Abstract

In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Shylock (the Jew) is the character whose “otherness” is obvious. He is excluded not only by the Christian Venetians, but even by his own daughter. In this study, I would like to focus on Shylock’s character as the Other and the way other characters face him. As Martin Buber mentions, dialogue is a good means of understanding the Other. In this play, dialogue is the best structure within which we can explore the way of characters’ encounters with Shylock as the Other, as well as Shylock’s reactions to other people. It is noteworthy that in the very beginning of the play, facing the Other takes place just because that Other is needed. This may also lead us to think about the concept of “hostipitality” proposed by Derrida. In this case, Shylock is a stranger treated as an enemy rather than a guest. Here, the hostility is two-sided. Both sides (Shylock and the Venetians) keep the distance and approach each other only in case of need. The best scene in which we can observe this paradox of hospitality and hostility is when the Venetians invite Shylock to dinner. Therefore, the way both sides deal with this situation of hostipitality through dialogue as the means of communication must be investigated. On the other hand, examining Shylock’s dialogues with himself will offer an insight into the way he defines his own position as the Other. Is he a passive and indifferent Other or a kind of person who wants to do something to change his condition? Finally, the main focus of this study will be the way in which the Other (Shylock) is defined via dialogue and the way hostipitality works in the relation between Shylock and others. I will also discuss the problem of facing the Other in the present context and in a different form to show that people living in the same state, speaking the same language, and having the same religion can also label each other as Others.

Keywords: Other, Shylock, hostipitality

Összefoglaló

Shakespeare A velencei Kalmár című művében Shylock (a zsidó) olyan karakter, akinek „Mássága” nyilvánvaló.