With close reference to the court scene evaluate shylocks treatment based on the text in ‘Merchant of Venice’
...lesh which I demand off him.” Shylock does not act as though he will show any mercy, he just wants revenge for the suffering that he has endured in his life time as a Jew and also because he has lost his daughter Jessica to a Christian, “Pray you should tell me this, if he showed break his day, what should I gain. By the exaction of the forfeiture. A pound of man’s flesh taken from a man.” The Duke summons Shylock into the courtroom and addresses him, saying that he believes that Shylock means only to frighten Antonio by extending the drama to the point of performance. No-one, the Duke believes that Shylock actually means to inflict such a horrible penalty on Antonio. Shylock reiterates his intentions by saying: “To have the due and forfeit of my bond. If you deny it, let the danger light…” that the court should not deny him his right, they city’s laws and freedoms will be forfeit. When the ordeal continues, Shylock sharpens his knife while the others speculate and Antonio patiently await his fate. Shylock believes in the law and sacrifice this is where his knife and scales have a symbolistic type of meaning. When Portia takes over the case from the Duke, she says that shylock must be merciful: “Then must the Jew be merciful”, but Shylock acts on deaf ears by saying: “On what compulsion must I? Tell me that.” Portia then delivers a short speech on mercy, but Shylock ignores it and demands the contract to be delivered: “My deeds upon my head! I crave the law, the penalty and forfeit of my bond.” Portia then has to side with Shylock, and that Shylock is impressed that she is supporting the case, says, “A Daniel come to a judgement, yea a Daniel.” Portia then asks Shylock if he has a surgeon ready to stop the bleeding once he has taken out his pound of flesh: “Have by some surgeon, Shylock on your charge, to stop his wounds, lest he do bleed to death,” but Shylock says: “I cannot find it; ‘t is not in the bond” he is allocating the bond again. Shylock is just to about to start cutting again, Portia says that the bond does not give him to permission to shed Antonio’s blood. Shylock then realises that he cannot cut the flesh without drawing blood and instead agrees to take the money instead: “I take this offer then; pay the bond thrice”. However, Portia is not willing to back down and instead only gives him the pound of flesh, further saying that if he takes a tiny bit more or less he will be put to death himself. In affect Shylock is not going to get any sort of mercy as he is unable to comply with the stipulation and decides to withdraw his case. Shylock has to remain in the court while Portia says that Venice has a further law which says that if any foreigner tries to a Venetian, the foreigner will have half of his property go to the Venetian against whom plotted and state will receive the other half: “...