The Merchant of Venice focuses on a merchant named Antonio and a Jewish money lender called Shylock. Antonio borrows three thousand ducats from Shylock to finance his dear friend Bassanio’s suit of Portia, a fair heiress of Belmont – an island nearby Venice. Her father has died and she is looking for a husband to become the new lord of Belmont. But over the three months that were given to repay the money loaned from the Jew, Shylock, Antonio has gradually lost all of his ships at sea and cannot afford to pay off the debt. But instead of money, Antonio owes Shylock “an equal pound of his fair flesh”. Shylock demands of his bond before the Duke and court of Venice but Antonio’s pleas for mercy of the Jew are lost in Shylock’s dream of revenge on the Christians who have looked down on him and his kin. Should we sympathise with Shylock, or hate him for his lack of heart?

            At the beginning of the play, when we first meet Shylock, we feel some sympathy for him from the way he has been mistreated by the Christians. There are hints here and there to show Shylock’s sufferance but we only really understand his hurt we he openly reports his mistreatment to Antonio.

            “For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe.

            You call me misbeliever, a cut throat dog

            And spit upon my Jewish gabardine…” I.iii.105-107

But then we see Shylock’s true intentions when he binds Antonio’s life to the forfeit of the bond and Shylock loses our sympathy.

            When Jessica, Shylock’s daughter runs away with another Christian named Lorenzo she steals most of her father’s wealth as well. She squanders the money she stole and enjoys the time spent with her new Christian friends. When Shylock learns of her deeds he becomes even more angered at his enemies. Confused by which is dearer to him; his daughter or his ducats, Shylock vows on his religion to never show any mercy to any Christian or the unfortunate Antonio. This may also make us sympathetic to the Jew. But while Bassanio’s plans for the suit of fair Portia are in motion, bad news reaches Antonio about his failed business ventures and his fate becomes bound to the merciless Shylock.

            In Act IV – Shylock brings Antonio up before the court of Venice and demands the law and his bond. His blind determination to fulfil his religious vow shows when the Duke of Venice pleads with Shylock to show mercy. But not even Bassanio – now victorious in marrying Portia and becoming lord of Belmont – can persuade Shylock with three times the money owed.

            “If every ducat in six thousand ducats

            Were in six parts, and each part a ducat

            I would not draw them; I would have my bond.” IV.i.85-87

Still Shylock was undeterred and displayed his utter insistence in having his bond. Even when the Duke confronts him with

            “How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none?” IV.i.88

Shylock replies

            What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong?” IV.i.89

At this point we show Shylock no sympathy at all because of his insistence to end Antonio’s life.

            While Bassanio stands beside his friend in court, unknown to him, his newly wed wife has a plan to save her husband’s friend. Portia, disguised as a male lawyer called Balthazar, enters the courtroom and begins to question the single-minded Shylock. For a while Portia seems to be on Shylock’s side – stating the law cannot be ignored.

            “Why, this bond is forfeit

            And lawfully by this Jew may claim

            A pound of flesh; to be cut off

            Nearest the merchant’s heart” IV.i.228-231

Shylock praises the disguised Portia.

            “O noble judge. O excellent young man!” IV.i.244

            With Shylock getting ready to cut out a piece of Antonio’s flesh, believing he has to law rightfully behind him to do it, Portia cuts in and begins to tread on Shylock’s dream of victory. To Shylock’s disbelief, she explains that Shylock may only take exactly one pound of flesh – no more, no less. She also tells the bewildered Shylock that he cannot spill one drop of Christian blood without the court confiscating “thy lands and goods”.  Shylock, realising he has been defeated, gives in and accepts the three times money offered. But the court is not finished with him yet as Portia explains. If a citizen of Venice strives to end the life directly or indirectly of another party, then the victim may seize one half of his land and goods and the court will confiscate the other half.

            Suddenly the tables have turned and the Jew is left at the mercy of Antonio and the court to decide his fate. Antonio decides to show his former captor Christian mercy and allows Shylock to keep on half of his goods. Yet the courts are still not finished yet. To Shylocks horror, the Duke sentences the Jew to give up his religion and follow Christianity to prevent him from lending anymore money with interest. Completely defeated Shylock requests leave of the court. He is granted leave and gradually the court members depart too.

So, do we show Shylock sympathy? I agree with both sides of the debate. On one hand we have a Shylock who has been mistreated all his life by Christians and robbed by his owned daughter. But on the other hand we have a Shylock who vows to take absolute revenge on his enemies and show no mercy. Yet he has a reason. I think even though Shylock was full of hatred, it was not unprovoked. The Christians had mistreated him all his life and did he not have the right to take revenge as he explained

“I am a Jew

Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs

Dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with

The same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject

To the same diseases, heal’d by the same means

Warm’d and cool’d by the same winter and summer

As a Christian is? 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?” III.i.47-65

 As I said his attacks were not unprovoked. So, to conclude, I think we should sympathise with Shylock just a little bit more than we should dislike him.