Passage From the Text
Salerio: There is more difference between thy flesh and hers than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods than there is between red wine and Rhenish. But tell us: do you hear whether Antonio have had any loss at sea, or no?
Shylock: There I have another bad match: a bankrout, a prodigal who dare scare show his head on the Rialto, a beggar that was used to come so smug upon the mart! Let him look to his bond. He was wont to call me userer; let him look to his bond. He was wont to lend money for a Christian curtsey; let him look to his bond.
Salerio: Why I am sure if he forfeit thou wilt not take his flesh. What's that good for?
Shylock: To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me and hind'red 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 be 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. (III.i.33-60)
Shylock: There I have another bad match: a bankrout, a prodigal who dare scare show his head on the Rialto, a beggar that was used to come so smug upon the mart! Let him look to his bond. He was wont to call me userer; let him look to his bond. He was wont to lend money for a Christian curtsey; let him look to his bond.
Salerio: Why I am sure if he forfeit thou wilt not take his flesh. What's that good for?
Shylock: To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me and hind'red 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 be 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. (III.i.33-60)
Response to the Text
9) Something that I appreciate about these lines from the text, is the tenacity and power that Shylock exudes while speaking with Salerio. Up until this point Antonio, and all of his friends including Salerio, must have thought that Shylock was kidding when he asked for a pound of Antonio's flesh if his bond was not re-payed. It would be impossible for Salerio to know of Shylock and Antonio's bond without Antonio telling Salerio of its contents. It is very likely that they even joked about how silly of a payment a pound of flesh is rather than 3,000 ducats. Now Salerio, and therefore Antonio, knows that Shylock is one hundred percent serious about taking a pound of Antonio's flesh in payment for the bond. Even better than this is Shylock's reasoning for taking a pound of human flesh rather than money. To Shylock, there is no immediate use for Antonio's payment; however, the idea of taking part of someone as payment is meant to send a message to those who treat Jews as second class citizens. When thinking of a way to connect this to other media, my first thought was from the movie The Dark Knight. Specifically, when the Joker in the movie burns a mountain of money claiming that, "It's not about the money; it's about sending a message." This almost perfectly aligns with Shylock's reasoning, except that Shylock is doing this to protect his people and to provide justice rather than anarchy.