Merchant of Venice – Tragic Hero Essay Example

Bassanio when Shylock quotes the bible to explain why interest is necessary.Launcelot, Shylock’s servant, says something similar in Act 2, Scene 2. “.

.. I should stay with the Jew my master, who (God bless the mark! ) is the devil himself. Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnation.

.. ” (20-24). Vengeance also has a part in defining Shylock as a tragic hero.

As a wealthy moneylender in Venice, Shylock lives in the ghetto where all Jews are forced to live, separate from Christians. By separating the two major groups in Venice, it incites conflict between them. Every time Shylock goes to town for business, he has to constantly deal with ridicule from Antonio. Fair sir, you spet on me on Wednesday last;/You spurned me such a day; another time/You called me dog; and for these courtesies/I’ll lend you thus such moneys? ” (1,3, 126-129) This is only one example, but this was a contributing factor in Shylock’s extreme search for revenge. He believes that revenge is right because Christians engage in revenge.

Shylock uses Christian teachings to justify his vengeful actions. He exposes Christian hypocrisy in his “Hath not a Jew” speech. “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. ” (3,1, 60-63).

Shylock’s last tragic trait, his insistence of the law, ultimately seals his fate. His downfall occurs in Act 4, Scene 1 in a Venetian courtroom. The Duke is presiding over the trial against Antonio. At this point in the play, Shylock’s insistence of the law and the letter of the law is so strong that his

tragic pride consumes him. The “letter of the law” is understanding the literal meaning of the law and following as it is written, however, following the “spirit of the law” means to obey the intent behind the law.