Sample essay on Shylock:
‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a play written by William Shakespeare. The following essay will include a brief summery of what the play is about and how I feel about what happens to Shylock and whether I think Shylock is a victim or a villain.
The first major part is when Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan so he can travel to Belmot to woo the very lovely and rich Portia. Antonio agrees but can’t give the loan because all of his ships are at sea, so he tells Bassanio to go to a money lender. Antonio goes to Jewish money lender called Shylock to ask for a loan. Shylock hates Antonio and tricks him into promising to forfeit a pound of his flesh if he cannot pay the loan in time. Shylock’s daughter Jessica betrays him because she steals some of his ducats and runs away with Lorenzo who is a Christian. When Bassaino and Gratiano arrive at Belmot, Bassanio has to choose between a gold, silver and lead casket to be able to marry Portia. He chooses the correct casket (the lead) and he and Portia fall in love. Gratiano also falls in love with Nerissa, Portia’s lady in waiting. Sadly their happiness is short lived with the news that Antonio has lost all his money and the demented Shylock refuses to listen to reason so Portia disguises herself as a man and secretly follows Bassanio to Venice. Shylock refuses to be paid and wants the pound of flesh, so Portia, disguised as a legal expert, tries to save Antonio. She says that Shylock can have the flesh but no blood must be shed from Antonio or he will be arrested. Shylock angrily retreats and says he will take the money but Portia denies him this because he conspired against a Venitian citizen’s life so his own life is a forfeit, but Shylock keeps half of his wealth. In the end news comes that some of Antonio’s ships have been recovered and they all celebrate happily, apart from Shylock.
In act one, scene three Bassanio asks Shylock a loan of three thousand ducats. He must pay Shylock within three months or Shylock gets to cut a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Antonio agrees to the bond. In this scene I am split in two with the way I feel towards Shylock, because I felt sorry for him at first when he said to Antonio, “Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last, you spurned me such a day, another time you called me a dog; and for these courtesies I’ll lend you thus much money’s”. I also felt sorry for Shylock because he was being treated terribly, just because of his Jewish religion, but when he says he wants a pound of Antonio’s flesh if he cannot pay the bond I felt that Shylock was a bit sick if he would kill someone for just money. I would give Antonio time until he could pay the money instead of killing him even though he has been terrible to Shylock.
In act two, scene three Jessica is talking to Launcelot secretly. She tells him that she is, “ashamed to be my fathers child, but though I am a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners”. She also tells Launcelot that she will become a Christian like Lorenzo and will become Lorenzo’s wife. I feel sorry for Shylock because Jessica is ashamed of him. I also feel sorry for Shylock because he is a devoted Jew and if Jessica becomes a Christian it will really hurt him.
In act two scene five again I felt sorry for Shylock when Jessica says “Farewell, and if my fortune be not crossed, I have a father, you a daughter lost”. In that scene Shylock and Jessica talk but it ends in Jessica disowning her father.
Act two scene eight features only Solerio and Solario . They are discussing that Jessica and Lorenzo have been seen together and that Shylock has been shouting on the streets that Jessica has run away with a Christian and with his ducats, Bassanio and Antonio also part with each other. I again felt sorry for Shylock because his daughter has left him but she has also taken away Shylock’s pride because she would have inherited Shylocks fortune anyway, instead she has stolen it.
Act three, scene one opens with Solerio and Solario saying that Antonio has lost a rich ship. When Shylock hears the news he is overjoyed because he will get a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Sadly for Shylock, his daughter has not found by Tubal. Although Shylock was having a bad time of things my feelings change towards him slightly because he is looking forward to killing Antonio, although I can sort of see his point because Antonio treated Shylock very badly so Shylock is entitled to his revenge.
In act three scene three Shylock and Antonio come face to face. Shylock is demanding his bond and will not listen Antonio. I feel totally disgusted with Shylock in this scene. It was bad enough that he wanted the pound of flesh but to go through with it without even listening to Antonio is, in my view horrendous, “I’ll have my bond. I will not hear thee speak”, really sums up Shylock in this scene.
One of the longest and entertaining scenes of the play is act four, scene one. It begins with the Duke giving sympathy to Antonio and the opposite to Shylock. Shylock is determined to have his pound of flesh even though Bassanio offers him more money than he is owed. Bassanio offered six ducats instead of three thousand ducats. The Duke is powerless to destroy the bond but Portia who is dressed like a nun comes to try and save Antonio. She begins by saying that she can’t change the law and Shylock gives her his praise. Shylock intends to cut a pound of Antonio’s flesh and Antonio is resigned to death until Portia tells Shylock that if Antonio sheds any blood he will be arrested. Angrily Shylock retreats and says he will take the money but he is denied even this by Portia. Worse for Shylock is that he loses one half of his fortune to Antonio and the other half to the general state, but the court showed mercy to Shylock and allowed him to keep half. Shylock also has to become a Christian. In that particular scene I despise that Shylock was going to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh but I do respect him because he was fearless in his approach to the duke of Venice. This shows that Shylock had courage “If you deny it, let the danger light upon your character and your cities freedom.’ This quote show that Shylock was not scared of the duke and had the courage to say what he believed in although in my view what he believed in was wrong.
Overall I personally think that Shylock is a victim because he gets treated terribly just because he is a Jew and although he hated Antonio he still gave Bassanio a loan, even if the deals of the loan were a bit over the top. He is also very badly treated by his daughter. She disowned her father and stole from him. In doing this Shylock went a little mad but in my view it is understandable. When Shylock wanted a pound of Antonio’s flesh, I did feel very strongly against that the way he was tricked was terrible. Not only did he lose the money owed to him, he also lost half of his fortune and worst of all for Shylock, he lost his religion. Antonio knew how much Shylock loved being a Jew and although shylock showed no mercy to Antonio, making Shylock become a Christian was for Shylock terrible. In the end, I really feel that Shylock is a victim.
During this essay, I have given a short insight into what the play was about then investigated certain scenes to find out how I felt about Shylock and the way that Shylock was treated and my view as to whether Shylock was a victim or villain.
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