A Victimized Villain in Venice

Alyssa Auch
Professor Grover
ENG 314
November 17, 2012

A Victimized Villain in Venice
What makes a villain? When introduced in films, the antagonist is often given tell-tale, gloomy music and shadowed lighting. They scowl and sneer and laugh in derision, and we know they are the opposition. In William Shakespeare’s plays, the villains often introduce themselves as such, stating their macabre intentions or hateful jealousies. From a psychological point of view, their thoughts are simple enough to understand. Occasionally, however, The Bard introduced characters so complex, they could be analyzed in many different ways. In The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, it may not be very hard to guess who the antagonist is, but the reason for his role as villain becomes muddled by distracting, humorous dialogue, strong lead protagonists, and conflicting statements about religion and social status. Shylock is one of the most complex villains in all of Shakespeare’s plays, even to the point of confusion among the best scholars (Smith). This is because Shylock takes on some of the most intricate human characteristics, and he represents those negative traits that make a villain more than just a plot point. Looking into his psyche is a pleasure for those who prefer the psychoanalytic lens, especially because that particular method of analysis “attempts to explain the hows and whys of human nature” (Bressler 124). By taking a close look at Shylock’s character through this lens, his motives can be broken into three more or less simple categories every person identifies with: discrimination, revenge, and greed. To first understand why discrimination makes Shylock a villain rather than a victim, it is necessary to examine the discrimination brought against him. Shylock is a Jew. Other characters, protagonists even, jab at his religion and paint a negative picture about him through their snide remarks. Antonio, often referred to as the kindest of souls, refers to him as a devil, a dog, and an outcast (Shakespeare 1.3). When Shylock agrees to give Bassanio a loan, Antonio remarks that “The Hebrew will turn Christian: he grows kind” (1.3). This would imply that because Shylock is a Jew, he is not ordinarily a kind person. Taking on that kind of abuse over an entire lifetime would be enough to make anyone bitter, and Shylock makes no secret about the negative effect it has on his character. Another attack comes when Shylock’s servant debates within himself whether or not to leave his master—not because Shylock is an unkind man, but because he is a Jew and might taint the servant’s reputation (2.2). The servant even admits “Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnal” (2.2). And if the servant’s view of Shylock is not traitorous enough, Shylock’s own daughter leaves him to elope with her love because she does not wish to be associated with the Jewish religion:
Alack, what heinous sin is it in me
To be ashamed to be my father 's child!
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners. O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife,
Become a Christian and thy loving wife. (2.3)
Notice in that quote she speaks of his blood and the fact that she is ashamed to be his daughter. In this case, manners refer to his religious views and actions based on them, rather than any cruel actions from her father (Sparknotes Editors). There is no evidence that Shylock is anything but a normal father for the time, and no evidence that he has wronged his daughter in any way other than who he was at birth (Sparknotes Editors).
These examples alone would make Shylock an object of pity and not a villain. However, it is Shylock’s return of discrimination, even in response to the negative social status he endures, that makes him just as bad or worse. Shylock says of Antonio, “‘I hate him for he is a Christian’” (1.3). In that same scene, he goes on to say, “O father Abram, what these Christians are, / Whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect / The thoughts of others!” (1.3). Just as he has been accused of being less of a human for who he was at birth, Shylock believes that people are inherently bad based on their beliefs or what parents they were born to. He refers to the Christians almost as mindless partiers when he warns his daughter not to look out into the streets when Christians are passing and making merry (2.5). He openly mocks the Christians in the trial scene when he equates his taking of Antonio’s heart with the slaves that Christians keep (4.1). Psychologically, Shylock has turned a slight against his character into an unhealthy hate that far outweighs the patronizing, if still hurtful behavior brought against him. This sheds light on the darker side of his nature, and lets the reader see the villainous turn discrimination can take. Shylock is further made into an unsavory character by his greed. Readers are first introduced to this part of his character when we discover that his motives for revenge are based on someone taking profit from him (1.3). Antonio frequently gives out loans without interest, which steps on Shylock’s business which is based on loans with high interest rates (1.3). If Antonio is giving out interest-free loans, then business is taken from Shylock, who relies on the interest to make his living. He is so obsessed with money that after a few lost customers he develops a hate for Antonio that carries so far he is willing to actually act on his ridiculous stipulation of a pound of flesh for an unpaid loan that he gave to Antonio. If that did not illuminate the greedier aspects of his character, then his reaction to his daughter’s elopement certainly does. Shylock is upset that he has lost a daughter, but amazingly, he is equally (or perhaps even more) upset about the loss of jewels Jessica took with her: 'My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!
Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!
Justice! the law! my ducats, and my daughter!
A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats,
Of double ducats, stolen from me by my daughter!
And jewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones,
Stolen by my daughter! Justice! find the girl;
She hath the stones upon her, and the ducats. (2.8)
Shylock even remarks later on: “I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear! / would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin!” (3.2). Although Shylock might love his daughter, it becomes clear from his reaction about her elopement that he values his money more. As complex as Shylock’s character might be because of his role as a victim in social standings, one cannot help but conjure the image of a villain furtively counting his gold coins alone in a dark room. His greed could be attributed to his lack of social standing. He feels that without his money and property, he is worth nothing. To lose his daughter (a slight to his pride based on his ability to control his own offspring) and then a significant portion of his money, Shylock becomes more determined than ever to make Antonio pay him, whether with money or the pound of flesh. Greed alone is an undesirable trait, but Shylock is shown to be a true villain when he allows the greed to take him so far as to harm another human being. Finally, and most importantly, Shylock is recognized as a villain because of his inability to forgive. The reader is first introduced to Shylock’s hatred of Antonio when he says, “If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him” (1.3). He does not explicitly admit that he is a bad person, and in fact it can be noted that Shylock is a unique Shakespearean character because he genuinely believes it is his right to exact revenge on Antonio, but Shylock does openly tell the audience that he plans on getting even with the wealthy and successful merchant of Venice. His thirst for revenge only gets worse, especially when he begins to lose tangible things. When asked why he would want a pound of flesh from Antonio and why it was so important to him, Shylock responds, “To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge” (3.1). While some of the need for revenge stems from his annoyance at Antonio’s success and meddling in Shylock’s trade in loans, most of it probably originates from the social abuse he suffered in his life, and his desire to right those wrongs in some way. He reveals the inner core of his hatred during his most famous speech about his religion and the discrimination against him. About Jews, Shylock challenges:
If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?” (3.1)
In other words, Shylock believes he is entitled to right the wrongs against him through whatever means necessary. In his eyes, it is justice. It is that mentality that makes him so bad; it is the belief that revenge and justice are one and the same, and that he has the right to take a life if it means the redemption of his pride:
If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by
Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. (Shakespeare, 3.1)
The proverbial nail in the coffin that proves once and for all that Shylock has given all of himself to the decay of revenge, is when his daughter testifies this of him: “I have heard him swear… / That he would rather have Antonio 's flesh / Than twenty times the value of the sum / That he did owe him” (3.2). His daughter has left him, his money is dwindling, and he has no social status to speak of. Shylock moves past greed when he refuses monetary compensation, and instead insists on taking Antonio’s heart. He is out for revenge because he believes he deserves it, and it is then that the audience is given a solid impression that Shylock truly is the antagonist, and no matter what the cause for his twisted actions, it cannot be refuted that Shylock was created to be a villain. There are still those who would argue that Shylock is a victim. In the end he loses his servant, his daughter, a cherished ring, his estates, and even his religion. Some might say that he was driven to his acts by the discrimination against him, and that the protagonists, the unfeeling Christians, deserved at least a lesson in humility. While all that may be true, the simple fact of the matter is that Shakespeare created Shylock to be the villain, and there were specific characteristics that author found to be sins of character. Like a master craftsman, he sculpted Shylock with discrimination, greed, and revenge to form a perfect, yet complex villain. Shylock is a man who would rather retaliate than turn the other cheek, who would kill and even give up his own daughter for money, and he is a man who would have his revenge at any cost. The motives behind his actions are intertwined into the sad knot that makes up the cortex of his psyche, but no matter what his past, it is Shylock’s actions that make him a villain. Heroes overcome their challenges, and villains, like Shylock, allow them to degrade their character.

Works Cited

Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2011. 123-141. Print.
Shakespeare. The Merchant of Venice. The Tech, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

Smith, S.E. “Who is Shylock?” wiseGeek. Conjecture Corporation, 17 July 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Merchant of Venice.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC, 2003. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.

Cited: Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2011. 123-141. Print. Shakespeare. The Merchant of Venice. The Tech, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. Smith, S.E. “Who is Shylock?” wiseGeek. Conjecture Corporation, 17 July 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Merchant of Venice.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC, 2003. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.