Bryce Huerta
10/25/14
Portfolio B - Option 3: Shylock's Monologue
William Shakespeare uses clever imagery and subtle similes throughout Shylock's soliloquy to convey Shylock's pure hatred of Antonio. When asked by the Duke whether Antonio's punishment is needed, Shylock responds with a well executed speech. His first actual response to the Duke's questioning is, "I'll not answer that, / But say it is my houmour?" (Act IV. Scene 1. Lines 41-42). Shylock right away indicates that he will not, in fact, be giving, a logical answer for this desire, but instead replies that his state of mind, his "houmour," is encouraged to do so. Shylock then provides a key image to aid in this explanation, saying; "What if my house be troubled with a rat / And I be pleased to give ten thousand ducats / to have it baned? / What, are you not answered yet?" (Act IV. Scene 1. Lines 43-45). Here, Shylock begins his animal comparisons, comparing Antonio to "a rat" that he has a certain obsession with destroying. He then questions the Duke, "have I not answered you," to provide a rhetorical segue into his next set of images, proceeding to say, "Some men there are love not a gaping pig, / Some men are mad if they behold a cat, / And others when the bagpipe sings i'th'nose / Cannot contain their urine" (Act IV. Scene 1. Lines 46-49). Shylock introduces these petty distastes for various objects to set a less intense image of hate, even almost being funny with the "bagpipe" joke. Each object is in its own way random, as some men hate these object simply because they dislike them. Shylock dehumanizes Antonio by comparing his disdain for him to the unprovoked anger some have for rats, pigs, cats, or bagpipes. Only the pig seems connect to Shylock, as he cannot eat pork due to his religion. Later, Shylock concludes, "Now, for your answer: / As there is no firm reason to be rendered..." (Act IV. Scene 1. Lines 52-55). Shylock in this section reiterates his previously established "petty hate" and its lack of a logical motive to ultimately state his final point, when he tells "So can I give no reason, nor will I not, / More than a lodged hate and a certain loathing / I bear Antonio...Are you answered?" (Act IV. Scene 1. Lines 58-61). Shylock finally reveals his true motive; he wants to see Antonio suffer. Shylock before this soliloquy has indicated some reasons for hating Antonio, such as having been spit on by Antonio or facing general anti-Semitism from this merchant, but during this speech, he only cites an arbitrary hatred of Antonio as his reason for wanting the pound of flesh. Shylock then caps this speech by emphatically asking "are you answered" to reinforce what he has spoken. Through this very precise and targeted rant from Shylock, Shakespeare reveals Shylock's horrifyingly deep level of disgust for Antonio and his unstoppable motivation to destroy him.
MINEEEEEEEEEE :0
ReplyDeleteHey Bryce. In the passage analysis that you wrote, I liked the thesis because you proposed what type of language Shakespeare uses in order to show Shylock's "pure hatred of Antonio" in a very precise matter. You could have also added how Antonio is regarded as a piece of meat (not a human being) when Shylock states that Antonio's pound of flesh is merely bought and it is his property now due to the bond (pg. 192-193). This quote from Shylock can also show how he has a logical answer by regarding Antonio as merely a slave (comparison to meat) and he may do what he pleases to do with it. This not only dehumanizes Antonio, but gives a (not-so-much in modern standards) logical reason why Shylock does not give mercy to Antonio. I do like your ending analysis on the pig and cat "objects" on how Shylock dehumanizes Antonio by comparing his disdain for him to the unprovoked anger some have for rats, pigs, cats, or bagpipes. But, this seems more unreasonable to the audience since they don't regard Antonio as an animal or a piece of meat. They see him as a Christian, therefore a human, but they see Shylock more as a monster. In your thesis, you may want to add how this language Shakespeare shows how Shylock illogically hates Antonio and maybe relate the thesis to anti-semitism, but its your choice to add the illogical part/anti-semitism. The "are you answered" part is more of mockery than reinforcement to what he has spoken since he thinks he has a major advantage at that point in the court trial. Overall, very good analysis over the quotes you presented and good job on tying it to your thesis and tying your thesis to you ending sentence. You may want to add how important these images and similes are to the entire play :).
ReplyDeleteLeonardo Vilchez