英语论文(威尼斯商人人物分析) Analyse&Shylock

On the Character of Shylock in

The

Merchant of Venice

By

Zhang Xiaoming

A 2006 Undergraduate of the School of Foreign

Languages of Anqing Teachers College

Supervisor: Li Ming

May 25th, 2006

On the Character of Shylock in

The Merchant of Venice

Thesis statement

: Shylock is not a complete villain, but a tragic figure

who is more sinned against than sinning.

Outline

I. Brief introduction about the comedy and Shylock

II. Analysis of the character of Shylock

A.

Shylock as a Jewish usurer

B.

Shylock who endured abuse but forgave easily

C.

Shylock?s attitude towards his eloped daughter

D.

Shylock?s attitude towards the customs and the law

III. My view of Shylock

1

On the Character of Shylock in

The Merchant of Venice

Author: Zhang Xiaoming

Supervisor: Li Ming

I. Brief introduction about the comedy and Shylock

Shylock

is

the

most

vivid

and

memorable

character

in

The

Merchant

of

Venice

,

and

he

is

one

of

Shakespeare?

s

greatest

dramatic

creations. On stage, it is Shylock who makes the play, and almost all of

the great actors of the English and Continental stage have attempted the

role.

But

the

character

of

Shylock

has

also

been

the

subject

of

much

critical debate: Is h

e a bloodthirsty villain? Or is he a man “more sinned

against than sinning”? In my opinion,

though Shylock is technically the

antagonist in the play, it is easy to sympathize him with his plight. During

this period in history, Jews were harassed, killed, spit upon, and treated

little

better

than

animals

(unless

of

course

someone

wanted

to

borrow

some money). Antonio had spit upon him in the past, stolen his customers

by

lending

money

to

them

without

interest,

stolen

one

of

Shylock?s

servants, whose friend then eloped with his only daughter.

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II.

Analysis of the Character of Shylock

A.

Shylock as a Jewish usurer

2

Shakespeare

created

a

living

portrait

that

has

caused

critics

to

wonder whether Shylock is merely a comic villain or the tragic victim of

Christian cruelty. The story of the Jews in medieval Europe throws a good

deal

of

light

on

the

events

of

the

play

and

provides

us

with

the

Shakespearean

frame

of

reference

which

is

necessary

for

an

understanding of both the major themes and minor details which are the

fabric of

The Merchant of Venice.

< /p>

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It is troubling that Shakespeare has Shylock say in an aside, as soon

as

Bassanio

introduces

to

Antonio,

“I

hate

him

for

he

is

a

Christian.”

1

This

is

not

a

rational

reason

to

hate

anyone

and

is

the

first

warning

of

trouble. Shylock does indeed have a problem with Antonio, not because

he is a Christian, but rather, as Shylock explains: “He [Antonio] lends out

money

gratis

and

brings

down/The

rate

of

usance

here

with

us

in

Venice.”

2

This was not simply a case of greed on Shylock?s part; th

e Jews

of that time had no other way to earn money. They were not allowed to

own land, and most occupations were closed to them. By lending money

without

interest,

Antonio

was

depriving

Shylock

of

his

only

source

of

income.

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B. Shylock who endured abuse but forgave easily

3

Shylock

is

first

encountered

in

conversation

with

Bassanio.

An

examination

of

Shylock?s

interactions

with

other

people

prior

to

his

discovery

of

Jessica?s

betrayal

reveals

no

unpleasantness

except

with

regard to Antonio. But Shakespeare describes Antonio as sad and weary;

if Antonio had a more sanguine personality, the relationship might have

been

different.

There

is

no

evidence

of

evil

intent

in

Shylock?s

attitude

when he is discussing the requested loan with Bassanio:

Shylock: Three thousand ducats; well.

Bassanio: Ay, sir, for three months.

Shylock: For three months; well.

Bassanio: For the which, as I told you, Antonio shall be bound.

Shylock: Antonio shall become bound; well.

Bassanio: May you stead me? Will you pleasure me?

Shall I know your answer?

Shylock: Three thousand ducats, for thee months,

and Antonio bound. Antonio is a good man

3

It is a matter of fact business interview, neither of the parties wasting

words. With the curt but not impolite manner of the professional banker,

Shylock

simply

reiterates

the

sum

requested

—“Three

thousand

ducats.”

But he is a business man. There is no reason for him to fall on Bassan

io?s

neck and express his eagerness to do a deal. He must go cautiously, and

see how urgent Bassanio is, and how much therefore he can increase his

4

own

gains

in

the

deal

by

stipulating

a

more

or

even

a

much

more

profitable rate of interest.

There is no suggestion of sarcasm in the word

“

Antonio is a good

man

”,

although

it

certainly

can

be

played

that

way.

Shylock

explains

what he means: that Antonio is sufficient as a guarantor, even though his

ships are at sea and their fate is uncertain. He concludes,

“I think I may

take his bond. I will be assured I may

…

May I speak with Antonio?”

4

Bassanio then asks Shylock to dine with them, and Shylock declines; he

assures Bassanio that “I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you,

walk

with

yo

…

”

,

but beca

use

of

his

religious

constraints,

“I

will not

eat

with

you,

drink

with

you,

nor

pray

with

you.”

To

soften

the

harshness

of

his

refusal,

he

returns

immediately

to

a

neutral

social

question

—“what

news

on

the

Rialto?”

5

—

to

indicate

that

he

did

not

intend to be rude.

When he meets Antonio, his first words to him are “Rest you fair,

good signior;

Your Worship was the last man in our mouths.”

6

(We were

just

talking

about

you.)

Anyway,

anyone

who

sees

evil

or

even

unpleasantness in Shylock?s remark is looking for

trouble.

Shylock proceeds to tell Antonio about Jacob when he grazes his

Uncle

Laban?s

sheep.

This

is

supposedly

an

attempt

by

Shylock

to

rationalize his taking of interest, and according to Antonio, “The devil

can cite Scripture for his purpose.”

7

I

t?s strange that Shakespeare would

5

have

Shylock

use

this

story.

A

Jew

would

be

unlikely

to

use

it

in

an

attempt to explain anything, since it has nothing to do with the taking of

interest and is therefore a meaningless story in this context. Stranger still

is that Antonio seems to have a better understanding of the incident than

Shylock the Jew does:

This was a venture, sir, that Jacob serv?d for

;

A thing not in his power to bring to pass,

But sway?d and fashion?d by the hand o

f heaven.

8

But as we know, Shylock endured much of Antonio?s abuse, over

a long period of time. This can be seen by the sheer volume of disgraces

he has born. A good example is in Act 3 Scene 1, beginning with line 50:

“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

…

”

9

In his next significant speech, Shylock recounts how Antonio has

abused

him

in

the

past.

In

these

lines

Shylock

sounds

quite

rational,

even though he has reason to be angry and frustrated. He says, in effect,

that Antonio has scolded him many times in the marketplace about his

money and his interest, and he always bears it with a patient shrug;

You called me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,

And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine,

6

And all for use of that which is mine own.

Well then, it now appears you need my help:

┆

What should I say to you? Should I not say,

?Hath a dog money? Is it possible

A cur can lend three thousand ducats??

or

Shall I bend low, and in a bondman

?

s key,

With bated breath, and whispering humbleness,

Say this:

?Fair sir, you sp

at on me on Wednesday last;

You spurn?d me such a day; another time

You call

?

d me dog-and for these courtesies

I?ll lend you thus much moneys??

10

Shylock

had

such

a

magnanimous

spirit,

that

he

even

offered

Antonio, who had abused him terribly, a loan, free of interest.

Shylock

was

willing

to loan money

to

one

who

totally

ruined

him

in

public, on

terms that were nicer than his normal business terms. This kind, forgiving

heart can be seen in Act 1 Scene 3, beginning with line 134:

“Why, look how you storm ! I would be friends with you

, and

have your love, forget the names that you have stain?d me

with, supply your present wants and take no doit of usance

for my moneys, and you?ll not h

ear me:

This is kind I offer.”

11

7

And

just

in

case

the

audience

or

reader

thinks

Shylock

is

exaggerating, Antonio answers: “I am as like to call thee so again/To spet

on thee again, to spurn thee too.”

12

Even after Antonio?s admission, Shylock still claims,

“I would be

friends with you and have no doit of usance for my moneys.”

13

In lieu of

interest,

he

suggests

that

“in

a

merry

sport”

they

will

draw

up

a

bond

under which Antonio will be required to forfeit a pound of his flesh if the

loan is not repaid.

What

could

Shylock

mean

by

this

strange

arrangement?

What

did

Shakespeare want us to think he means? Since we cannot guess motives,

let us take it at face value: Shylock really meant it as a joke. As Shylock

explains,

what

could

he

gain

by

exacting

a

pound

of

flesh?

He

is

a

businessman, and a pound of flesh is not worth anything! Antonio accepts

the

bond,

calls

Shylock

a

“gentle

Jew”

,

and

says

to

Bassanio,

“The

Hebrew will turn Christian:

he grows kind.”

14

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B.

Shylock’s attitude toward

s his eloped daughter

Shylock

is

invited

to

dinner

by

Bassanio.

Then

Shylock

calls

to

Jessica;

when

she

finally

comes,

he

shows

no

sign

of

being

upset

(as

many parents would justifiably be) that he had to call her three times. He

tells her he has been invited to supper with Bassanio and says,

Jessica, my girl,

8