His point about Shylock’s three distinct stages of rebellion against justice was backed by substantial evidence from the play and very compelling. I never would have realized the bigger picture and thought about Shylock’s speeches as speaking from his personal experience with mistreatment, speaking for all Jews, and even speaking for humanity. It started with Shylock confronting Antonio about how he spits on him, calls him ‘dog’, and spurns him (Shakespeare 1.3.122-138). In Act III Scene 1, Shylock clearly speaks for his people and tries to make them more human in the eyes of the Christians who think otherwise when he says, “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions” (3.1.57-9). Then in Act IV Scene 1, Shylock addresses the fact that owning a slave should be no different than owning a pound of flesh. While Shylock does recognize that the Christians are treating their slaves like animals and conveniently uses it in his argument, they aren’t his priority because he is more concerned about his pound of
His point about Shylock’s three distinct stages of rebellion against justice was backed by substantial evidence from the play and very compelling. I never would have realized the bigger picture and thought about Shylock’s speeches as speaking from his personal experience with mistreatment, speaking for all Jews, and even speaking for humanity. It started with Shylock confronting Antonio about how he spits on him, calls him ‘dog’, and spurns him (Shakespeare 1.3.122-138). In Act III Scene 1, Shylock clearly speaks for his people and tries to make them more human in the eyes of the Christians who think otherwise when he says, “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions” (3.1.57-9). Then in Act IV Scene 1, Shylock addresses the fact that owning a slave should be no different than owning a pound of flesh. While Shylock does recognize that the Christians are treating their slaves like animals and conveniently uses it in his argument, they aren’t his priority because he is more concerned about his pound of