Parallels between Snape and Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice"

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 134954

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Mari" <mariabronte at y...> wrote:
> I've been thinking further about how Snape is structured as a 
> character through the series so far.
> 
> Others have mentioned possible parallels between Snape and 
> Gollum.
> 
> Another interesting parallel, however, becomes evident if you 
> compare Snape to the character of Shylock in "The Merchant of 
> Venice".
> 
> Consider the following:
> 
> 1) Shylock, like Snape, is unsettlingly ambiguous. Those who 
> wish to play him as a comic villain point to his eagerness to get 
> his 'pound of flesh'. Those who incline to the tragic hero 
> interpretation point to his  "Hath not a jew eyes?" speech :
> 
> ". . . I am a Jew. 
> Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, 
> dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with 
> the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject 
> to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means, 
> warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer, 
> as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? 
> If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you 
> poison us, shall we not die?" (III, i, 58-66) 
> 
> This problem with interpreting Shylock reminds me of 
> arguments on list about things that Snape has said and done in 
> canon which can be interpreted in two contradictory ways :-)
> 
> 2) Shylock, like Snape, is absolutely critical to the structure of
> the 
> story in which he appears. Shylock's actions drive a large part of 
> the story of the play (most of it hinges on his claim for a pound of 
> flesh from Antonio) yet, like Snape, he is not the hero of the story 
> and not meant to be taken as such. Similarly,  many of the events 
> involving Snape, and the choices he has to make, are absolutely 
> critical to Harry's story, but Snape is not the hero of the story, 
> Harry is.
> 
> 3) What this leaves me wondering is how far this parallel will go. 
> The way "The Merchant of Venice" is written, it is impossible to 
> finally determine which way Shylock is meant to be played; the 
> way I interpret it is that Shylock is, in reality, both comic 
> villain and 
> tragic hero. This is why "Merchant" is one of Shakespeare's 
> better written comedies. The question is, does Rowling intend 
> for us to look at Snape in the same paradoxical way? Can he 
> exist as a character who has both villainous and heroic traits? 
> 
> 
> Of course, the parallel may break down in the last book because 
> the story arc requires Snape to either make a final choice that 
> will resolve his fate, or else reveal that he has already made it.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> Mari.

Valky (Leaving the original intact for context):

Believe it or not, this is exactly how I view Snapes role myself.

In this message:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/134905

I wrote similarly (before reading Mari's post and I have never read
The Merchant *blush*) about Severus in my post that Snapes choices are
critical to Harry's story and that I believe it will be revealed that
Snape has made the choice which will resolve his fate.

Mari, your post has made me curious about comparing Snape to Shylock.
I wonder now more about him (Shylock), and I'd be interested in
hearing more of your interpretation of his final role in The Merchant
of Venice, I'll be off to read a bit of it myself in the while.

Valky