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Antisemitism and the character Shylock in The Merchant of Venice

I am a student at the University of Hull blogging as part of my assessment for the module All the World’s a Stage. All views expressed here are my own and do not represent the University.

The Merchant of Venice is a play written by William Shakespeare, c.1596-1598. Its first performance was in 1605 at The Theatre in London. This blog will focus on the occurrence of antisemitism and religious separations in the play, specifically against the character of Shylock. The Merchant of Venice handles many themes, that are still relevant today, those include money loaning, personal gain, religious victimisation, as well as antisemitism. In this comparison, I will look closely at Shakespeare’s depiction of antisemitism, in the play, twinned with how it is shown in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2015 performance, with a close analysis of relationships between characters for the play to function. Firstly, it must be understood that the overall narrative of the play functions by the characters Antonio, Bassanio, Portia and Shylock. Each character has a form of personal gain through a transaction placed by Shylock to loan Antonio money for Bassanio’s benefit.  This transaction sets the play and follows the play as it progresses.

Click here for the RSC trailer of The Merchant of Venice’ 2015 production by Polly Findlay: [Fig. 1]

Act 1, Scene 3 of the play shows the first transaction taking place, between Shylock and Bassanio. In both the RSC production and the written version this is a key scene in the play. Firstly, the RSC production, shows the stage as very dark and sombre, with the use of low lighting to show this mood. This presentation of the stage has changed from its light form that is in Act 1, Scenes 1 and 2, but this also hints to the audience that something drastic may happen in the following moments. The scene begins with Bassanio, and Shylock standing opposite each other and begin negotiating the loan. “Three thousand ducats and Antonio bound.” (The Merchant of Venice. 1.3.8-9) Shylock then brings Antonio into the loan contract. Later in the scene, Shylock then demands, “let the forfeit be nominated for an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken.” (The Merchant of Venice. 1.3.144-145). The two occasions of Shylock exploiting the pair could explain why he faces the abuse later on in the play. Shylock acts as a representative on stage for his religion in this play. Similarly in the RSC production, Shylock’s presentation is strong-willed and scarily determined meanwhile, Antonio and Bassanio are shown to laugh and ridicule Shylock while he speaks. This sets up the debate for the play as a whole on whether it is pre-meditated antisemitism or the persecution of Shylock because of who he is.  Both of these debates have a link to Shylock’s religion, Judaism, which in society today would be described as discrimination/antisemitism. Rosenshield (2002) suggests, in his article, that in this scenario Shylock is not the problem, more that it is Antonio’s wrongdoing. This suggestion unfolds a new view of the dynamic of the play also on whether it is classed as intentionally antisemitic by Shakespeare. Rosenshield also conveys the possibility that “The play may be seen as an experiment, metaphorically testing the viability in the contemporary world of a marriage of capital and Christian ideals.” (2002:29) This observation from Rosenshield can also be linked to the RSC production of this play. In both the RSC production and the written play, the marriage of capital is shown through the marriage of Bassanio and Portia. However, it is remembered that all, except Shylock and Tubal, characters in this play are Christian; this statistic as part of the play does highlight how it could be discriminative from the very start. We know that any religion that wasn’t Christianity was discriminated against which then leads to the debate on Shylock’s discrimination of his personal beliefs on the side of his job, as a money lender. An earlier argument by Rosenshield that The Merchant of Venice exists to show ‘a compromise of new and old age.’ (2002:29) this could show a change in how people viewed different religions, and it could even be a hidden plea by Shakespeare to progress in the acceptance of Jews in society.

Further on in the play in Act 3, Scene 1, we see Shylock labelling the behaviour towards him that he has received down to him being a Jew. Straight away in the RSC production, the staging is tense and dark and has an eerie mood, much like earlier on in the play in Act 1, Scene 3; this perfectly encapsulates the scene as a whole.  Solanio and Salarino are shown to be in a mode of aggression towards Shylock, though not physical this section of the production can be hard to watch due to its nature of bullying towards Shylock.  It can also be noted that in the RSC performance has a lead sphere at the back of the stage, it is on stage throughout and can be seen moving side-to-side. Lead is a symbol of acceptance and allowance in this play. Lead is the material that allows Bassanio to marry Portia, due to her Father’s wishes. However, In addition to the theme of allowance, this scene shows Shylock’s justification of his position in Venice and blames his discrimination on the fact that he is a Jew. “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew's eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? (Merchant of Venice. 3.1. 52-54) This line from Shylock is very emotive. It’s the start of his justification of himself for who he is and the beliefs he has in relation to discrimination. In the RSC production, it is easy to observe that Shylock, performed by Khoury, is emotional. The emotion is in his language and his tone of voice, for the audience this really sets the tone and puts the dynamic of the relationships between the characters in the play into perspective, it did for me. “If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. 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?” (Merchant of Venice. 3.1.52-58) This is an important part of Shylock’s justification but also reveals parts of his identity. It is true that he has faced antisemitic comments made towards him and it is clear that these comments from other, Christian, characters have affected Shylock and his behaviour as the play goes on. Shylock uses discrimination as a reason for him to expose Antonio for borrowing money from him. The RSC does present this scene very skilfully, Khoury sets the tone perfectly to present Shylock as the figure he is. Shylock’s (Khoury) expression really helps to show a revelation in the play of how Shylock can be cunning and deceitful, yet this was interpreted by me as anger for what he has received. Khoury’s acting from Act 3, Scene 1 can be seen below.

 Furthermore, Cooper (1970) examines the view that “Shylock is the result of an opposed but unresolved conception of him in his creator's mind.” this view is paired with the suggestion that, “Shakespeare intended only a comic villain reflecting his Elizabethan prejudice against Jews” Cooper’s examinations are interesting, particularly when we see Shylock still being performed to this day, the RSC production performed in 2015. Cooper’s suggestions build the impression that Shylock’s character can be shaped to fit the character needed in this play, particularly when comparing it to similar plays like The Jew of Malta (c.1589) or Il Pecorone (1558). In relation to the RSC production, Shylock is presented as a powerful yet undermined character. It is understandable why Shylock acts like this as the play progresses because he has been subjected to antisemitic comments made about him due to the demands, he has made to loan someone. The RSC production handles this subject well, through elements of staging and lighting in difficult scenes, to give a representation of abuse.

Overall, the RSC production handles the difficult themes very well in their production of the play. Findlay perfectly creates a representation of antisemitism in the sixteenth century, but in a way that is appropriate for a twenty-first-century audience to understand.

Word Count:  1352.

References:

-       Cooper, J.R. (1970) Shakespeare Quarterly: Shylock’s Humanity. Vol. 21. No.2. pp.170.

-         Glendinning, H. (2015) Makram J. Khoury as Shylock. [Photograph]. Available online: https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-merchant-of-venice/past-productions/polly-findlay-2015-production/production-and-rehearsal-photos#&gid=1&pid=2 [Accessed 30 October 2022]

-       Rosenshield, G. (2002) Deconstructing the Christian Merchant: Antonio and “The Merchant of Venice.” Shofar. Vol. 20. No. 2. pp 28-29.

-       Shakespeare, W. (2000) The Merchant of Venice. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Classics

-       The Merchant of Venice: Royal Shakespeare Company, 21:00 19/07/2020, BBC4, 130 mins. https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/16776669?bcast=132394042 (Accessed 11 Nov 2022) [video]

-       The Merchant of Venice. 2015. Royal Shakespeare Company https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-merchant-of-venice/past-productions/polly-findlay-2015-production#&gid=2&pid=0 (accessed 10 November 2022) [Trailer]