Revenge

(In Othello by Shakespeare)  

            There are some wounds in the life that no bondage can cover and no ointment can cure it. These sorts of injuries affect people’s soul and feeling deeply. Different people have various strategies to compromise their hurt feelings; some forgive and forget but some others choose the worst way that is “revenge”. Shylock, who is wronged by Antonio and the Christian community in Shakespeare’s “merchant of Venice”, is going to take revenge after giving a lecture about equality between human beings.

            Shakespeare was living in an era that discrimination and prejudice, especially religion discrimination, were over shadowing people’s life and interactions. The Christians and the Jews did not respect each other and used to insult the other side. The Christians believed that for being human kind, people must accept Christianity as their religion and they used to call the Jews as animal names. In other words, the only factor of being human was Christianity. The significant example of this attitude is Antonio’s behavior toward Shylock. Antonio calls Shylock “dog”:

 SHYLOCK: Signior Antonio, many a time and oft In the Rialto, you have rated me about my moneys and my usances: Still have I borne it with a patient shrug, For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe. You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine, And all for use of that which is mine own. (1:3)

            Nevertheless, Shakespeare was clearly against such a point of view. In 3:1, he shows his opinion about the essence of all humans by shylocks words. Such humanitarian belief at the time that people does not accept others, as humankind is praiseworthy:"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, heal`d by the same means, warm`d and cool`d 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." By these words, Shakespeare tried to make his people conscious about the fact that all of us are human and there is no difference between a Jew and a Christian.

            Although these beautiful words are coming out of shylocks mouth, he does not really talks about humanity. He is just trying to compare himself with Antonio and Bassano to show that they are not superior to him. If he really wanted to defeat sense of humanity, he would forgive his revenge “if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.”(3:1)

            The story of merchant Antonio and materialist shylock is the story of insulation and revenge (Antonio represents Christian people and shylock is the symbol of the Jews) . The Jew Shylock, who is in hate of Antonio because of his insults and humiliation to shylocks nation, does not think about anything except taking revenge. In spite of Antonio that is loved by Venetians, all hate shylock, and his talent o take his revenge made him more detested. The conflict between Antonio and shylock is like a rope that both of them have taken one side of it and pulling.

            The first person who broke the rules of humanity (from Shakespeare’s point of view) is Antonio. He kindled the fire of hatred in shylock’s heart. He used to call shylock animal and dog “ANTONIO: I am as like to call thee so again, To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too.”(1:3). In some cases, shylock is deserved to take revenge because he has borne Antonio’s insults for a long time and now he is going to explode like a volcano. For him, revenge is the cold water that can quench his fire.

            Based on Christian point of view, shylock’s desire to revenge is not acceptable because the Chris has ordered his followers that “But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:39).however, shylock is a Jew and Jews believe in “an eye for an eye” (of the Hebrew Bible). But it is not shylock’s religious belief that leads him, he is riding the horse of hatred and letting his evil instincts to control him. His great desire is Antonio’s death and nothing can dissuade the materialist shylock even lots of money. Shylock’s animosity tree is yesterday’s sapling that Antonio had planted in shylock’s heart many years ago and was irrigating day by day insofar as it was going to be his coffin.” To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge.”(3:1)

            As it was mentioned, when the humanitarian mottos in 3:1 are told by shylock, it lost its original meaning. Shylock is not trying to prove the equality between human beings. He just do his best to compare himself with Antonio and Bassano in order to decrease their superiority. There are various ways for taking revenge. He could ask so much money that they can hardly afford. But he aimed Antonio’s life; A pound of flesh, Nearest the Antonio’s heart means A slow and agonizing death. Therefore, it is not humanitarian. If Shylock wanted to teach humanitarian lesson, he could disregard killing Antonio wildly.

            In conclusion, Shylock's statement in 3:1, independently speaks about the equality between human kind beyond the color, race and religion. They show similar reaction to the physical forces like pain. It is Shakespeare’s fillip to his people, whom used to consider some people superior and some others like the Jews lower than animals. When we continue reading this play, we find that shylock’s mean is taking revenge from Antonio. Shylock who has beard and kept Antonius insults for a long time, looks at this situation as a penalty. He is not a good example of humanity because his wound has got decayed and does not let it be cured.

 

 

References:

http://bible.cc/matthew/5-39.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_for_an_eye

http://www.novelguide.com/merchantofvenice/themeanalysis.html

http://www.litcharts.com/lit/themerchantofvenice/themes