Comment-on-Shylock

CommentOnShylockIhaveheardthestoryof‘TheMerchantofVenice’injuniorhighschool.Atthattime,Shylockleftabadimageonmymind.Butnow,Ihaveanewunderstandingofhim.Inmymind,Shylockisn’tacompletevillain,butatragicvictiminthatunfairsociety.Shylockisthemostvividandmemorablecharacterin‘TheMerchantofVenice’,andheisoneofShakespeare’sgreatestdramaticcreations.OneofShylock’snotablecharacterfeaturesishisgreedyandmiserlyinmoney,heisarepresentativeofoldusuriousloancapitalism,belongingtoexploitingclassinsomeway.Infact,evilwashideinhumanbeing’snaturepotentially.Itmotivatedbysomecertainhistoricalcondition.Mostpeoplehavethecommonmotive.Forexample,inordertopursueone’shappinessorinordertomeetone’sowndesire.So,Shylockalsohashisrighttostatethereasonofhisaction.Shylock’scomplexitymustbeunderstood,andhischaractermustbediscussedobjectivelyandjust.Inthemiddleages,usurerwasthemosthumbleoneinanykindofworks.BecauseJewishpeoplealwaysworkedasusurer,Jewwasthesynonymofmoneylender,themostcontemptibleandshamelessjobhatedbytheChristianchurch,whichcondemnedbypeopleasaparasite.AsShylockwasaJew,whyhechosemoneylenderashisjob?Didheliketobeausurer?Shylockhasbeendescribedtobeamiser,coldbloodedanimalwhoisgreedyandcruel.ThedescriptionofShylock’smiseryimpressedpeopleprofoundly.HeboreallkindsofprejudiceanddiscriminationfromtheChristiansociety.AreJewbebornamiser?Allinall，Shylockwasacomplexrole,hewasmiseryandwastrytosurvivalinaspecialsociety.Hewascoldblooded,hecaughteverychancetorevenge,hewasdepressedandlosthisdignity,hurthimselffinally.Hewasatragicfigurehatedbypeoplewhilepitiedbypeople.Histragicmixedwithnationandracecontradiction,sohistragicwasatragicofsociety,owingtotheunequalsocialsystem,theimageofShylockasatragicfigurehasitsowneternalglamourwithgreatsignificance.英美文学研读课程作业2012级英教七班顾一平2012061013