Moment 6 - Act 4 Scene 1

“A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch, incapable of pity, void and empty of any dram of mercy”

“A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch, incapable of pity, void and empty of any dram of mercy”

The Duke uses very emotive language to talk about Shylock in a derogatory way, to make Shylock seem horrible, forceful and reckless. This demonstrates how the Duke is already biased against Shylock, even though he is supposed to be a symbol of justice in Venice, which shows how the Duke does not actually want to go through with the trial but has to allow Venice to enforce this contract because otherwise trade will suffer as minorities will think they are not protected by the laws in Venice, and the most important thing to Venice is money. So although the Duke should be completely just and fair, he is actually very biased and his main motive is economy. This parallels how the justice system is unfair towards Shylock, as from the very beginning the Duke is on Antonio’s side. However, the Duke is only obvious about his position until Shylock arrives, which shows how he behaves differently in public compared to in private.

“If every ducat in six thousand ducats were in six parts and every part a ducat, I would not draw them; I would have my bond”

Venice is a very mercantile society, in which money usually equals power and is the most important thing, but compared to earlier in the play Shylock no longer cares about money even though the amount offered to him is double what he lent Antonio, because he has realised that no matter how much money he has he will always be mistreated and discriminated against, so money is no longer important to him and he is now solely driven by the bond.

“The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven… It is an attribute of God himself… We do pray for mercy, and that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy”

Portia delivers a monologue about the quality of mercy, comparing it to a noble, godlike virtue. She says that because we pray for mercy from God, we should show it to others. Portia uses this powerful religious argument to persuade Shylock by finding common ground in their faiths, as they both seek Mercy from God.

“A Daniel come to judgement, yea a Daniel! O wise young judge, how do I honour thee!”

Shylock compares Portia to a prophet by calling her a Daniel and uses exclamation marks in his speech which shows he is genuinely elated and excited, as this is the first time someone is actually on his side after a whole play of no one behind him or agreeing with him. He is supposed to be mocked for this overreaction, however it has an element of tragedy, as no one really does agree with him, and he is being lulled into a false sense of security.

“Sacrifice them all here to this devil to deliver you” “I would she in heaven so she could entreat some power to change this currish Jew” “These be the Christian husbands”

Bassanio and Gratiano both claim they would sacrifice their wives to save Antonio’s life, which shows their love for Antonio but also has dramatic irony as both wives are there and can hear this, which creates some comedy in the scene. However, Shylock points out the hypocrisy of Christians like Bassanio and Gratiano for going behind their wives backs and being immoral, as Shylock is the only model of a good husband in the play, so this is absurd to him.

“Thou shalt have justice more than thou desirest” (structure)

There is a peripeteia which is a sudden reversal of fortune, and this quote summarises the way in which Portia has tricked Shylock by making him be the author of his own destruction. She foreshadows his downfall through the way she will directly follow the law, just as he wanted to.

“A second Daniel; a second Daniel, Jew! Now, infidel, I have you on the hip-“ (structure)

This quote from Gratiano parallels when Shylock called Portia a Daniel earlier, so Gratiano is mocking the dignified, well spoken character Shylock is. Also, ‘on the hip’ is a reference to when Shylock said he wished to get revenge on Antonio in Act 1 Scene 3, so by Gratiano saying this, he is taking away any power and hope for revenge Shylock had, and reinforces the moral lesson that Portia tries to teach him: because he showed no mercy to Antonio, he will get none in return. Furthermore, throughout the trial Shylock was referred to by his name by the Christians, yet when Portia explains the law and shows how Shylock is ruined, he is referred to as a Jew and an infidel, which would have been seen as derogatory terms, as they take away his humanity which he gets from his name, highlighting his loss of power.

“I am content”

Shylock says this after Antonio has commanded he become a Christian. This monosyllabic, pathetic, simple statement contrasts with his usual style of speech, as he now does not have the strength to say anymore. This shows his ultimate defeat as he is exhausted, demoralised and deeply shaken. He is a defeated villain in the play, but also has humanity here, so is really a broken man who will never be the same again.

“I pray you”

Normally Shylock takes charge, but he has been reduced to begging as everything has been taken from him and he cannot even trade or do his job anymore if he converts to Christianity. At this point he is just pleading to be free. This change in the way he speaks further shows his loss of power, as when he had power he relished in it, which was shown through his ruthlessness and use of Circum Locution, however now he is monosyllabic and begging.

“Had I been judge, thou shouldst have had ten more to bring thee to the gallows, not to the font” [Exit Shylock]

Gratiano is saying that if he were judge, he would have had Shylock executed. This is the last line we associate with Shylock in the play and it is a rude insult about how he should have been hung, taking away all the dignity from his exit and giving his character a deeply unsatisfying ending. Furthermore, the fact that it is a public setting, which is shown by the number of people on stage in the stage directions at the beginning of the scene makes Shylock’s downfall and humiliation even worse, as he cannot hide from it. However, by having Gratiano in this scene and delivering the final line with Shylock in the play, Shakespeare gets the audience to question if the Christians’ actions and the ruin of Shylock’s character in this way is really right.

“For herein Fortune shows herself more kind than is her custom”

Antonio is personifying fate as if it is killing him, and portrays himself as dying for his faith, making himself the victim even though this was all self inflicted. He may have intended to be seen as a noble, tragic martyr but this is more pathetic to a modern audience.

“There’s more that depends on this than on the value”

Bassanio has finally learnt that there are some things more important that monetary value and appreciates the commitment of the ring and the love it represents. Although he disrespected Portia earlier on in this scene, he finally develops as a character and learns that love is more important than money. In a way, he has a mirrored character arc to Shylock, but as Bassanio learns money is not superior to love, Shylock learns money is worth less to him than revenge.”