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Does Shylock Really Deserve It?

I have repeatedly discussed the impact that Shylock's character could have on a 21st century, post-Holocaust audience. And while I do think that many of his character traits are or could be seen as anti-Semitic, I really do believe that he deserves what he gets in the context of the play.

You see, if we are going by the logic that the characters in the play are subject to the real and historical implications of the time period, then Shylock has been prejudiced outside of his scuffles with Antonio, and I could see where his behavior comes from. However, many Jews could restrain themselves even in the face of undeniable horrific hate. Shylock is not a bad guy because he's a Jew: he's just a bad guy. He even makes a case for himself that Jews inherently are not so different from Christians. So yes, Shylock deserves it for being uncaring about his daughter and threatening to kill a man.

I personally believe that Elizabethan audiences would probably have thought it funny that a Jew loses and has many stereotypical qualities, and I think Shakespeare was probably trying to make the play appeal to an anti-Semitic audience. Whether he was actually anti-Semitic, I can't say for sure. However, my opinion still stands.

Comments

  1. Kim HarrisonFebruary 21, 2017 at 11:40 AM

    What do you think Shakespeare was getting at by forcing Shylock to convert to Christianity? He could have just let the court kill him off or take all of his money, but Antonio insists that he also convert. What is the point of this?

    ReplyDelete

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