Act III scene I
page 111 line 43
“He’s laughed at my losses , made fun of my earnings, humiliated my race,thwarted my deals, turned my friends against me, riled up my enemies- and why? Because I’m a Jew. Doesn’t a Jew have eyes? Doesn’t a Jew have hands, bodily organs, a human shape, five senses, feelings and passions? Doesn’t a Jew eat the same food, get hurt with the same weapons, get sick with the same diseases, get healed with the same medicine, and warm up in the summer and cool off in the winter just like a Christian? If you prick us with a pin, don’t we bleed? If you tickle us don’t we laugh? If you poison us, don’t we die? And if you treat us badly, won’t we try to get revenge? if we’re like you in everything else, we’ll resemble you in that respect. If a Jew offends a Christian, what’s the Christian’s kind and gentle reaction? Revenge. If a Christian offends a Jew, what punishment will he come up with if he follows the Christian example? Of course, the same thing – revenge! I’ll treat you as badly as you Christians taught me to- and you’ll be lucky if I don’t outdo my teachers.”
When Shyl0ck delivers his speech to Salarino, he makes a very good point. That point would be that Jews are essentially exactly like Christians except they have have different beliefs.Even though there is a minor difference between the two religions, both groups seek revenge upon the other. In my opinion, Shylock has a very strong argument that I agree with. I agree with it because pretty much all people are the same in the sense that we all experience the same emotions, and we all physically feel the same thing. Just because people have different beliefs and ways of thinking doesn’t give us an excuse to physically or mentally harm one another.
Discussion Question: The message Shakespeare was trying to convey to his audience was quite clear, after the audience heard this do you think their opinions on Jews changed? Or did they stay the same?