Contradictions

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As the Merchant of Venice begins it is already apparent how decisive the conflict will be between the supposed differences between Christian and Jewish value systems. However, what I found most poignant after finishing Act One was what I saw to be the irony between the way that Antonio sees Shylock to be a money hungry usurer, all the while denying his own preoccupation with the prospects of his business. While Antonio attempts to discredit Salerio’s belief that his melancholy derives from his worry over the safety of his vessels delivering goods over the dangerous seas, his conversation with Bassiano about the possibility of lending him money, makes it apparent that the state of his finances, is, in fact, on the surface of his mind. While he states to Bassiano that, “ my purse, my person, my extremest means/ Lie all unlocked to your occasions” (1.1. 138-139), he is also quick to refer to the reality of his situation, when he says, “Thou know’st that all my fortunes are at sea/ Neither have I money nor commodity” (1.2. 177-178). While Antonio may not fully embody Shylock’s aphorism that “…thrift is blessing, if men steal it not” (1.3. 86), he is, in my opinion, by no means the munificent and virtuously generous friend that he would like to see himself as.

Furthermore, Antonio continues to contradict his Christian values when he refuses to agree to Shylock’s wish to deal with him as a friend, as seen when Shylock states, “ I would be friends with you, and have your love/ Forget the shame that you have stained me with” (1.3. 133-134). Instead of abiding to the Christian tenet of universal love, Antonio continues to spurn Shylock, showing no remorse for the times that he spit on him and called him a “…misbeliever, cut throat, dog” (1.3. 107). Instead, Antonio wishes for the line to remain clear, between himself, the Christian, and Shylock, the Jew. However, in reality, Antonio’s discriminatory view of Shylock as the usurer who is only concerned with the collection of interest on his loans, is contradicted, when, instead of requesting monetary reimbursement for Antonio’s possible forfeiture of the loan, Shylock asks to be repaid by “…an equal pound/ Of your fair flesh to be cut off and taken/ In what part of your body pleaseth me” (1.3. 145-147). Instead of adhering to Antonio’s view about what characteristic behavior a Jew should exercise, Shylock’s decision to request flesh in place of money, is emblematic of the “…ancient grudge” (1.3. 43) that he attributes to the conflict between Jew and gentile. It seems then, that Shylock’s attempt to deal with Antonio as a friend, is not so much linked to his sincere desire to befriend him, but to his wish, however subconscious, to contradict the behavior that Antonio would expect from him.

Thus, the first act of The Merchant of Venice is riddled with contradictory behavior displayed by both of the main characters. Both Antonio and Shylock reveal their discriminatory view of the other while displaying a complexity of behavior contradicting the other’s narrow view of their group. As Act one ends and both characters agree to the sadistic rules of the loan, an ominous tone begins to foreshadow an escalation in the conflict between characters, religions and viewpoints.