The Billy Shakespeare play "The Merchant of Venice" has always confused me. I clearly remember being confused the very first time I read this play, when I was maybe 10 or even younger. Subsequent readings have not been successful in removing my confusion. The main reason for my confusion has been Shylock's portrayal as a villain. He has been portrayed as a vile scheming character in the play. Even his pictures in all books show him as a hook-nosed evil-looking character. As for me, I have never found him to be particularly villainous.
Yes, Shylock held a grudge against Antonio. But who wouldnt? If you are cursed and spat at by a guy for no reason except for your religion, wouldn't you be mad at him? Shylock's grudge against Antonio seems to me to be the most natural thing in the world. Then Shylock is reviled in the play for lending money at interest, while Antonio does so at no interest whatsoever. I have always thought that to be particularly stupid. Shylock, by all accounts, is a businessman. He knows his ABC of economics and therefore charges interest on loans. He is a professional moneylender for crying out loud. How else is he supposed to earn a living if he distributes money like a fool? Which is exactly what Antonio does. To me it seems that Antonio urgently needs a few lessons in banking and finance. The dumb-wit is courting bankruptcy at the very least. And at worst, he is undermining all honest and knowledgeable money-lenders.
Then Shylock's daughter leaves him to elope with Antonio's friend Lorenzo. In addition, she takes away with her, besides a substantial amount of Shylock's wealth, a turquoise ring which was a gift to Shylock from his late wife. In the absence of proof to suggest otherwise, I assume that Shylock was never a bad father. And he seems to have really loved his wife. This treachery from his own blood would understandably have made Shylock even more bitter towards Antonio. (Antonio seems to have encouraged and even aided Lorenzo in his rather lustful pursuit of Shylock's daughter.)
Antonio then goes and makes the stupidest deal ever. A pound of his flesh for a loan from his recognized enemy. Really how dumb could a person get! And to make matters worse, Antonio's ships get destroyed. (I have always assumed that he had appointed his worthless friends as captains of the ships. So it was no wonder they sank.) Now here is one theme in the play which has confused me the most. Shakespeare seems to suggest that Shylock is a dark wizard or something who telepathically caused the ships to sink. I have always felt that this attitude towards Shylock was extremely bizarre to say the least. How could he be the one to blame for Antonio's ships being destroyed?
Then comes the final scene when Shylock finally gets the chance to avenge himself. I admit that Shylock's insistence on getting his "pound of flesh" is a bit undignified. But I also believe it would have been really interesting if Shylock had been allowed to hack away at Antonio. Blood and guts flying everywhere, Antonio screaming his head off, Shylock laughing maniacally! Scenes straight out of a Grindhouse movie if you ask me. Anyway such scenes were not to be and Shylock was thwarted in his quest for vengeance.
But what followed was anti-semitism at its worst. From Shylock being proclaimed an "alien" and not a citizen because of his religion to his being forced to convert to Christianity, the climax is pretty disgusting. Shylock was incidentally also forced to bequeath all his wealth to Antonio's worthless friend Lorenzo. Shylock to me was always the one to be pitied rather than punished.
Which brings us to an important question. Was Billy Shakspeare an anti-semitist? If his portrayals in "The Merchant of Venice" are anything to go by, he definitely was. First of all, he demonises a perfectly honest moneylender solely on the grounds that he was a Jew. And throughout the play, he freely voices the opinion that Jews are an inferior species of human beings not fit to live amongst his fellow Christians.
But whatever the portrayal of Shylock the Jew by old Billy, to me, he has always been an interesting and tragic character. I certainly prefer him to the vain, arrogant and extremely stupid Antonio.
Yes, Shylock held a grudge against Antonio. But who wouldnt? If you are cursed and spat at by a guy for no reason except for your religion, wouldn't you be mad at him? Shylock's grudge against Antonio seems to me to be the most natural thing in the world. Then Shylock is reviled in the play for lending money at interest, while Antonio does so at no interest whatsoever. I have always thought that to be particularly stupid. Shylock, by all accounts, is a businessman. He knows his ABC of economics and therefore charges interest on loans. He is a professional moneylender for crying out loud. How else is he supposed to earn a living if he distributes money like a fool? Which is exactly what Antonio does. To me it seems that Antonio urgently needs a few lessons in banking and finance. The dumb-wit is courting bankruptcy at the very least. And at worst, he is undermining all honest and knowledgeable money-lenders.
Then Shylock's daughter leaves him to elope with Antonio's friend Lorenzo. In addition, she takes away with her, besides a substantial amount of Shylock's wealth, a turquoise ring which was a gift to Shylock from his late wife. In the absence of proof to suggest otherwise, I assume that Shylock was never a bad father. And he seems to have really loved his wife. This treachery from his own blood would understandably have made Shylock even more bitter towards Antonio. (Antonio seems to have encouraged and even aided Lorenzo in his rather lustful pursuit of Shylock's daughter.)
Antonio then goes and makes the stupidest deal ever. A pound of his flesh for a loan from his recognized enemy. Really how dumb could a person get! And to make matters worse, Antonio's ships get destroyed. (I have always assumed that he had appointed his worthless friends as captains of the ships. So it was no wonder they sank.) Now here is one theme in the play which has confused me the most. Shakespeare seems to suggest that Shylock is a dark wizard or something who telepathically caused the ships to sink. I have always felt that this attitude towards Shylock was extremely bizarre to say the least. How could he be the one to blame for Antonio's ships being destroyed?
Then comes the final scene when Shylock finally gets the chance to avenge himself. I admit that Shylock's insistence on getting his "pound of flesh" is a bit undignified. But I also believe it would have been really interesting if Shylock had been allowed to hack away at Antonio. Blood and guts flying everywhere, Antonio screaming his head off, Shylock laughing maniacally! Scenes straight out of a Grindhouse movie if you ask me. Anyway such scenes were not to be and Shylock was thwarted in his quest for vengeance.
But what followed was anti-semitism at its worst. From Shylock being proclaimed an "alien" and not a citizen because of his religion to his being forced to convert to Christianity, the climax is pretty disgusting. Shylock was incidentally also forced to bequeath all his wealth to Antonio's worthless friend Lorenzo. Shylock to me was always the one to be pitied rather than punished.
Which brings us to an important question. Was Billy Shakspeare an anti-semitist? If his portrayals in "The Merchant of Venice" are anything to go by, he definitely was. First of all, he demonises a perfectly honest moneylender solely on the grounds that he was a Jew. And throughout the play, he freely voices the opinion that Jews are an inferior species of human beings not fit to live amongst his fellow Christians.
But whatever the portrayal of Shylock the Jew by old Billy, to me, he has always been an interesting and tragic character. I certainly prefer him to the vain, arrogant and extremely stupid Antonio.
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