Mara Bosloy

The “Currish” Jew As A Tragic Hero in The Merchant of Venice (2004) In the play, The Merchant of Venice, the character of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, is portrayed as a villain, generated and provoked by his Jewish identity in a predominately Christian society. Throughout the many performances and adaptations of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is usually portrayed either by expanding his villainous attributes or by pushing the character to be presented as comedic and unworthy of importance. In the 2004 movie of The Merchant of Venice, directed by Michael Radford, Shylock is portrayed more as a tragic hero, similar to that of Hamlet, than a villain, as seen in the original play. The embodiment of Shylock as a tragic hero is illustrated by his inferior social level in Venice as a Jewish man and his willingness to obtain what he believes he deserves. The movie sets itself up by presenting anti-semitism as the foundation of its theme. The beginning of the movie starts with powerful images men holding crosses on the canal and Hebrew scripture on fire. As well, the movie presents the following on-screen text: “Intolerance of the Jews was a fact of 16th century life even in Venice, the most powerful and liberal city state in Europe.” (Radford, Merchant of Venice), to explain the terrible reality of the Jews at this time in Venice. Jews were kept in ghettos which were locked at night and they were restricted from many jobs. So some, like Shylock, as represented in The Merchant of Venice, became moneylenders in order to make a living. It is also shown in further on-screen text that the Jews had to wear red hats as identifiers. It is compelling that the movie begins in such a way because the images, and their meaning, do not appear in the play. Instead, the first scene of the play begins with the Christians, Antonio and his group of friends, Salarino, Salanio, and later Bassanio, who are discussing Antonio’s fortune and his feelings. The movie adds a layer of depth to the anti-semitism by explicitly inserting visual images at the beginning of the movie so that the viewer can understand the movie’s main focus. So, the effect of these opening scene sequences is to elicit sympathy for those of Jewish identity, such as Shylock, who have to deal with the hardships of remaining faithful to their religion at this time. Following the establishment of the theme of anti-semitism in the beginning scene, the movie continues to place great importance on illustrating antisemitism through the interactions between the Jewish and Christian characters. The first appearance of Shylock in the 2004 movie visually depicts him as an inferior human being to the citizens of Venice. He greets Antonio with a respectful tone to which Antonio spits at him in response, which is a visual example of his feeling of superiority over Shylock. It can be interpreted that Shylock yearns to be in the favour of the Christians in Venice. So, the disappointment is shown on his face when they do not treat him favourably. So, Shylock is initially set up as a sympathetic character who leads a subordinate existence because he is Jewish. This first depiction of Shylock differs from the play, however, as the play does not include that interaction. Instead, Shylock, aside, claims that he “hate[s] him for he is a Christian.” (I. iii.42), which he does not say in the movie. So, in the play, Shylock is arguably shown in his first scene as deserving of the treatment he receives because he is the first to make a remark of hatred based on someone’s religion. At the same time, the movie seeks to refute this idea by presenting the scene of Antonio spitting on Shylock out of hatred for Shylock’s Jewish identity, which is visually supported by the red hat on Shylock’s head. As seen in both the movie and the play, Bassanio approaches Shylock so that Antonio can borrow three thousand ducats in order to help Bassanio marry his love, Portia. In forcing Bassanio to initiate conversation with Shylock, Antonio illustrates his discomfort with Shylock by not even speaking to Shylock first about the bond. In the movie, Antonio’s body language additionally shows that he does not want to interact with Shylock as he is turned away from him most of the time that they are engaged in conversation. Later, in the movie, when Shylock utters Antonio “spet upon [his] Jewish gabardine” (I.iii.122), the effect of this line prompts the viewer, who has been witnessing the maltreatment of Shylock since the beginning, to feel deep pity towards Shylock. As the movie sets up Shylock’s relationship with Antonio differently than the play from the beginning, this scene exclusively demonstrates the position of inferiority in which Shylock is placed. The conversations and other interactions between the Christians and Shylock in the movie highlight the overwhelming disdain that Shylock faces, as a Jewish man. The movie illustrates Shylock’s relationship with his daughter, Jessica, differently than in the play, by depicting him as a weary, old man who wants to protect his daughter. So, the movie shows him expressing genuine grief when she runs off to be with Lorenzo and converts to Christianity. His emotional distress stems from the loss of Jessica, both as his daughter and as a now former Jewish woman. Shylock, in the movie, is hurt and bewildered by his daughter’s betrayal and so, his illustration of grief and loss evokes sympathy from the viewer. In the play, however, his grief is shifted off as a side comment by Salanio, who says that, “the dog Jew did utter in the streets: ‘My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!… A sealed bag… stolen from me by my daughter!… Justice! find the girl.’” (II.viii.14-21). The effect of Shylock’s grief being spoken for by a secondary character minimizes the emotional value of the situation. In contrast, the movie powerfully transfers these lines from the eyewitness judgement of Salanio to the full control of Shylock in order to express his humane grief at losing his daughter. Shylock is shown here as not a piece of comedy like in the play, but as a human being with real emotions who is devastated at his daughter’s betrayal, provoking the audience to feel sympathy towards him due to his travails. As a result, in the movie, the notion of Shylock as a tragic hero is partially illustrated through the emotional turmoil he goes through due to the loss of his daughter and her Jewish identity. In the 2004 movie, the courtroom scene, in which Shylock is attempting to obtain justice because Antonio could not pay back his loan, is the quintessential illustration of the representation of Shylock as a tragic hero through the unjust court system at which Shylock fails to receive justice. Shylock is emphasized in a visual aspect as a victim as a result of the people in the courtroom who surround Shylock in a semi circle and move around him like hawks circling their prey. The movie follows, for the most part, a similar format to the play during this scene. Portia, disguised as Balthazar, a judge, at first, condemns Antonio for his misdeeds before indicating to Shylock that he must not let Antonio bleed while cutting the pound of flesh, because it is against the law for an “alien/ that by direct or indirect attempts/ [to] seek the life of any citizen” (IV.i.364-366). Portia, as Balthazar, also informs Shylock that if he does spill Antonio’s blood in the process of cutting his flesh, Antonio “[s]hall seize one half of his goods; the other half/ Comes to the privy coffer of the state,/ And the offender’s life lies in the mercy/Of the Duke only, ‘gainst all other voice.” (IV.i.368-371). In the movie, Shylock gets down on his knees and says in a trembling voice that if they “take [his] house… [they] take the means by which [he] lives.” (IV.i.391-393), eliciting more pity from the viewer. However, Antonio decides to change the punishment in order to embarrass Shylock further by requesting that Shylock give half of his belongings to Lorenzo, his Christian son-in-law, upon his future death, and that “[h]e presently becomes a Christian” (IV.i.403). In the play, he accepts his punishment without show of emotion by saying “I am content” (IV.i.420). On the other hand, in the movie, Shylock shows a great deal of emotion towards this punishment as he hysterically sobs. A later scene shows Shylock standing outside the synagogue, illustrating that, for all his begging and emotional distress, he still has to accept his punishment of converting to Christianity. The effect of this scene, which does not appear in the play, allows the viewer to feel the last pangs of sorrow and sympathy towards Shylock, who has truly lost everything in trying to obtain justice as a Jewish man in predominately Christian Venice. The courtroom scene provides the viewer with a deep sense of the unfairness of restricting Shylock for seeking justice for the misdeeds of Antonio while also emphasizing Shylock’s role as a tragic hero due to his continual suffering as a Jew. The director also focuses on how the technical aspects of the film highlight Shylock’s role as a tragic hero. There is also a large emphasis on how the movie portrays Shylock in terms of lighting and shot composition. For instance, during the scene where Antonio and Bassanio are discussing the bond with Shylock outside, the two Christian men are standing on steps, emphasizing their higher role in society than that of Shylock, as a Jewish man, who is standing off the steps on the flat ground. As well, Shylock is shown as being hunched over, also emphasizing his lower social standing. However, it is the blue lighting placed on Shylock, when Shylock is standing outside of the synagogue that really reflects Shylock’s role as a tragic hero. The blue light elicits feelings of pity and sorrow towards Shylock, and further highlights the look of misery on Shylock’s face, as he forced to be kept out of his community, in order to stay alive. Overall, placing Shylock in this lighting and technical temperament creates a sympathetic viewing for the viewer because the dark lighting allows Shylock to appear, in a visual sense, oppressed and emotionally damaged to the viewer. The portrayal of Shylock in the 2004 movie, directed by Michael Radford, paints him in a comparatively more sympathetic positioning than the play would suggest. Primarily, the movie includes, excludes, and shifts certain lines to produce more compassionate emotion towards Shylock. As well, Al Pacino as Shylock plays the role as a tragic hero by using pitying facial expressions and cowering postures. The technical aspects, which strike Shylock in glowing lights and dark spaces in a dramatic, visual way, also expose Shylock’s position as a tragic hero. Although the play, The Merchant of Venice, presents Shylock as a villain, the 2004 movie attempts to eliminate this villainous image by constructing Shylock’s Jewish identity as a means for garnering sympathy from the audience through the use of erecting antisemitism as the movie’s essential theme. References The Merchant of Venice. Directed by Michael Radford, perfomances by Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Movision, Avenue Picture, UK Film Council, 2005. Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Updated Edition, Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992, New York.