Shylock talks a lot about being mad

Michelle Griggi

Merchant of Venice portfolio B

English 10

In The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare uses Shylock’s monologues to express the anguish of Jews in his time period. Shylock has recently found out that his daughter, Jessica, has run off with his money but more importantly a Christian man. Shylock is very distressed when he says that Christians, “laugh at my losses,/ mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my/ bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies./ And what’s his reason” (3.1 52-55)? Shylock questions the “reason” behind Christian’s hatred towards Jews because they criticize “losses” and “gains” and to Christians Jews cannot do anything right. Shylock makes another list, “Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses,/ affections, passions,” (3.1 56-57) in his monologue to show the unreasonable loathing that the Jewish people experience even though they are people too. Finally Shylock gives the example of, “If a Chris-/tian wronged a Jew, what should his sufferance be by/ Christian example? Why, revenge,” (3.1 65-67) to prove that there should be the same “sufferance” by both religions. Shylock reveals a dark side of him looking for “revenge” on the man whom Jessica ran away with, which continues to show his anguish and anger towards Christians in his monologue. Therefore Shylock’s monologues help Shakespeare reveal the sufferance of Jewish people and how some of them want revenge on Christians.