Shylock to bait fish withal speech

Act 2 ends on an upbeat note with Bassanio arriving in Belmont to woo Portia. Act 3 opens back in Venice with Solanio and Salerio discussing the apparent wreck of one of Antonio’s ships. Shylock then appears lamenting the loss of his daughter, Jessica, who has run away with Lorenzo. We’ll see Jessica and Lorenzo in scene 5 of this act and they are already married. But, here, in scene 1, Shylock is angry at his daughter’s rebellion and at the loss of the money and jewels she has stolen from him to finance her flight with Lorenzo and their marriage. It’s hard to tell in this scene whether Shylock is angry more at Jessica’s theft of the money or at her loss since he knows she will never return to him. Certainly, he feels acutely that his daughter’s disobedience and decision to convert to Christianity has damned her. He talks a lot about the missing money and jewels, but he also says that a ring his friend Tubal has seen was given to him by his wife: “Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal. It was my turquoise; I had it of Leah (his wife, Jessica’s mother, now dead) when I was a bachelor. I would not given it for a wilderness of monkeys” (3.2. 113-115). Jessica has given the ring away to purchase a monkey, so it does not seem that she values it as a memento of her mother, but clearly her father does. Tubal also tells Shylock that Antonio may need to declare bankruptcy because it seems that more than one of his ships have been lost and Shylock prepares to have Antonio arrested for the forfeiture of his debt.

The most famous speech in the play happens a little earlier in this same scene. Solanio and Salerio have been talking with Shylock about Antonio’s rumored losses and Shylock says “Let him look to his bond.” Remember the bond Antonio pledged for the loan of three thousand ducats was a pound of flesh. Salerio asks “what’s that good for?” and Shylock replies:

“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. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute—and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.” 3.1.50-69

“I’ll use it for fish bait. You can’t eat human flesh, but if it feeds nothing else, it’ll feed my revenge. He’s insulted me and cost me half a million ducats. He’s laughed at my losses, made fun of my earnings, humiliated my race, thwarted my deals, turned my friends against me, riled up my enemies—and why? Because I’m a Jew. Doesn’t a Jew have eyes? Doesn’t a Jew have hands, bodily organs, a human shape, five senses, feelings, and passions? Doesn’t a Jew eat the same food, get hurt with the same weapons, get sick with the same diseases, get healed by the same medicine, and warm up in summer and cool off in winter just like a Christian? If you prick us with a pin, don’t we bleed? If you tickle us, don’t we laugh? If you poison us, don’t we die? And if you treat us badly, won’t we try to get revenge? If we’re like you in everything else, we’ll resemble you in that respect. If a Jew offends a Christian, what’s the Christian’s kind and gentle reaction? Revenge. If a Christian offends a Jew, what punishment will he come up with if he follows the Christian example? Of course, the same thing—revenge! I’ll treat you as badly as you Christians taught me to—and you’ll be lucky if I don’t outdo my teachers.” (No Fear Shakespeare translation)

In this discussion, I’d like you to read Shylock’s speech carefully and then explain its effect on you as a reader. What insights do you get into Shylock’s character from this speech?

As part of your response to this question, please view the conversation between Solanio, Salerio, and Shylock that contains this speech. It starts at 1:06:00

https://www-dramaonlinelibrary-com.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/plays/the-merchant-of-venice-globe-on-screen-2-iid-179735/media/iid-179740 (Links to an external site.)

Does this performance change your perspective at all?

Your response is due by 11:59pm on Monday April 13.