Liu 1 Christine Liu ENG 473 Professor Bjork 14 October 2007 The Bogeyman and the Pound of Flesh: Empathizing with Villainy in The Merchant of Venice When Antonio and Bassanio propose to borrow the sum of three thousand ducats from Shylock, he responds by saying, “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat, dog, / And spit upon my Jewish gabardine, / And all for use of that which is mine own. / Well then, it now appears you need my help” (1.3.107-110). This statement sets the tone for all of Shylock’s choices and actions for the rest of the play. It is clear that he harbors a strong resentment towards the Christians in Venice, and Antonio in particular, because of all the hatred and contempt he has had to endure from them all his life. Thus, when the opportunity arises, Shylock takes extreme measures for revenge against Antonio and becomes the villain of the story. However, he does so within the scope of the law, so much so that the court cannot ca nnot find any reason not to allow him h im to take his revenge until Antonio is let off o ff on a technicality. Although Antonio and Bassanio are the heroes of the play, it is not difficult for the reader to sympathize with Shylock’s losses and misfortunes. In The Merchant of Venice, Venice, Shakespeare has created a character who is not simply a villain; rather, he is a man with very human hu man characteristics and motivations, and although his actions may be interpreted as cruel and villainous, audiences can often empathize with Shylock because his motives for doing what he does are not entirely unreasonable. Shylock’s acts of villainy stem from the absence of love and respect from those around him. He reminds Antonio that he has spat on him and called him a dog, and Antonio unremorsefully responds that he would gladly do so again (1.3.125-126). Even though Shylock
Liu 2 has something that Antonio desperately needs, Antonio is unwilling to show the slightest kindness or humility to him. Shylock can't resist bringing up old g rievances, but Antonio makes no effort to hide his contempt. Shylock originally suggest that “I would be friends with you, and have your love, / Forget the shames that you have stained me with, w ith, / Supply your present wants, and take no doit / of usurance for my moneys” (1.3.133-136). However, Antonio brushes off his offer of friendship, saying that lending at interest is more appropriate between enemies. It is after this exchange that Shylock proposes the “merry sport” (1.3.141) of taking a pound of flesh as payment for the loan. This pound of flesh symbolizes Antonio’s heart and his love. Because Antonio would never give his “heart” or his friendship to Shylock voluntarily, Shylock resorts to taking it by force. He appears to hold a particular grudge against Antonio more than any of the other Christians. He states that “If I can catch him once by upon the hip / I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him” (1.3.41-42). It is clear that he has suffered Antonio’s hate for a long time, and his ultimate wish is to be accepted as an equal in Venice, or at least to be treated as such. In his speech to Salanio and Salerio, Shylock says, “If you poison us do we not no t die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrongs a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrongs a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction” (3.1. 55-61). In this passage, Shylock reveals his desire to be seen as an equal by arguing that Jews and Christians share the same traits that make them both human, and asserts that they should be equals under the law and under basic human decency. He recognizes and acknowledges his own
Liu 3 villainy in taking revenge against Antonio, but he is a villain created by the cruelty of the Christians. As an ostracized Jew and a money lender by profession, Shylock has been forced, by a society to which he cannot gain g ain entrance, to view most things in purely pu rely monetary terms. However, Shylock reveals that the things he c onsiders most important cannot be given a monetary value. When he learns that Jessica has used his ring to purchase a monkey, he responds, “I had it of Leah when wh en I was a bachelor. I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys” (3.1.101-102). When the Duke tries to persuade him to take the payment instead of Antonio’s flesh, he stubbornly and adamantly responds, “You’ll ask me why I rather choose to have / A weight of carrion flesh than to receive / Three thousand ducats. I’ll not answer that, / But say it is my humour” (4.1.39-42). Just as he, by lending money at interest, has broken the Renaissance taboo of making something that is inanimate breed, Shylock is also subconsciously doing the same with the pound po und of flesh he demands from Antonio. Neither Antonio nor the pound of flesh itself will be able to give Shylock the friendship and acceptance he craves once they are separated, but Shylock is willing to accept the physical object as a substitute for the intangible things that he truly wants. In this way, the p ound of flesh is worth more to Shylock than the three thousand ducats. Shylock’s demand for the pound of flesh closest to Antonio’s heart is also significant in that by the time of the trial, Shylock himself is no longer able to love. His own heart was essentially stolen by the Christians when his only daughter Jessica robbed him a nd ran away with Lorenzo. As Shylock states to of the pound of flesh he so desires, “If it will feed nothing else it will feed my revenge. [Antonio] hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends,
Liu 4 heated mine enemies, and what is his reason? – I am a Jew” (3.1.45-49). Shylock feels that he is justified because the pound of flesh he is taking from Antonio is payment for his personal transgressions and therefore rightfully his. Shylock has given more than three thousand ducats to Antonio and Bassanio; they and their friends have taken his daughter, his hopes at happiness, and even his dignity, and he asserts this point by stating to the court, “The pound of flesh which I demand of him Is dearly bought. ‘This mine, and I will have it. If you deny me, fie upon your law: There is no force in the decrees of Venice. I stand for judgement. Answer: shall I have it?” (4.1.98-102) Shylock has to appeal to the law because that is the only place in which he can be treated as an equal. Portia urges Shylock to show mercy, but this is ironic in that Shylock himself has never received mercy from the Christians in Venice, and he therefore cannot give something that he has never had. He has never been treated as an equal by Antonio or any of the other Christians in Venice, and he relies upon the court to grant him the payment which he believes he rightfully deserves from them. Shylock is a complex character whose deep desire for revenge clouds his judgment and ultimately results in the loss of his money, his dignity, his daughter, and his p lace within the only community that accepts him. He methods are admittedly brutal and cold-hearted, as he wan ts to take Antonio’s life as revenge for personal affronts and repeatedly turns down offers of repayment, but he himself has never experienced anything but brutality and cold-heartedness from the same people who condemn him. Shylock is not a completely sympathetic character, but neither is he the stereotypical Renaissance bogeyman.
Liu 5 Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Venice. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. First Ed. New York: Norton, 1997. 1090-1144.
