I think that Shakespeare harbours a sole intention on creating Shylock, the main antagonist of Merchant of Venice. To begin, Shylock is caricatured as a Jewish stereotype, someone who can incur wrath and animosity among the Elizabethan audiences. Shylock, besides his Jewish stereotype, is pictured as a bloodthirsty madman, as well as a tragic figure whose Jewish heritage and usurious ways of life is spat upon. As such, Shakespeare was probably seeking to appeal to his audience in the form of Shylock.
He is a menacing figure in the plot itself, threatening the prosperity of Venetian businessmen when he warns of the impending danger to the city if the Duke denies him his entitlement to the bond which is by bending the law in favour of Antonio. Shylock states, “I have possess'd your Grace//of what I purpose,//And by our holy Sabbath have I sworn//To have the due and forfeit of my bond.//If you deny it, let the danger light//Upon your charter and your city's freedom.”
What fuels the Elizabethan audience fury is his infallible façade, one that reflects upon his stubbornness when he refutes that there is any reason in wanting to extract a pound of flesh. He proclaims, “Some men there are love not a gaping pig;//Some that are mad if they behold a cat;//And others, when the bagpipe sings i' the nose,//Cannot contain their urine; for affection,//Mistress of passion, sways it to the mood//Of what it likes or loathes. Now, for your answer://As there is no firm reason to be render'd,//Why he cannot abide a gaping pig;//Why he, a harmless necessary cat;//Why he, a wauling bagpipe; but of force//Must yield to such inevitable shame//As to offend, himself being offended;//So can I give no reason, nor I will not,//More than a lodg'd hate and a certain loathing//I bear Antonio, that I follow thus//A losing suit against him. Are you answered?” This speech is but an absolute denial to the fact that his quest for Antonio’s flesh is fuelled by the hatred which was culminated as a result of Antonio’s humiliation of him being a Jew.
Perhaps the most conflicting aspect of Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock would be the frequent mentions of the prejudice and ill-treatment he had suffered at the hands of Antonio. Though Shylock might be spat upon by the Elizabethan audience, in the present world, the animosity Antonio had shown towards Shylock offers a different perspective of the story, a perspective than incurs sympathy for Shylock. Shylock’s famous monologue on how a Jew is human and his quest for vengeance, is a product of the insults that had battered him in the past, further implying that Shylock was not a born monster but rather, someone who has been abused to the point where he has succumbed to there abuse and thus returns the “lessons” to the Christians, if not better. Elizabethan audience might also have scorned at Shylock’s monologue in light of the anti-Semitic sentiments at that time, thus, engaging a wider audience.
In conclusion, Shakespeare’s intention of creating Shylock was probably to appeal to the Elizabethan audience, with the influence of anti-Semitic sentiments adding to the attractiveness of a play with contradicting elements which perhaps provide a different perspective besides the typical Jewish stereotype.
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