Mercy

 Mercy is more than sympathy with life or the loss of life, but it’s something one needs to pray for, or to ask from someone more powerful. In this way, the word is supported by a whole system of social or religious hierarchy. When Sherlock is backed up by the law, he is the more powerful one whom the others pray mercy from. However, when his request is no longer protected, he has to ask Mercy from not only the Duke but also Antonio, who by then has the right to distribute Shylock’s property. Hadn’t been for the gap of power, there would be no need to mention mercy in the court.

 In the film we watched in class, I think Shylock is not that a cold-blood person. He is waiting all the time during Antonio gives his last words. Judging from his facial expression, he is not really happy about it, nor does he urge them to stop talking. I think that all he needs is the revenge for the mistreat he has suffered but not to kill someone for fun. Shylock in the film is portrayed as one of the humans that has hatred revealed his evil part in human nature. In such a situation, he is not labeled for a bad guy.

 Focusing on Antonio, he passes out when Shylock is about to claim the pound of flesh. His final mercy to Shylock seems to be the result of fear. It’s possible that he just realizes how much he has hurt Shylock that the latter can hate him that much, so he may try to compensate for it a little bit. He probably doesn’t want to risk his life again under such circumstance in the future.

 The film is great because it really makes people complex creatures. Shylock is cruel to some extent but he also kneels down and sheds tears when he is forced to convert. His Jewish identity matters a lot to him, so that he even sticks to it when being bullied by everyone else in Venice. After religious power beats the law in the court, Shylock’s trust in law is also broken, which indicates that he may never be treated fairly as an outsider.

 In the play, Portia is a unlikable character although her behaviors have challenged the materialization of women. She is the one who insists on Shylock cutting the flesh although all the others have given up. It’s possible that she demands taking away everything from Shylock so that she won’t have to pay anything to the Jew. She cares more about money than she appears to be. However, to some extent, her job is to push things really hard to reach a dramatic climax and  leave space for others to show their mercy.