Shakespeare's Characterization of Shylock as a Comic Villain in “The Merchant of Venice”

Shylock, an amusing as well a confusing figure, is one of the main characters of Shakespeare’s outstanding play “The Merchant of Venice”.His activities are full of variegation making us very complex to understand him. At times, his ridiculous activities give us pleasure and make us laugh. Again sometimes his brutal actions fall us in fear and make us anxious. So we, very easily, mark him as the comic villain of the play. Let us discuss it in detail.

Actually, Shylock is a usurer and his business of usury is disturbed by Antonio lending money without interest. So Shylock considers him as the worst enemy and awaits an opportunity to take revenge on him. As he says:

“If I can catch him once upon the hip  
I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.”[Act: I, Scene: III]

Shylock alsohates  Antoniofor his  religion. As he confesses:

“I hate him for he is a Christian”[Act: I, Scene: III] 

At that time, the most of the Christians think the usury as cruelty while the Jews consider it as one kind of business, as it was granted by law.As Shylock comments:

“…he rails
On me, my contracts, and my well-earned profit,
Which he calls, usury.”[Act: I, Scene: III]

Shylock is also a good representative of his race :

“Cursèd be my tribe
If I forgive him”[Act: I, Scene: III]

Shylock even refuses to participate eating with the Christian, as they eat pork:

“I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so forth—but I willnot eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.”

[Act: I, Scene: III]

However, one day, Shylock gets an opportunity for his sake, when Antonio and Bassanio come to him to lend some money. He proposes a condition that if Antonio seals a bond, he will lend them money. According to the bond, if Antonio cannot repay the money conditionally, he would cut off and take a pound of his flesh from wherever he wants. He cleverly argues:

“A pound of man’s flesh, taken from a man,

Has neither worth nor can afford a profit  

As flesh of mutton, cow, or goat.   I say,

To buy his favour, I extend this friendship”

[Act: I, Scene: III]

Again we see when Shylock’s only daughter Jessica elopes with a Christian with a great amount of money, he laments like a mad:

“My daughter!  O my ducats!  O my daughter!Fled with a Christian!  O my Christian ducats![Act: II, Scene: VII]

Actually the elopement of his daughter with a Christian shocks him so much that he prefers to see her death. As he expects:

“I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear!  Would she were hearsed at my foot andthe ducats in her coffin!”[Act: III, Scene: I]

            We see Shylock’s another comic expression of cruelty when he hears the news of the loss of Antonio’s vessels. He cries out in pleasure:

“I thank God, I thank God.  Is it true?  Is it true?”

[Act: III, Scene: I]

We discover his most ridiculous activities in the trial scene especially when sharpening the knife and preparing a balance.

            Shylock seems to be a very cruel man to whom no request is granted. As he says:

“By my soul I swearThere is no power in the tongue of manTo alter me.  I stay here on my bond.”[Act: IV, Scene: I]

But, one thing is notable that Shylock is previously severely oppressed by the Christians, even Antonio calls him misbeliever, cut-throat dog; spites upon his dress, kikes him from the behind. As he mentions:

“He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million times.    He hath laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains,scorned my nation, thwarted my ventures, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies—andwhat’shis reason?  I am a Jew.[Act: III, Scene: I] 

So it is very natural to grow revengefulness in him to his enemy Antonio.

           

We, towards the end of the drama, see the Christian vindictiveness falls on him with a full fury when he says:

He is deprived of his own property, religion and his life becomes depended on the mercy of Duke.

           

We can terminate our discussion saying that, Shylock is a very mysterious person containing both the good and bad in him. The representation of his character in the play is like neither a hero nor a villain. So we can easily mark him as the comic villain who “stands halfway between a martyr and a criminal”.

This paper is prepared for you by Talim Enam, BA (Hons), MA in English.

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