews are seen as inferior to Christians in the play. Because of this bigotry, Shylock is vengeful toward Antonio with his bond. When he finds out about Antonio’s lost ships, he exclaims: I'll plague him, I'll torture him. I am glad of it." (III.i.115-116). This line demonstrates the stereotypical image of Jews that Christians see. What Shylock says relates to the 16th century where Christians often believed that Jews used their blood in religious ceremonies. By saying he’ll “torture” and “plague” Antonio, Shylock is conforming with the negative image society has of him. However, Shakespeare also paints Shylock as a human character treated unfairly by the Christians in Venice. After finding out that his daughter Jessica eloped to a Christian man, Shylock delivers a powerful speech about Jews being equals: “Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases [...]as a Christian is?” (III.i.48-54). This speech presents to the audience that Shylock is human

saying 'The pound of flesh which I demand of him' (Act 4 Scene 1 line

The dueling religious ideologies seen in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice serve as the cornerstones not only of the character’s arguments during the trial at the end of the play, but of the definitions of the character’s own self-perceptions. Shylock, the play’s “villain” and the most prominent of the play’s three Jewish characters, employs his religious identity in defining his conception of masculinity, connecting his perception of what it means to be “male” with his profession, which he is allowed to practice due to the tenants of his Jewish faith. This economically defined perception of his own masculinity becomes Shylock’s undoing, as the play shows the slow decline of his economic fortune, which comes to represent a kind of

   The Merchant of Venice features a Jewish character that is abused and slandered by nearly every character in the play. Throughout the play the behavior of these characters seems justified. In this way, The Merchant of Venice appears to be an anti-Semitic play. However, The Merchant of Venice contains several key instances, which can be portrayed in a way that criticizes anti-Semitism. The first instance occurs in Act 1, scene 3 when the audience realizes that Shylock has every right to be extremely angry with Antonio. The second instance occurs when Shylock breaks out of his one-dimensional character form in Act 3, scene 1 in an extremely powerful speech that attacks the

The Merchant of Venice is a play set in a very male and Christian dominated society where other religions and women rights weren’t very well accepted by the community. However Portia, a rich woman who had previously been controlled by men, triumphs as she manipulates tricks and saves the lives of the men.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare portrays Shylock as a victim throughout the play, but as he seeks revenge towards the Christians and everyone who has done him wrong, Shylock defends himself with some villainous behaviour. To a modern audience, the discrimination and suffering Shylock experiences, place him as a victim. Throughout the play, Shylock, a Jewish money lender, is perceived as a greedy and miserly man due to his Jewish culture. In Shakespeare's time, exploitation of Jews was common; particularly in Venice as it was an anti-Semitic city. However, Jews thought of themselves as victims of harassment and oppression. Shylock has been discriminated against, but nevertheless seeks revenge on people who have done him wrong which displays another side to Shylock. Therefore, Shylock is viewed as a victim and a villain, but more of a victim because of the abuse he has suffered.

Throughout history prejudice and stereotyping have been present, "The Merchant of Venice" written by William Shakespeare is no exception. The play deals with the pressing issue of prejudice in 16th century Venice against the Jews. In the story one Jew in particular is shown to be the center of attention for the anti-Semitic actions. Shylock, the Jew, is a money lender who decides to help out a man that has done him wrong in the past. It is easy to understand that during the era the Jewish population was treated with cruelty and disrespect. In the play, themes of prejudice, injustice, and mercy are developed. By understanding the themes the reader is able to understand in some way how the social realm Venice

The Merchant of Venice was created between 1596 and 1598, it was published as a comic, romantic, tragic in 1600. The play has many struggles in it but the main ones are Bassanio's quest to marry Portia and his attempt to free Antonio from Shylock's deal. The idea that Shakespeare's representation of Shylock is unquestionably Anti-Semitic will be impacted in this essay because thought this book Shakespeare portrayed Shylock as Anti-Semitic.

Discrimination is a resounding theme in The Merchant of Venice (Meyers). All of the characters are affected by inequality. This inequity is evidenced clearly in Shylock, the Jewish usurer. He is treated with scorn and derision by all the characters. Shylock’s misfortunes stem not from poor attributes or even a poor background; it stems from the fact he is Jewish, and what is more, he is impenitent of that distinction. If he had been more daunted by Christian influence, he might have been forgiven, as Jessica is subjectively exonerated. He is not contrite and it is believed that his appalling birth cannot be absolved (Bonnell).

There are two ways of portraying Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, one is the wolfish, murderous bloodthirsty “dog Jew” and the other is the noble, suffering, dignified member of a persecuted race. Antonio, the nominal hero and his Christian friends scorned Shylock. They have laughed at his daughter Jessica’s desertion, they have spit upon him in the street, and they have done so without shame. Shylock’s degradation does not touch them as they understand it because as they see it he is different from them. He is merely a Jew, an alien, a stranger, a “dog Jew”, is one of

As many of the Venetians “[are] Christian” (MV 1.3.39), Shylock is subjected to religious discrimination because he “[is] a Jew” (3.1.54). This is significant because Shylock is forced to face a number of abuses at the Venetian elite. For this reason alone, Shylock is “spit on” (1.3.123) and “called [a] dog” (3.1.125) just because of the religious beliefs he adheres to conflicts with the beliefs of the Venetian elite. Where Shylock is constantly “laughed at” (3.1.51) and “mocked at” (3.1.51) by Antonio, a member of the accepted Venetian elite, for being a religious outsider, this indicates that the Venetians view Shylock and, by extension, the entire Jewish religion as an embodiment of the devil. As the Venetian elite believe Shylock is “an evil soul producing holy witness / Is like a villain with a smiling cheek” (1.3.97-98) that disrupts the accepted religion in Venice, this demonstrates that a religion difference is justifiable reason to discriminate Shylock. The extreme instances of unfair treatment that Shylock withstands from the Venetians because of his religious beliefs denotes him — like Othello — as an outsider in Venice. The dualities of acceptance extends only to those individuals who do not threaten the scarcity of that which the Venetian elite hold most dear to them: purity and Christianity. As Othello and Shylock both threaten these aspects, the illusion of acceptance bestowed upon them by the Venetian elite shatters and leads to the harsh discrimination and denotation as outsiders in Venice. Incidentally, where the Venetian elite believe that Othello and Shylock are outsiders for their racial and religious identities, Othello and Shylock sustain this belief by depicting themselves as the stereotypes that are associated with them,

In The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare reflects the historic and cultural time period by expressing anti-semitic views in portraying Shylock. At the beginning of the play Shylock offers Antonio a loan for three thousand ducats in three months or Shylock will cut off a pound of Antonio’s flesh. As the play advances, the readers learn that Antonio’s ship has sunk and he will be forced to forfeit the loan. They also learn that the pound of flesh Shylock wants is his heart. At this point readers are viewing Shylock as a cruel and immoral Jew. As the readers continue to read, Shakespeare interrupts that the reason Shylock is being cruel and unjust is the because of the inequitable life he suffered being a Jew in a christian society. Being

did this through Shylock. In Act 3 Scene 3, Shylock tells of how he is

William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is a perplexing story of dark humor, race, religion, identity, love, and justice. Generally, most people understand The Merchant of Venice as a comedy about a bitter and outcasted Jewish moneylender named Shylock who seeks revenge against a Christian merchant who has failed to pay his loan back. However, there are many different perspectives on whether The Merchant of Venice is a comedy or a tragedy depending on one’s views on the difference between race and religion. If one views the story as a comedy, it is a dark comedy full of many problems, especially the controversial subject matter of anti-Semitic attitudes of its Christian characters. If one views it as a tragedy, it is a tragedy that concludes with majority of its characters in a “happy ending”—that is if one agrees that Jessica’s decision of love over betraying her father and giving up her Jewish identity is indeed a happy ending.