Shylock - Villain or Victim?
Monday, 22 August 2011
As the main antagonist of The Merchant Of Venice, Shylock is supposedly a bloodthirsty villain who is out for revenge. But does Shylock really deserve this reputation? This has always been a controversial issue that top literature scholars and graduates cannot seem to come to an agreement to. Tragic victim, or tyrannical villain? Much like the Wittgenstein duck, he seems to be a victim at one moment, and a villain the next.Portrayed as the bad guy in the plot, why would he be a victim? The irony, however, is that he constantly seems to be a victim of antisemitism. Firstly, he's treated disgracefully by Christians like Salerio, Antonio and Solanio throughout the book, just because he's a Christian. He is frequently mocked by many of the Christian characters, spat on in the streets, and taunted for being a Christian. In Act 1 Scene 3, lines 102 to 124, Shylock accuses Antonio of frequently insulting him. Antonio made fun of his job as a moneylender (line 103, 104) and insulted him, calling him a "misbeliever" and a "cut-throat dog" (line 107, 123). Antonio also spat upon him for being a Jew (line 108, 122). Throughout the play, he is also often referred to as "Jew" rather than his proper name, "Shylock".Yet Shylock had to endure all this mocking without retaliation as "sufferance is the badge of all our tribe". He has been so insulted by Christians that he is almost used to it.
Other than the fact that he is frequently mocked because of his religion, he is also taunted for being a moneylender. Christians are unwilling to do business with him, as they consider his job disgraceful and thus make fun of him for it. However, the fact is that he is unable to do anything about his job. As a Jew, his options for employment are limited to those jobs that are often looked down upon and no one wants to do. This further adds to the impression that Shylock is a victim of antisemitism, and evokes a sense of sympathy towards him.
During the court scene, Shylock is also cruelly punished by the quick and unforgiving tongue of Portia. She shows no mercy towards him, using craftily constructed loopholes and tricks to make his situation become worse and worse. In the end, he is robbed of all his money, without any means of getting it back or earning more money. He is also forced to become a Christian, but won't be accepted by both Christians (because he was only forced into it) and Jews (because he was a former Christian). His daughter, who is all he has after his wife passed away, also leaves him to elope with a Christian and gives away her late mother's ring which deeply saddens him. He is left alone against the world, with no one to support him. In becoming a Christian, he is also coerced into going against everything that he has stood for his whole life.
All this overwhelming evidence surely points towards the fact that Shylock was indeed a victim. Of that there can be no doubt. However, Shylock was also a villain at the same time. He was shrewd, very mercenary, and vengeful.
Firstly, Shylock was a very shrewd person. When discussing the forfeiture of the bond with Antonio, he specifies; "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" ( Act 1 Scene 3, line 143 - 145). He suggests this playfully, such that Antonio will not take it seriously and agree to it without thinking. However, it is really a cunning plan to attempt to murder Antonio, with the law on his side.
Shylock is also very mercenary and materialistic. When Tubal brings him news of Jessica to Shylock in Act 3 Scene 1, he exclaims; "Two thousand ducats in that, and other precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear! Would she hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin!" Shylock would rather have his money and jewels back than his daughter returned. He seems to treat Jessica like a possession rather than a daughter of his own blood. When she runs away with his money, he seems to be more saddened with the loss of his ducats than the loss of his daughter.
Finally, Shylock is very vengeful. When Salerio asks Shylock what good would Antonio's flesh do Shylock if Antonio forfeits the bond, he replies; "If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies," (Act 3 Scene 1, line 49 - 54). The quote clearly portrays Shylock remembering every single thing that Antonio has done to him. He calculates what Antonio has done to him and tries to revenge the wrongs done to him by murdering Antonio. He also deliberately opts for the "pound of flesh" in the forfeiture because he has a grudge against Antonio, and, when the chance comes to get his revenge, he behaves in an extremely undignified and certainly unmerciful way.
In conclusion, there are good cases for both sides of the argument, and it's impossible to call which one wins. I think that his villainous acts cancel out the insults that were directed at him, thus balancing out the argument and the reader's opinion of Shylock as neither sympathetic nor disgusted.