Alexander Sfakianos
Portfolio B
In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare uses the motif of Jews as relentless and desperate dogs to further dehumanize Jews so that they seem less like men, and more like animals, allowing for them to be easy targets. Bassanio begins the attack on Jews by exaggerating Shylock's reasoning for wanting a pound of human flesh instead of 3000 ducats, "The Jew shall have my flesh, blood, bones, and all" (4.1.111). Bassanio states that Shylock wishes for "flesh, blood, bones, and all," implying that Shylock wants all of Antonio rather than a clean cut of meat. Shakespeare uses this imagery to produce a stray dog willing to take any scraps. By having Shylock eager to get the "scraps", the Jew's diet is compared to that of a starved dog. The "desperate diet" subverts Jews to dogs that can be spat at by Christian men. Shortly after, Graziano furthers the insult by saying that "Thy [Shylock's] currish spirit / Governed by a wolf who [was] hanged for human slaughter...for thy desires / Are wolvish, bloody, starved, and ravenous" (4.1.133-137). Graziano says Shylock's soul is from another man who wished for bloodshed. He also pairs wolves with the adjectives "bloody, starved, and ravenous". By having Graziano use this language, Shakespeare compares an savage dog, a wolf, to a wild Jew's lust for blood. The comparison leaves Shylock as an unwanted dog in this act, as well an throughout the entirety of the play. Though Shylock simply wishes to be equal to a Christian, he allows Jews to be ridiculed. Shylock's dog-like actions create an image of savage dogs lurking among the Christian men of Venice.
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ReplyDeleteNice job utilizing quotations to back up your points. Also you're correct by saying that Shakespeare uses images of dogs to show the common opinion of Jews at the time however, in my opinion, Shakespeare compares Shylock to a dog to show how unjust the anti-Semitic morals of the time the play was written were. I don't think he is trying to necessarily perpetuate anti-Semitic opinions through his play. For example, in Shylock's famous monologue speaking to Salarino and Solanio he's says, "Hath a Jew not eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions..." (3.1.55-57). Shakespeare is trying to show here that Shylock, like all Jews, are human beings just like Christians are. Shakespeare does not approve of anti-Semitism and in fact condemns it in the play.
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