Portia vs. Shylock

Portia vs. Shylock
Portia and Shylock are the two characters who interest me the most in the play because they both find themselves within a hierarchy that marks them as subordinate to the Christian men; Portia because she is a woman and Shylock because he is a Jew. The Christian men are the “norm” against whom everyone else is judged and Portia and Shylock are recognized as “the other.” However, because she is Christian and rich, Portia, in a sense, outranks Shylock, as can be seen in her dismissal of all her former suitors based on stereotypes. This makes Shylock’s “otherness” even more pronounced. This hierarchy pits the two against each other, and I think this is most clearly illustrated when Portia initially tries to persuade Shylock to “consider this, that, in the course of justice, none of us should see salvation: we do pray for mercy; and that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.” She is essentially asking Shylock to adhere to the status quo and become a Christian, which made her judgment that he should immediately convert less of a surprise. It reminded me of when Antonio said “Hie thee, gentle Jew. The Hebrew will turn Christian; he grows kind,” which makes it clear that the entire momentum of the play has been aimed at ridding Shylock of his Judaism. Her speech also made me wonder who she is referring to when she says “we” and “us all.” Is she talking about the Christians, or is she including Shylock in this collective “we”? In the treatment of the two characters I see a powerplay not just between religions, but also between genders. While Shylock is forced to convert to Christianity, all the women in the play have to dress up and act like men in order to exercise some semblance of agency. In Portia’s case, however, her “conversion” only serves to strengthen the tenants of the social order, because although she manages to get her ring from Bassanio (thereby gaining some sort of autonomy and independence, I assume) she is able to turn back into a woman, while Shylock’s transformation is permanent. It basically robs him of his identity. His being Jewish is how he differentiated himself from the other characters and also how the other characters addressed him, as opposed to using his actual name, and now that categorization no longer applies to him.

Finally, what I find most interesting about the play so far is that that while Venetian law is upheld and therefore Jews and Christians are supposedly allowed to live together and conduct business with one another, the only two prominent Jews in the play both convert to Christianity, either willingly (Jessica, and even so she is still considered a Jew by Lancelot,) or through blatant coercion and duress (Shylock.) Both are co-opted into the dominating Christian social system and Judaism is effectively eradicated (neutralized?) removing the threat Shylock’s Judaism posed to the community – the Christian community, not the overall Venetian trading community – so that the remaining characters in the play can go on to live happily ever after, which I suppose is what makes it a comedy. I also find myself wondering if Shylock, now a Christian, will still be in the same societal position as before, and if not, where it will be in comparison to Portia. I’m tempted to think that Shylock’s real crime wasn’t in trying to kill Antonio, but in refusing to properly fulfill his role as a Jew – meaning he didn’t show the deference to his Christian counterparts that his society demanded.