How does Shakespeare use language to explore discrimination and what it means to be human in Shylock's speech in Act 3, Scene 1 of the Merchant of Venice?
In Act 3, Scene 1 of the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare uses language to explore discrimination and what it means to be human through Shylock's speech. This speech is possibly the most famous monologue from the play and arguably one of Shakespeare's most well-known speeches. The speech is as follows:
"To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else,
it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
enemies; and what's his reason? 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, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled 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, shall we not
revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
resemble you in that."
In this speech, Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, expresses his frustration and anger at the discrimination he has experienced at the hands of the Christian character Antonio. He speaks of how he has been mocked, scorned, and treated unfairly because of his religion and ethnicity.
Shakespeare uses language in a way that humanizes Shylock, emphasizing that Jews, like Christians, have the same human qualities: eyes, hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions, and are subject to the same experiences, emotions, and frailties. The repetition of the phrase "hath not a Jew" underscores the similarities between Jews and Christians and demands that the audience recognize their shared humanity.
The rhetorical questions in the speech ("If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die?") further highlight the commonality of human experience, regardless of religious or ethnic background, and emphasize the injustice of discrimination based on these differences.
At the end of the speech, however, Shylock turns the humanizing language to a darker purpose, asking if Jews should not also seek revenge when wronged, just as Christians would. This raises questions about the nature of humanity and whether revenge is an inherent part of the human experience.
In summary, through Shylock's speech in Act 3, Scene 1 of the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare uses language to explore discrimination and what it means to be human, challenging his audience to confront their own prejudices and consider the common humanity shared by people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds.