Injustices In Shakespeare’s The Merchant Of Venice And In The World Today
In a given time and place like the 19th-century renaissance Venice, Shakespeare uses the story of “The Merchant of Venice” to illustrate certain injustices that occur within the Court including racism, bias, and interpretation that still remain invisible to the legal system today. The one theme that sticks out in Shakespeare’s story that was not a sensitive topic during the century was anti-Semitism. There is underlying racism in this story that seems to be an injustice to the legal system, that is often not able to be addressed. Venice was often utilized by civil law jurists to understand the factors that go into the civil law system’s legal principles. There was not a law that discussed anything along the lines of anti-Semitism and racism because it was not a concept in the way that it is today. Because Shylock is Jewish in the story, he is looked at as a foreigner. The first instance was when Antonio took disrespect to a completely different playing field and spit on Shylock for being Jewish. Shylock says “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs… healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is?”. He also adds how he has been mistreated by Antonio by sharing how Antonio “rated me about my money and my usances: Still have I borne it with a patient shrug…You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spit upon my Jewish gabardine. These quotes seem to do a lot for the story and truly summarize the feelings that Shylock had about being judged for his religious beliefs. He was basically summarizing the fact that he too, is just as human as anyone else. Shylock spoke powerful words because it is something that people would still say is true to this day. One should still be respected for having different beliefs, no matter what social or financial conflict is taking place.
This is a monumental lesson in the story itself that holds a lot of power. As Shylock enters the trial, the Dukes call on him by saying “Go on and call the Jew into the court”. The doctor of law, also known as Portia, states during one of the most important scenes in the play “The law has yet another hold on you. It is enacted in the laws of Venice, if it be proved against an alien that by direct or indirect attempts he sought life of any citizen, the party he conspired against shall have the right to half his goods; the other half is taken by the treasury of the state; and the offender’s life lies at the mercy of the duke alone”. Portia believes the respect should be pointed towards the Duke and herself. He was not worthy of being respected and that is how she truly felt. It is so interesting to see this level of anti-Semitism on this platform for the exact timing of the story. This topic is not any injustice during the renaissance Venice but in the world today. Racial inequality identifies the economic and social advantages that impact the many different races within the country. This idea is also the answer to historic oppression, inequality of inheritance, or overall prejudice, especially against minority groups leading to protests like the Black Lives Matter for instance. Interpretation is also key in the story as it has a great impact on the legal system during the time period. The contract signed between Antonio and Bassanio is all about interpretation. During the trial, Portia demonstrated “there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood. The words expressly are 'a pound of flesh:’
Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands, and goods are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate Unto the state of Venice… cut thou less nor more But just a pound of flesh: if thou cut'st more Or less than a just pound, be it but so much As makes it light or heavy in the substance, Or the division of the twentieth part Of one poor scruple, nay, if the scale does turn But in the estimation of a hair, Thou diest and all thy goods are confiscate”. Shylock went with the interpretation with violent implications and his interpretation of how much worth that pound of flesh was to him. It was used as vengeance, that pound of flesh was as much value as all the pain Antonio has inflicted on Shylock. As Portia agrees with shylock that law shall be enforced, she also at the same time turns the tables and makes it impossible for Shylock to take his pound of flesh without becoming an outlaw. It's because of the matter of interpretation; the contract doesn’t say blood; therefore, he shall not take a drop of Christian blood. By interpretation, Portia sees it as the danger to Venice of nullifying the contract. Interpretation can affect the outcome in many situations which is why it's inevitable even today. Interpretation can also come into play in today’s courts where we allow interpreters before the judge to translate for ones with limited English proficiency. This can result in misunderstandings and the jeopardization of constitutional rights as some local courts tend to ignore federal rules and use interpreters that may not be court-tested. Another big factor that leads to the many injustices is bias within the courts. This was an important factor in one of the biggest court cases, the OJ Simpson trial. Because OJ Simspon was African American and there were lots of controversies that led to the idea of the trial being compromised as he is a black man married to a white female. It caused a racial divide within the country leading to the court hiring an Asian judge to make it “fair”.
The moment Portia disguised herself to protect Antonio, her lover's best friend, she compromised the whole trial because she was an unqualified judge. Portia is described by Bassanio as “a lady richly left, And she is fair and — fairer than that word — Of wondrous virtues… Her name is Portia, nothing undervalued To Cato’s daughter, Brutus' Portia”. Because she had the wealth and name due to her father, she has an opportunity to save Antonio. The duke calls for her in the trial by expressing her as “A young and learned doctor to our court”. It is very clear that the Duke obviously had very little knowledge of who that “doctor of the law” really was, and how he has a relationship to the defendant. This relationship means bias as she intentionally goes in with the hopes and passion of letting Antonio free. During the trial, many participants engaged in the insulting of the Jew making the trial an even more bias environment. Shylock felt belittled and powerless with no one on his side. This type of bias can exist in the legal system anywhere and at any time. These biases can refer to the different attitudes or stereotypes that can influence the understanding, actions, and decisions made in court in an unconscious way. The result can be flattering to one and not so much to the other. It's very important to address the bias today because it raises inequities within the criminal justice system, particularly racial inequities. For instance, one of the biggest discussions today is how black men are significantly more likely to be stopped, questioned and arrested by the police. They are also far more likely to receive a harsher sentence in comparison to white men. During the 19th-century renaissance Venice, Shakespeare uses the story of “The Merchant of Venice” to portray certain injustices that occur within the Court including bias, racism, and interpretation that still remain unseen to the legal system today. When it comes to race, it is simply swept under the rug and is most definitely a problem that should be addressed today because it is continued to be ignored. During the 19th century, the play does a great job illustrating how religion was an aspect of someone’s life that people focused on, but not enough for change to be made. It also interferes with bias as it can impact how an individual is viewed in situations where they are in the wrong. Interpretation is a factor that can be problematic in so many different areas because misunderstandings and confusion can occur leading one to choose one side over the other. There are still multiple factors that can be considered injustices in our imperfect world today, but these three seem the most dominant during the time period as well as today.
