OntheCharacterofShylockinTheMerchantofVenice.docx
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OntheCharacterofShylockinTheMerchantofVenice.docx
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OntheCharacterofShylockinTheMerchantofVenice
OntheCharacterofShylockinTheMerchantofVenice
Rachel
Class00,Grade2007,SchoolofForeignLanguagesandLiterature,00000000
Abstract:
CriticstendtoagreethatShylockisthemostnoteworthyfigureinTheMerchantofVenice.SomepeoplereadhimasabloodthirstybogeymanandaclownishJewishstereotype.Theythinkthatheisselfish,cruel,avariciousandniggard.However,theothersholddifferentideasforthewoefultreatmentshehasgot,whichmakesithardforustolabelhimanaturalbornmonster.So,nobodyhasgivenhimanexactimagefornow.Indeed,Shylockistheplay’santagonist,butheisalsoacreationofcircumstance;eveninhissingle-mindedpursuitofapoundofflesh.Here,Iamgoingtogivehimapositiveimage.Exceptforbeingavillain,heisawarrioralsotolifeandeventothesociety.
KeyWords:
MerchantofVenice,Shylock,Character,acreationofcircumstance,awarrior
1Briefintroduction
1.1Abriefintroductionofthewholestory
TheMerchantofVeniceisoneoftheShakespeare’sfamouscomediesinhisearlytime.Itsthemeistoextolkindness,friendshipandlove.ThisstorybeginswiththeVenicebusinessman,Antonio.Antonio’smoneyisallinvestedinmercantileexpeditions.Inordertohelphisbestfriend,Bassano,hehastoborrowfromtheJewishusurer,Shylock.ShylockhasmadeastrongbondthatrequiresAntoniotosurrenderapoundofhisfleshifhefailstorepayhimwithinacertainperiodoftime.Antonio’sletternowreleasesthathisshipshaveallbeenlost,andheispenniless,andwillhavetopaythepoundofflesh.TheboundissuehascomebeforeacourtoflawatwhichPortiaappearsdisguisedasayounglawyerinstructedtojudgethecase.ShefirstappealstoShylocktohavemercy,butwhenheinsistsontheletterofthelawsheletshimhaveit:
hemaytakehispoundofflesh,butthereisnomentionofbloodinthebond;ifheshedsasingledropofaChristian’sblood,hislandsandgoodswillbeconfusedbytheStateaccordingtothelawofVenice.Thus,Antonioissaved,andShylockhastoundergocertainseverepenalties,includingcompulsoryconversiontoChristianity.(ZhangBoxiang,2004:
176)
1.2Abriefintroductionofthesocialbackground
In16thcentury,EnglandisundertheleadershipofElizabethatthattime.Withtherapiddevelopmentofcapitalisteconomyandthegrowthofthebourgeoisie,thediscriminationandexclusiontowardstheJewshasbecomeincreasinglyserious.EveninVenice,thestrongestandmostpowerfulcountryinEurope,thesufferingsoftheJewsaretheinevitablefacts.Accordingtothelawsatthattime,theJewswereforcedtoliveintheoldplantorslumsinisolation.TheywereundertheguardofChristiansaftersunset.Duringtheday,anyJewswhowantedtoleavethecivilianareashouldalwaysbringredhatsshowingthattheyare“Jews”.Becausetheywerenotallowedtopossessprivateproperty,theycouldonlydealinusuriousloansforlife,butthiswasagainstthelawsofChristianity.ThemerchantofVeniceturnedablindeyetotheirsufferings.ButtheReligiousFanaticswhowerehostiletotheJewswouldbeat,abuse,andevendeprivetheirrightstoexist.AnditisthiskindofinjusticethatcontributedtothemaincauseofShylock’sabnormalpersonality.
1.3AbriefintroductionaboutShylockinthistragiccomedy.
Shylock,inthisplay,istheantagonist.HeisthemodelofJewishusurerandistherepresentativeofthevoiceofanoppressednation.Mostpeoplereadhimasabogeyman,aclownishJewishstereotype.Heisselfish,cruel,avariciousandniggard.Oncehehasthechancetorevengehisfoes,hewilltryhisbesttomakethemintodeathtrap.Helovesmoneyandcaresitthananythingelse.Hedoesn’tcareabouthisonlydaughter,andthismakesJessica’selopementwithherlover.Inthecourt,heisclamandwisdom,evenfightsagainstseveralChristian’sattacks.Allofthismakespeopletakeunkindattitudetohim.ButthecharacterofShylockhasalsobeenthesubjectofmuchcriticaldebate:
HowarewemeanttoevaluatetheattitudeoftheVenetiansintheplaytowardhim?
Isheabloodthirstyvillain?
Orisheaman“moresinnedagainstthansinning”?
OneofthereasonsthatsuchquestionsareraisedisthattherearereallytwostagesofShylockintheplay:
first,thereisthestage“villain”whoisrequiredfortheplot;second,thereisthehumanbeingwhosuffersthelossofhisdaughter,hisproperty,andwhat`sworse,hisreligion.
2AnalysisofthecharacterofShylock
2.1Shylock’sattitudetowardshiselopeddaughter
Wecansaythatthereisnolovebetweenhimandhisonlydaughterwhichisbasedonthefollowingpoints.Helockshisdaughterathomeandmakesherguardwealtheveryminutejustlikeatoolanddoesnotallowhertogoout.Asaresult,hisdaughterregardsherhomeasthehellanddecidestorunawaywithhisloverwithoutanyhesitationinadarknight.ThiscanbeprovedinACTⅡSCENEⅤ.WhenShylockwillgoouttotakedinnerwithAntonio,evenunderhisunwillingness,hecallsthreetimesbeforeJessica’svacantresponse.Thereisnocommonfather-daughterrelationship.Besides,Shylockcaresmoreaboutmoneythanhisdaughter,WhenJessicastealspreciousgemsthousandsofducatsfromhim,hedoesn’tcareweathersheisaliveordead.What’sworse,hesays:
Iwouldmydaughterweredeadatmyfoot,
Andthejewelsinherear!
Wouldshewerehearsedatmyfoot,
Andtheducatsinhercoffin!
Nonewsofthem?
Why,so;
AndIknownotwhat’sspentinthesearch;
Whythou-lossuponloss!
Thethiefgonewithsomuch,
Andsosuchtofindthethief(Shakespeare,1996:
7;ACTⅢSCENEⅠ);
Thereisnowarmintheirhome.
2.2Shylock’sattitudetowardsmoney
Shylockcaresmoreaboutmoneythananythingelse.Helovesitandtrieshisbesttoearnit.So,hecherishesit,evenbecomesmiserlyinsomeextent.Asausurer,Shylockisstingyandavariciousofwealth.Hehasthemostvividimage.Withthedevelopmentoftheplotandthethoroughdescriptionofcontradiction,histruefeaturesgraduallyappearbeforeus:
Beingamiser,hemakeshislivingbypracticingusuryandregardsmoneyashislife.SinceShylocklovesmoneyverymuchandinthisaffecthebecomesadevilandhateseveryonewhoholdshimbackfrommakingmoneyormakinghimlosemoney.Andheisraptinmoneyandinordertocollectmore,heevenjustlethisservantsufferstarvation.What’sworse,heabandonshisservantandcallshim“lazywasp”,eventuallyhisservantturnsanewhostforhelp.Simultaneously,itisalsoano-warmrelationshipconcerningaboutmoneybetweenShylockandhisdaughter.
2.3Shylock’sattitudetowardsenemy
Oncehehasthechancetorevengehisfoes,hewilltryhisbesttomakethemintodeathtrap.Inthisplay,fortheunfairsufferingshehasgot,itisobviouslythatShylock’senemiesareaseriesofindividuals,groupsandeventhesocietywhodiscriminatedtheJews,amongwhichAntonioisthetypicalone.ThereasonwhyhechoosestorevengeAntonio,Ibelieve,isnotbyaccident.Therearethreemainreasons:
first,Antoniohaseverdespisedhim,abusedhiminpublicandspittedtohim,whichhurthisself-esteem;second,asausurer,ShylockmusteradicateAntoniowholendsmoneywithoutaskingforanyinterest;third,Shylock’sdaughterelopedwithAntonio’sfriendandstolenhismoney.HethinksitisAntonio’sconspiracy.Therefore,hehadtoputthisdebtontotheAntonio.ThereisamonologueofShylock:
Howlikeafawningpublicanhelooks!
IhatehimforheisaChristian;
Butmoreforthatinlowsimplicity
Helendsoutmoneygratis,andbringsdown
TherateofusanceherewithusinVenice
IfIcancatchhimonceuponthehip
IwillfeedfattheancientgrudgeIbearhim.
Hehatesoursacrednation,andherails,
Eventherewheremerchantsmostdocongregate
Onme,mybargains,andmywell=wonthrift
WhichhecallsinterestCursedhemytribe
IfIforgivehim(Shakespeare,1996:
7;ACTⅠCENEⅢ)!
2.4Shylock’sattitudetowardsabusers
Totheinsultsanddiscriminations,Shylockhaslearnedtobebraveandcandealwithitinaflexibleway.AsMr.LuXun(1982:
134)says“Toexplodeinsilence,ortodieinit”.Inthatsociety,theChristianLawisthepower.Sohejustendurestheunfairaffirmationbylaw.Thenon-resistancedoesn’tmeanheisweak.Incontrast,heiswaitingthechance.Oncehehasthechance,hewilltryhisbesttofight.WhenhesuffersinsultsandspurningfromAntonio,hechoosestobearitwithoutanywords.BecauseheknowsclearlythatheisaJewinthelowest-class.However,attheminutewhenAntonioborrowsmoneyfromhim,herecognizesthathehasgotthetime.HemakesfulluseoftheChristianLaw,whichsettledtoforbidtheJews,todefendforhimself.Here,Imustgivehimapositiveimage:
heisagoodlaw-abidingcitizen,whichiscontrasttoPortiatakesadvantageoftheloopholeofthelawinacheekyway.Astheletterofthecontract,hecangetapondofflesh,inwhichcanmakeAntoniointodeathtrap.Fromthis,wecangettheinformationthatShylockisamanofresource.
Ashesays:
SigniorAntonio,manyatimeandoft
IntheRatioyouhaveratedme
Aboutmymoneysandmyusances
StillhaveIborneitwithapatientshrug
Forsufferanceisthebadgeofallourtribe
Youcallmemisbeliever,cut-throatdog
AndspetuponmyJewishgabardine
Andallforuseofthatwhichismineown
Wellthen,itnowappearsyouneedmyhelp(Shakespeare,1996:
7;ACTⅠSCENEⅢ).
ThepoundoffleshwhichIdemandofhim,
Isdearlybought;`tismineandIwillhaveit,
Ifyoudenyme,fieuponyourlaw!
ThereisnoforceinthedecreesofVenice.
Istandforjudgment:
answer;shallIhaveit(Shakespea
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