THE BATTALION.
13
5HYL0CK.
While Portia is justly considered the beauty of the play,
“Merchant of Venice.” the character of Shylock is univer
sally looked upon as the strength of it. His life is a typical
representative of the race to which he belongs, which from
times of Biblical history has never ceased to meet with the
severest hostility, but which no nublic sentiment will ever
subdue.
Avarice, the characteristic passion of his people, together
with revenge, as the state of soul in which he mainly lived.
Altogether thoroughly and intensively Jewish, he is not more
a Jew than he is Shylock; aside from his Jewish peculiarities
we now and then get a glimpse of the inmost man himself.
A bit of originality and genius manifests itself in his 'periodic
peals of sarcastic humor, but as a whole it is the disposition
of one, so to speak, soured against the world.
In every scene An which he appears he is the central
figure, and in no two scenes do we find him, in every sense of
the word, like himself, but consecutively setting forth differ
ent phases of his character. His self-posession and coolness
is well displayed in the scene with Antonio and Bassanio
w'hen he is solicited for the loan of 3000 ducats, and his in
human and diabolical nature which prompts these things is
still better shown if possible in his communication with Salino
and Salarine when first he makes known his intention of exact,
ing the bond. It even appears that he was aware of the probable
loss of Antonio and might have resolved to use his cunning
to that purpose; for it would seem very unnatural for this
man to grasp so eagerly at so bare a possibility of revenge.
However the general impression of the play is that he sim
ply lent the amount to Antonio, a Christian enemy, on the
mere chance of obtaining the forfeiture.
He shows with what hatred he regards the Christians in