The Merchant of Venice Group

Question:

matt10
matt10
Student
High School - 10th Grade

Act 2, Scene 8: Why does Shakespeare choose Solanio and Salarino to tell us this information second hand?

Why does Shakespeare choose to let these 2 characters tell us this information second hand? (The audience must decide how trustworthy they are – remember they are Christians, so trustworthy as far as an Elizabethan audience is concerned but predisposed to dislike Shylock)

Rate question:

Posted by matt10 on Sunday January 11, 2009 at 4:50 AM and tagged with characters, the merchant of venice.

Answers:

  1. dbasch
    dbasch

    The two observers of Shylock, Solanio and Salario,are altogether biased. They have unlimited sympathy for Antonio but no sympathy for a Jewish father, robbed and deserted by his daughter. Theymake fun of Shylock and can't see that he was undergoing an extreme shock and derangement. Shakespeare does this to bait his audience's prejudices, probably to avoid a backlash to himself for sympathizing with Shylock. Notice that after Portia makes a world famous speech on mercy, she and the court give no mercy to the Jew. He is plundered of ALL his wealth and forced on pain of death to convert. Close attention to details of the play reveals the poet's sympathies with the Jew and not his callous enemies. Shakespeare gives much evidence that Shylock does not intend to collect his bond of flesh, only to get Antonio to beg for mercy -- evidence continually overlooked because of the bias of audiences. 

    Read further details in the following web site:

    http://www.jewishmag.com/119mag/shakespeare/shakespeare.htm

    Sources:
    http://www.jewishmag.com/119mag/shakespeare/shakespeare.htm

    Rate answer:

    Posted by dbasch on Sunday January 11, 2009 at 7:23 AM