The Biblical Rationale behind
Shylock’s Insistence of Bond
The trial scene in Act IX of the Shakespeare comedy— The Merchant of Venice[1],
is seen as the climax of the play. In the scene, the Jew Shylock and the
Christian Antonio were on trial because the Jew wanted to cut the Christian’s
flesh according to their contract. Nowadays, people may see this trial as an
illustration of “the conflict between equity and the strict construction of the
law”[2],
and may even conclude Shylock’s insistence of the bond as “a justice based upon
vengeance, not ‘fairness’.”[3]
These views may be rational according to the modern concept of law and justice;
however, it is not the only interpretation. This essay attempts to provide
another perspective, and invites readers to consider the religious background
and belief that rationalize the alarming act of Shylock the Jew.
When The Merchant of Venice
was composed, there existed “the legacy of Jew hating” and it was “long and
bitter”[4],
the hatred was based upon Christian values. Similarly, this essay will cut in
from a Christian’s view, and use passages from the Old Testament of the
Christian Bible to provide evidence to the rationale of the acts of Shylock.
Shylock’s act may seem “unfair” to modern people, and without
“mercy”[5] to
Christians within the play, yet it may seem utterly “sacred” and necessary to
Jews. In the play, Shylock exclaimed, “An oath, an oath! I have an oath in
heaven. Shall I lay perjury upon my soul?” Then he said: “There is no power in
the tongue of man to alter me. I stay here on my bond.”[6]
Here we see that the Jew related this business contract to a sacred oath with
God, and not a pure matter between men, therefore expected the bond to be
rigorously enforced. Seeing the bond as a personal sacred oath to God is the
key to Shylock’s “devilish”[7]
demand. This view may come from the special identity of the Jews. In the Old
Testament, the Jews see themselves as God’s chosen people. God told the
Israelites, whom are the ancestors of the Jews, that “you (Israelites) are a
holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a
people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the
earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were
more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;
but because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers ”[8]
and that “if you indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, and you shall be a
special treasure to Me above all people”[9]
Hence, the Jews had a special identity, and it is related to the sacred oath of
God and complete obedience to God.
The word “deuteronomy” means second law in Greek, in the book of
Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people of Israel the meaning of God’s covenant
with them and calls for them to renew their commitment and obligations. In
Deuteronomy, after the Israelites received the Ten Commandments from God, God
told them to carefully obey Him. Only when they obey God will they have life,
and own land and prosper in life.[10]
Afterwards there followed much description of the blessings of obedience and
the curse and warnings against disobedience. Blessings include: “the Lord will
grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your
livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore
to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the
heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work
of your hand. You shall lend to many nations but you shall not borrow.”[11]
Curses include: “The Lord will make a plague cling to you until He has consumed
you from the land which you are going to possess. The Lord will strike you with
consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the
sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you
perish.”[12]
These are not all of the blessings and curses,[13]
however from them we see that obedience to God is crucial to Jews; if they obey
they will live abundantly, and if they disobey they shall perish in pain.
Commandments from God are different from contracts between men, it
is one-sided and humans have to obey whatever it says. On the other hand,
contracts between men are usually secular and both sides of the contract are
equal. Logically, the business contract in the play has nothing to do with the
holy covenant said above. However, when a Jew makes an oath of the contract to
God then it will transform into the serious issue of obedience; for “If a man
makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement,
he shall not break his word: he shall do according to all that proceeds out of
his mouth.”[14]
And the penalty of cursing God, and misusing God’s name is death, which
includes failing to execute an oath sworn in the name of God.[15]
There are many instances of when contracts between men are made sacred promises
to God in the Bible, including contracts about trade, slavery, marriage and
even contracts between the Israelites and their enemy countries. In Ezekiel,
God even sentenced the death of the king of Israel for violating a contract
with its enemy; the contract required Israelites to submit to their enemy the
Babylonians whom have humiliated and defeated the Israelites.[16]
God demands His chosen people to obey every oath made in His holy name even if
it meant to yield to enemies.
In the Old Testament, there are also laws that ask Jews to love
their neighbors[17]
as themselves and to treat foreigners with kindness[18],
these may make Shylock’s insistence of cutting flesh seem unnecessary and
disobedient. However, just like the Constitution is supreme over local laws,
when the Jew makes his contract an oath to God, the execution of it becomes a
must. For it is now concerned with the extreme consequences of obedience and
disobedience.
Thus through the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, one can
better understanding the religion and belief of the Jews. By understanding, we
can better sketch out the rationale behind Shylock’s act. By understanding
events in different light, we can release ourselves from the limits of modern
concepts or Christian thoughts and taste a different aspect of the same event
and broaden our horizons of interpretation.
(special thanks to pastor Lin from Singapore for giving me ideas of Jewish law and oath)
(special thanks to pastor Lin from Singapore for giving me ideas of Jewish law and oath)
[1] The Merchant of Venice, pp.1111-1200.
Stephen Greenblatt. The Norton Based on
the oxford edition Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 2008. 2nd
edition.
[2] Conflicts of
Law and Equity in The Merchant of Venice, Washington State University,
www.shakespeare-online.com, September 1st,
2011.
[3] Conflicts of
Law and Equity in The Merchant of Venice, Washington State University,
www.shakespeare-online.com, September 1st,
2011.
[4] The Merchant of Venice, p.1111. Stephen
Greenblatt. The Norton Based on the
oxford edition Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 2008. 2nd edition.
[5] At the beginning
of the trial, Portia and other Christians asks Shylock to be “merciful”. The Merchant of Venice, p.1163. Stephen
Greenblatt. The Norton Based on the
oxford edition Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 2008. 2nd edition.
[6] The Merchant of Venice, p.1164. Stephen
Greenblatt. The Norton Based on the
oxford edition Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 2008. 2nd edition.
[7] In the play,
Shylock was considered a “devil” to Bassanio. At the beginning of the trial,
Bassanio asked the judge, whom was Portia in disguise, to “curb this cruel
devil of his (Shylock) will”. The
Merchant of Venice, p.1163. Stephen Greenblatt. The Norton Based on the oxford edition Shakespeare. New York:
Norton, 2008. 2nd edition.
[8] Deuteronomy
7:6-7, New King James Version (NKJV), www.biblegateway.com.
[9] Exodus 19:5-6,
New King James Version (NKJV), www.biblegateway.com.
[10] “Therefore you
shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not
turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which
the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well
with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall
posses.”, Deuteronomy 5:32-33, New King James Version (NKJV),
www.biblegateway.com.
[11] Deuteronomy 28:12.
Other then this passage, there are many other passages that talks about the
blessing of land, such as Deuteronomy 8, 11:8-32, 19:1-11. New King James
Version (NKJV), www.biblegateway.com.
[12] In Deuteronomy
chapter 28, the chapter is subtitled “Curses on Disobedience”, the verses
quoted comes from the 21-22 verses. New King James Version (NKJV),
www.biblegateway.com.
[13] From these
blessings and curses we see how Jews put much emphasis on land and property,
this may be one of the reason why Shylock saw property as valuable as life
itself. At the end of the trial, when the court announced that Shylock’s
property is to be confiscated. And Shylock replied, “Nay, take my life and all…
you take my house when you do take the prop that doth sustain my house; you take
my life when you do take the means whereby I live”. The Merchant of Venice, p.1166. Stephen Greenblatt. The Norton Based on the oxford edition
Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 2008. 2nd edition.
[14] Numbers 30:2,
New King James Version (NKJV), www.biblegateway.com.
[15] Leviticus
24:10-17, New King James Version (NKJV), www.biblegateway.com.
[16] This is recorded
in Ezekiel 17:11-21. New King James Version (NKJV), www.biblegateway.com.
[17] Leviticus 19:18,
New King James Version (NKJV), www.biblegateway.com.
