Solanio/Shylock/diction$$$$$

Whitner Grange
English
          In act 2, scene 8 of "The Merchant Of Venice", Shakespeare, through the character Solanio, is able to utilize mocking and repetitive diction in order to portray an image of Shylock that is both vivid, and pokes fun at him for being a Jew.  By speaking through a somewhat unimportant and average character, Shakespeare gives the viewer a clear view of the anti-Semitic nature of the common person.  By having Solanio call Shylock a "villain" and "dog Jew", the viewer immediately recognizes that Solanio's hatred of Shylock is due entirely to the fact that he is Jewish and prepares the viewer for Solanio's upcoming slander of Shylock (2.8.4/.14).  Solanio then goes on the recount a scene that unfolded earlier when Shylock discovered that his daughter not only stole his money, but had also ran off with Lorenzo, a Christian.  By repeating words like "Christian", "daughter", and "ducats", Solanio attempts to mock Shylock for not only losing his daughter to a Christian, but losing his money as well (playing off of the stereotype that Jews are greedy).  Solanio tops off his slander of Shylock by saying that his "jewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones,/ [were] Stol'n by [his] daughter" (2.8.20-.21).  Solanio's repetition of the word "stones" leads the viewer to believe that Shylock's "stones" are a metaphor for his testicles.  By running away with a Christian, Shylock's daughter has emasculated him.  Shakespeare includes this metaphor to humiliate Shylock for the viewer's entertainment, showing the hatred of Jews at the time the play was written.  By having Solanio utilize repetition and a metaphor to poke fun at Shylock, Shakespeare both depicts Shylock's emasculation and provides a look into the religious prejudice of the time.