Notes from class.
· Shylock is a victim when
· His daughter runs off with the Christians
· We see him as a victim when he says
· “Oh my daughter, fled with a Christian”
· This helps the audience to see him as a victim because
· His only family has betrayed him and he is left alone.
· The audience also sees him as a victim when
· The Christians spit on him.
· “you call me dog and spit on my Jewish gabardine”
· Show he is being badly treated because he is Jewish – racism? Prejudice?
· We feel sympathy for Shylock when the Court takes all his goods.
· “Nay, take all… Thou doth take my house when thou takest the prop that doth support my house”
· If the Christians had not treated him so badly, he would not have tried to take them to court
· Shylock is a villain when
· He attempts to cut his pound of flesh from Antonio
· “I shall have my bond”
· This is cruel because it will mean Antonio is killed
· This is part of Shylock’s plan – his intention is to have revenge
· Also a villain when he locks Jessica in
· “Clamber not ye into the casements to gaze on Christian faces”
· He is denying Jessica any freedom – odd when she is his own daughter.
· The first act of cruelty is when he agrees the bond with Antonio
· “for a pound of your fair flesh”
· This is cruel because Shylock knows it will mean Antonio’s death
1. State whether you think he is a victim, villain, or both.
2. Briefly give your main reasons for thinking this.
3. Explain that this ambiguity is what makes Shylock such a memorable character.