Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

A Closer Look at Shylock vs. Antonio

Good Essays
767 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Closer Look at Shylock vs. Antonio
A Closer Look at Shylock vs. Antonio

The play is set in Venice, Italy. During this time, Venice was full of wealth, royal merchants, luxuriously dressed people, and distinguished culture. An example of this description would be Antonio. Even though the society seemed perfect, there was also a downside to them. The play revealed prejudices of a society that practiced the religious persecution of Jews and Christian dignity and the cruel moneymaking and legal side of Venice.

In the play, "Merchant of Venice" a strong rivalry is discovered between Antonio and Shylock. Antonio portrays the good man, a loyal and honest Christian, while Shylock comes off as the villain. Both the people of Venice and the audience hate shylock because they see him as a crafty and untrustworthy Jew. Early on in the play, it is almost as if Antonio could represent the villain because Antonio bullies Shylock. Antonio does this by spitting on him, calling him a dog, and just being abusive towards him all because Shylock is a Jew. "You call me disbeliever, cut throat dog, and spit on my Jewish gaberdine…" (Act 1 Sc3 lines 108-109 ). Later on in the play, you find out that Shylock is the villain and not Antonio. Shylock understandably has never forgiven Antonio of these actions, and as a result, he is very bitter and unpleasant towards him.

The scene at the beginning of the movie displays the rivalry between Antonio and Shylock quite well. This scene gives you a good sense of where the two men stand in regards of each other. Early on, in the movie, it shows when Antonio spits on and harasses Shylock but later on in that scene, it shifts to Bassanio, who is Antonio's best friend. Bassanio needs to borrow 3,000 ducats for three months. Antonio promises Bassanio that he will get the loan even though it is against his beliefs. Shylock agrees to grant Bassasnio the money but not before he gets to speak with Antonio, so then, Bassanio invites Shylock to have dinner with them but Shylock refuses. Therefore, Antonio just ends up joining them.

During Shylock's conversation with Bassanio he says, "I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following: but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you…" (Act 1 Sc3 lines 33-35). This quote alone displays Shylock's true feelings towards Christians. This ends up serving as a hint to the audience, that he would like nothing but to seek revenge on Antonio. Shylock then says, "I hate him for he is Christian." (Act 1 Sc3 line 39). With all this said the audience now has a good grasp on how Shylock really feels. He admits without hesitation that he hates certain people because of their religion. Shylock is malicious and his desire to have Antonio's flesh becomes an obsession. He shows no mercy for Antonio and his ways of revenge are very twisted.

With all that said, Antonio and Shylock reach an agreement. Shylock says that he will grant Bassanio the money but not without a catch. He says that if Antonio fails to pay him back that he must give up a pound of his own flesh. Shylock says, "If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed far the ancient grudge I bear him." (Act 1 Sc3 lines 43-44). There is no way, Antonio's life is worth 3,000 ducats but of course, Shylock will go through great lengths to seek revenge on Antonio.

Antonio and Shylock are the two important components that are needed to construct the mise-en-scène. They are great examples of mise-en-scène as a measure of character. The hatred between the two characters provide the drama for the scene in the movie to be successful. The interaction between the two characters in the movie can easily establish an identity of its own because it can be the main story and if not one of the main stories in the movie or book.

The way Radford composes the scene in the movie does not really change my perspective of the situation. It really just gives me a clearer understanding of what is going on. Even though it might take away from my imagination, it still provides a better understanding of the play. One could look at it as dictating one's own opinion, but with me it just points out other details in the play that I might not have notice from just reading it

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The main conflicts among the characters in the stories were between Antonio and Shylock, and Abigail and the Proctors. In The Merchant of Venice characters that were impacted by lies, gossip, rumours were Antonio and Shylock. Antonio owes Shylock 3000 ducats by a certain time, or Shylock will be able to cut a pound of Antonio's flesh. In the play Salerio and Solanio discuss about how Antonio’s ships have rumoured to sink at sea.”Why, yet it lives there unchecked that Antonio hath a ship of rich lading wrecked on the narrow seas” .With that rumour Shylock is now able to get the revenge he was destined to receive, which made his and Antonio’s relationship even worse.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jew who struggles to adjust to a Christian society that belittles him. Antonio is a devout Christian. Shylock’s relationship with Antonio reveals that he is biased against Christians, and in this way both Shylock and Antonio exhibit similarities in how each perceive "the other."…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Merchant of Venice

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages

    However a superficial reading of the play makes it clear that Antonio is the real merchant of Venice. His name is referred repeatedly as the royal merchant and good Antonio and also in the main trail scene Portia asked pointedly "which is the merchant which is the Jew". From the beginning of the play Antonio is presented as a rich merchant and a world trader who sent argosies to various countries. On the other hand Shylock is never referred to as a merchant but sketched as an usurer and a cruel money lender.…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the play The Merchant of Venice Shylock, a rich Jewish moneylender in Venice agrees to loan Bassanio three thousand ducats on Antonio’s guarantee. Shylock is made to be the villain in the Merchant of Venice because of some of the things he does. But even though he may not have been the only one in the wrong, he is still guilty of the deadly sins of, avarice, envy, and wrath.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shakespeare utilizes Shylock’s character as an antagonist to Antonio to demonstrate how dehumanization happens to both the perpetrator and the victim. This commentary begins in the first scene of the play, when Antonio asks Shylock to lend money for Bassanio’s journey to impress Portia. Even before he meets Antonio, Shylock remarks “how like a fawning publican he looks!/[Shylock] hates him for he is a Christian” and that he “will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him./ He hates our sacred nation” (1.3.36-43). Because of the history of resentment between Christians and Jews, Shylock’s comment shows that “feeding the fat” to the “ancient grudge” against Antonio is seemingly “normal”, and that he is unwilling to stop fueling this “ancient grudge” between religions. Antonio contributes this same of idea of sticking to status quo when Shylock mentions how “[Antonio] calls [him] a misbeliever, cut-throat dog” (1.3.106-107). After Shylock lists these atrocities and is bewildered on how Antonio still “needs [his] help”, Antonio makes it clear that he is “as like to call thee so again/To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too” (1.3.107, 125-126). Shakespeare makes an interesting choice to use the word “spurn”. One may think that it is easily replaceable with “hate”. However, Shakespeare uses the word to show that Antonio does not…

    • 1530 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, Shylock is portrayed as the victim in the play; he is not mean. He has never done anything to hurt Antonio who is in fact the bad guy. Shylock is being persecuted by Antonio and his friends, because he is a Jew. Antonio had spit on Shylock, called him a misbeliever, a dog, had disgraced him, thwarted his bargains and more. While Shylock did nothing but take it without responding, in hope that one day he could have is revenge. I mean what would you do if you were in his shoes? The same thing. You would want revenge since you haven’t done anything to deserve it. So why can’t he. The one who deserves something bad is not Shylock but Antonio. Second of all, the bond. Antonio is the one who asked money to Shylock even thought he had done horrible things to him. Antonio was aware of the consequences of the bond and agreed to it. He knew that not bringing the money in time would cause him to die, so it is his problem if was not able to pay Shylock on time. He has to be a big boy and take responsibilities for his actions. In all of…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Merchant of Venice, Shylock states, “He hath disgraced me and laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies- and what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Hath now a Jew eyes? Hath not Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?” (Shakespeare 110) This quote explains Shylock’s relationship with Antonio by stating that Antonio has laughed at his losses, made fun of his earnings, humiliated his race and turned his friends against him. Upset Shylock goes on stating that all of this is because he’s a Jew. He goes on claiming that Jews are just as human as anyone else. This statement exemplifies the idea of how Jews were treated,…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s main character, Shylock, is central to constant discrimination simply because he is a Jew. This is demonstrated in Act 1, Scene 3 when Antonio borrows money from Shylock. This scene is the first time the audience is introduced to Shylock and he quickly speaks of how he has been mistreated by Antonio because of his religion “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spit upon my Jewish gabardine”. Shakespeare then reinforces this when Salarino is attempting to convince Shylock not to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh by questioning what good it would do. Shylock explains that “if nothing else it will feed my revenge” and how “He hath disgraced me…and what’s his reason? I am a Jew.” (3,1).…

    • 1878 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Discrimination proves that injustice is shown in both plays. In The Merchant Of Venice, Jews are often mistreated by Christians and this results in Shylock’s mistreatment throughout the play. Shylock is treated like an animal by Antonio. He calls Shylock a throat dog and people never call him by his real name, instead they refer to him as the Jew. Shylock also…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Shylock is introduced, it is made clear that he is a Jewish man in a volatile situation. Shylock has loaned money to Antonio, a Christian, and states, "He hath disgraced me...and what's his reason? I am a Jew” (3.1.323). He comes across as bold without shame, rudely self-assertive, and cruel. He appears to be the obvious antagonist and villain in the play. Shylock contends that the good Christian, Antonio, has “disgraced” and “hindered” him, laughed at his financial windfalls and that if Antonio cannot pay his debt, he would take a pound of his flesh instead. He is seemingly filled with vengeance when he declares to the messenger from Venice, Salerio, “To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge” (3.1.323). He obviously has no use for a pound of Antonio’s flesh, but he’s callous and flippant enough to suggest that he’d just use it for bait which leads me to believe he’d…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Merchant of Venice

    • 2731 Words
    • 11 Pages

    The Merchant of Venice illustrates a clear discrepancy between the moral values of its Christian characters and those of Shylock; at last revealing favor for the mercy, generosity, love, and self-sacrifice of the Christians. Irrespective of the religious hypocrisy displayed by the Christians of the play, they ultimately prove the victors, while those who disregard the virtues of Christian doctrine suffer highly disagreeable consequences. Shylock, a miserly Jew and heartless usurer characterized by his greed, deception, and love of money, seems to have no concept of mercy or forgiveness. In his first aside, Shylock paints of himself a monstrous portrait establishing the nature of his character, when, in reference to Antonio, he asserts “I hate him for he is a Christian” (I, iii, 37) and resolutely concludes his speech with “Cursed be my tribe if I forgive him” (I, iii, 46-47). Here, Shylock makes plain his unwillingness to forgive Antonio on the grounds that, by lending money freely, Antonio is detracting from his business. In contrast, Antonio, the Christian merchant and protagonist, is introduced as a selfless and charitable friend to Bassanio as he hazards to him an absurd quantity of money in a less than ideal circumstance. Without questioning the reason for Bassanio’s request, Antonio has already determined to give him all he desires, saying “Within the eye of honor, be assured/ My purse, my person, my extremest means/Lie all unlocked to your occasions” (I, i, 137-139). Antonio does not hesitate for an instant to sacrifice all of his material wealth for the benefit of a friend.…

    • 2731 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shylock cannot be considered the most villainous character in this play, for he shoulders much undeserved ridicule for his religion. Nearly every character in Shakespeare’s famous play behaves in malevolent or unjust ways at one point in the story, whether it is predominantly as selfishness, cruelty, or vindictiveness. But does this pronounce them villains? Whilst Shylock is portrayed as a villain in more than one aspect, does this not warrant that Portia, being unjustly biased and unlawful, also be given the title of villain? Should not Shylock’s daughter Jessica be labelled a villain for her deceptive and larcenist actions and Antonio for his bigotry and obstinacy? And what of Bassanio; does he not selfishly and irresponsibly borrow money from Antonio, unable to afford to repay him, in order to further his personal wants? Each of these characters exhibits wanton villainous behaviour, with some performing more acts than others. They execute deceptive and vengeful acts in different forms, with most also being prejudiced in one way or another. Shylock could well be the ‘supposed’ villain of Shakespeare’s play, for he is Antonio’s enemy, and Antonio, being quite obviously the plays most prominent and most famous character, is quite possibly made out to be the main character of the play, rather than Bassanio, or even Shylock himself. The title page of the first quarto of ‘The Merchant of Venice’; ‘the moſt excellent Hiſtorie of the…

    • 3954 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice," there are many themes, symbols and words alike which take on a complex and dual nature. Not only can lines in the play be interpreted by the audience in multiple ways, they are meant to have multiple meanings. This duality can be seen in the characters as well. Shylock is portrayed as both a victim and a villain and our sense of him evolves as his character is revealed to us as “The Merchant of Venice.”…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ever since people have left their homelands to settle in other places there has been conflict between different cultures. So, in the play, Antonio, Bassanio, Gratiano and many more of the Christians feel resentment towards Shylock the 'alien'. This is partly because of the trap that he has led Antonio into and partly because he is different.…

    • 2093 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Merchant of Venice

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In 'The Merchant of Venice' by William Shakespeare Shylock is always made known that he is the villain. This is because people stereotype him on his religion and what he acts like. Shylock is portrayed as the villain just because he is a Jew and holds grudges. We are first introduced to Shylock in Act One, Scene Three where we learn of his usury. In this scene we hear of his hatred for Antonio. "How like a fawning publican he looks! I hate him for he is a Christian" (1, 3, 37-38). This statement shows that Shylock hates Antonio. Shylock hates him because he has different beliefs than him and he hates Christians because of past abuse. Shylock also shows signs of ferociousness in his refusal to forgive…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays