Essay: Mercy in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

In the play The Merchant of Venice, written by William Shakespeare, there are two characters who are both merchants. These two characters are Shylock, the Jewish character, and Antonio, the Christian. The two display great hostility towards one another at the beginning of the play and by the end Antonio displays a more merciful behavior than Shylock. The major separation of these two individuals is the difference in religion. Shylock hindered the relationships he had acquired because of his strength of commitment to his religion, and his stubborn personality. He did not want to conform to Christian ways of living, which were also the social norms during that time period. An example of a relationship that was hindered, is in Act II Scene II, where his servant Gobbo is telling Guinevere how bad Shylock treats him.
Antonio offered mercy towards the end of the play, but that was not always present throughout. For example, Antonio displayed mercy toward Shylock when Shylock wanted to take his life. Antonio had this sudden change of character after he is notified that his ships are missing and he then pleads for assistance from Portia, to pay his debts with Shylock. This contradicts the behavior in the beginning of the play when Antonio initially mistreats Shylock. Both characters struggle with giving and receiving mercy in different ways, however, they failed to display this in the correct manner.
In the beginning, Shylock offers friendship, mercy, and peace to Antonio but then gets rejected. The mercy shown by Shylock can be overlooked due to his hostile acts towards the Christians in the town, especially when his daughter runs away and changes her religion. Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, in Act II Scene III mentions that she is ashamed to be the child of his’, and she states, “I am not to his manners”. In a sense, one may argue that Shylock was, in fact, merciful, at one point, but still was stern in his beliefs. The acts of mercy seem to fade more as the play continues and he grows to be more frustrated with the members of the community.
Antonio’s battle with mercy started early on in the text and eventually faded out as he became more merciful and desired Shylock’s mercy. In the start of the play, Antonio is seen as an evil Christian who mistreats others. In Act I Scene III Antonio spits on Shylock and calls him names, meanwhile he is asking for a loan of three thousand ducats. Antonio’s aggressive behavior to toward Shylock displayed acts of hatred, and he even called Shylock “the devil” as he quoted Scripture. Although Antonio is offered peace by Shylock, in following lines, he continues the aggressive behavior.
Later on in Act IV Scene I, mercy is being exemplified through Antonio when he states, “Let me have judgment and the Jew his will.” In this line, Antonio is showing a merciful attitude toward someone who has done him wrongfully, and he seeks mercy for his past wrongdoings. The significance behind this is that Antonio had good in his heart but he decided to choose to do wrong and he realizes that his wrongs harmed an individual, and his behavior was not just.
Shylock’s anger and hostility then grows a great amount because Antonio mainly displays hostility to Shylock because of his Jewish religious affiliation. This is prior to Antonio’s change of heart and a significant section of the play where Shylock is demanding a pound of flesh, which is agreed upon as collateral for his debt. One may argue that Shylock is being extremely harsh about the repayment, but arguments can also be made that he is disgusted with the treatment he was receiving from Christians. One may also argue that Antonio is asking Shylock for forgiveness which, in it of itself, is an act that involves mercy. Shylock being as stubborn as he is, holds the grudge against Antonio because of his religious affiliation and the belief that justice is giving the same poor treatment in return.
This is where he lacks mercy because he never grants Antonio the opportunity to correct his wrongdoings. Many may argue that in the Old Testament the belief is “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” and that is the approach that is being taken by Shylock. He is seeking justice rather than mercy which reveals that The Merchant of Venice may not exactly be a play about mercy, but rather justice. In Act IV Scene I Shylock says, “What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong”. This direct quote proves that he feels that he is not in the wrong for his behavior towards Antonio, and he seeks justice.
Not only the play but the examples given are a far stretched argument of mercy. Although mercy can be exemplified within the acts of the play, it is most clearly interpreted as justice for Antonio and Shylock’s wrongdoings than it may be merciful feelings. There were no clear examples of foreignness or apologies demonstrated in the play but rather acceptance of faults for selfish reasons. Mercy should be for the sake of the other individual, not for avoiding trouble.
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