Portia= awesome. not very nice, but awesome
In Portia's prosecution of the case, I can clearly say that she is weaving a net to trap Shylock, but only if he refuses to show mercy himself. Several times, she says, "be merciful: Take thrice thy money, bid me not tear the bond." She offers him several opportunities to choose mercy, but when he turns them all down, saying that he wants to be judged under the law, she does so. He asks to live under the letter of the law, she enforces that. It's true that he doesn't know that she is planning to turn the tables on him, but the idea is that you will be judged as you judge others. If you view others with charity, it will be returned unto you. If you judge them for deviating from the path at all, then you're probably screwed, because everyone messes up. Shylock wanted Antonio to deal with the law, he ended up having to instead. It's justice, in a way, but it's definitely not mercy. Portia says "The Jew shall have all justice; soft! no haste:-- He shall have nothing but the penalty." It's kind of tricky, unkind justice, maybe not justice in the deepest sense of the word, but there's a fairness to it-- like when you are laughing at someone who fell down and you run into a building. Portia tricks him only because she doesn't say that the standard he uses on others will be applied to him. And she shows no mercy, no compassion at all when sentencing him to the fullest extent of the law, but it makes an important point, i think.
no mercy
I like what you bring up about Portia asking Shylock to "be merciful." Shylock seems to have an issue with offering mercy, and that isn't good. However, does Shylock being merciful or not really count towards the fact that he was basically robbed out of 3000 ducats? It seems as if Portia changes the argument from the unpaid loan to the mercy of the individuals involved in the loan.
Ryan K Bishop
I'm going to agree with you
I'm going to agree with you on whole judge not lest ye be judged concept but, as far as the findings in the case being just, I'd have to disagree. Although the contract did not specify the specify the shed of blood it did not exclude it either. I think Shylock was robbed of what was rightfully his.
I agree
I would have to agree with Jason. I mean shylock does feel robbed. also you have to think of it as even though it was a christian society shylock is jewish. and it is different to different people and the way they are raised....
Katie
stacking the deck
It seems also that the deck is stacked against Shylock and Portia isn't much an angel of mercy. If she was truly merciful, would she have raised the other issues that work against "aliens," something Shylock would have no choice but to be because he was excluded by law? Bradley
Bradley
no mercy
It was initially my point that Portia doesn't show mercy, which is why she's not nice. She's tricky and clever, but she doesn't have a lot of compassion. I don't think that the situation was handled in the Right way, but Shylock wasn't going to be completely abused if he was simply ready to let go of his vindictive dream of cutting open Antonio's chest. He was offered three times the sum of his money, and he refused it. That's his bad. It's not as though they were wholely bent on screwing him over. If I could control Portia, she would have pointed out to him that if you expect others to live under the "letter of the law" and ambigious and sometimes unfair system, you too must live under the system. She could have pointed out the ways that the law could be twisted to hurt him instead of help him, as he hopes, but then allow him to take his money and go home. This would be ideal; maybe Shylock would learn about forgiveness, etc. But happy endings don't necessarily make for good literature.
Erin Kay Schulz
Weighing more than flesh.
I agree that Shylock is at fault. Maybe not so much for refusing to take the offered money, but because of his ill written bond. I think he was so hell bent on getting back at Antonio for all the things he did like spitting and saying horrible to Shylock that he really didn't think through the pound of flesh. We find out he isn't educated or at least have some idea of the Venitian law, that's his bad again. I think his 'revenge' on Antonio by getting a pound of flesh was on the top of his list and he didn't weigh of the consquences.
Megan Baeth-Brison
money over principle
Refusing the money, sticking to the law, not perjuring himself before heaven, that could be more important than getting the money. It would all depend, though, on how Shylock is portrayed in this exchange. Could he be made more contrite, more I have to follow the law, I can't shirk my obligations just because you offer me money. Of course, I've not seen it played that way. And maybe that would be the wrong way to play it. Bradley
Bradley