Stereotypes in Merchant of Venice Essay

Not Who We Thought They Were

The whole idea of a stereotype is to simplify. Instead of going through this problem of all this great diversity-that its this or maybe that-you have just one large statement; it is this.- Chinua Achebe. In the Merchant of Venice, it is hard not to try to simplify things, and make the characters into what they are made out to look like, but when you look closer you can see that the characters arent who we think they are. All it takes is a closer look into their actions, and what happens at the end of the story to them. The three most deceptive characters are Shylock, Bassanio, and Jessica. We think we know that Shylock is the villain, Bassanio the perfect man, and Jessica is goody two-shoes. As it turns out, Shakespeares Merchant of Venice is a play that makes characters appear as stereotypical people, but when closely examined, they are the very opposite of their stereotypes.

Possibly the most misunderstood character in the Merchant of Venice is Shylock, who appears to be a villain, but is a victim. Shakespeare is constantly making Shylock out to be the villain, like when he insists on Antonios death and the initial impression of Shylock is him making the gruesome agreement for the 3,000 ducats. But the truth is that he is a victim, as proven by this statement by Shylock himself:

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heald by the same means, warmd and coold by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that (III.i.45-54).

This quote clearly explains that Shylock is always being abused, and his reputation is constantly being battered, thus making Shylock a victim. In every story the villain has a high point, but Shylocks daughter is leaving him, and instead of getting money for not being repaid in time, he is being mercilessly stripped of all his possessions. More evidence that Shylock is a victim is the way Antonio batters his reputation on the Rialto. In this quote Shylock tells us about what Antonio is doing to him when saying:

Signior Antonio, many a time and oft/ In the Rialto you have rated me/ About my money and my usances/ Still have I borne it with a patient shrug/ For suffrance is the badge of all our tribe/ You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog/ And spit upon my Jewish gabardine (I.iii.101-107).

As Shylock illustrates what Antonio does to him, it is hard not to think that Shylock is a villain. In no way does Shylock deserve those insults, and even if he seeks revenge, it is understandable after what he is going through. It is not enough to say Shylock is a villain because he seeks revenge after all that he goes through, it is simply human to feel the need for revenge. In conclusion, it is unfair and narrow-minded to look upon Shylock as a victim because he suffers much more than anyone without cause.

Another misleading character is Jessica, Shylocks daughter, who appears and is praised to be nice and gentle, but actually takes her fathers money and abandons him, and that makes Jessica an opportunist. She is made out to be a gentle and kind person, by Launcelot and from her lover Lorenzo, but stealing money and running away from her father is not gentle or kind. When discussing plans to abandon Jessicas father, Lorenzo fully, and unintentionally states Jessicas evil, She hath directed/How I shall take her from her fathers house/What gold and jewels she is furnishd with/What pages suit she hath in readiness/If eer the Jew her father come to heaven/It will be for his gentle daughters stake/(II.iv.33-37.). She is crudely stealing from her father, and defying his religion by converting to Christianity, and abandoning him, and she is his only family, and that makes Jessica manipulative and disloyal. Also, to make matters worse, she is leaving her father, the man who is spoiling her rotten and providing for her, without even hesitating, and that makes her not only disloyal, but even borders on being evil. Another quote that shows Jessicas disloyalty and pure horribleness is when she says, What, must I hold a candle to my shames/ They in themselves, good-sooth, are too too light/ Why, 'tis an office of discovery, love/ And I should be obscured/(II.vi.51-52). While Jessica may know she is doing something wrong, that only makes it worse. If she were to think that what she is doing is good, then the misdeed would be acceptable, but because she knows that her actions are wrong, it makes it a lot worse. Knowingly doing something wrong, is called a mortal sin, and we believe it is the worst sin anyone can commit. Jessica knowingly is leaving her father, stealing his money, defying her Jewish heritage, and somehow musters up the gall to do it all. No nice and gentle woman would do that to anyone, let alone her father. If she wants to become a Christian, that is a bad start.

The most unexpected deceptive character is Bassanio who appears to be the perfect guy that Portia is waiting for, but is actually unfaithful and not committed . During the court scene when Bassanio believes that Portia is not there, he mutters a remark proving his lack of commitment, But life itself, my wife, and all the world, are not higher in my estimation than your life ( IV. I. 290-292). This statement reveals that Bassanio holds Antonios life in higher regard than his wife, which means that he is not committed to the relationship at all. He also gives away Portias ring that he promises hed always wear forever, to a fake judge that he barely knew. When he gives away the ring symbolizing their relationship it clearly proves that he is not committed to the relationship. During the casket scene, as Bassanio is celebrating his correct choice, he mentions to Portia that he is actually in debt to Antonio as he says, I was worse than nothing; for, indeed, I have engagd myself to a dear friend, engagd my friend to his mere enemy ( III.ii. 266-268). In this passage, Bassanio is admitting that he is bankrupt and in debt to his friend Antonio, which means that Bassanio neglects to tell Portia about his money problems before their marriage, and keeping secrets is a recipe for disaster in a relationship. Dragging Portia into his money problems without telling her is an obvious sign of irresponsibility. Bassanio is a deceptive character because hed give up his wife for a friend, and he drags her into money problems and keeps secrets from her, so Bassanio may not be the perfect guy for Portia.

As it turns out, Shakespeares Merchant of Venice is a play that makes characters appear as stereotypical people, but when closely examined, they are the very opposite of their stereotypes. If looked at closely, it is easy to tell that Bassanio is not the husband Portia hopes him to be and Shylock is not the villain that Shakespeare wants us to think he is. Bassanio shows his lack of commitment when he gives his ring, which is a token of Portia and his marriage, to a judge he has known for 5 minutes. Shylock is a victim because he is constantly being treated poorly by Antonio and all Christians because he is a Jew. It is only human for him to seek revenge after Antonio fails to repay him, due to the way Antonio disrespects and abuses him. The Merchant of Venice is a play that is very misleading, and you need to look very closely to find the truth in all parts of the play.