『 베니스의 상인』 (The Merchant of Venice)의 자비(Mercy): 불교적 이해

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the tragic nature of The Merchant of Venice through a Buddhist understanding of mercy. Mercy of course is the key word in the court scene where the conflict between Shylock and Antonio climaxes and resolves in tragedy. Mercy, at once, means loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. In that sense it refers to a disposition devoid of self-interest and is unconditional in its practice. In Buddhism, mercy is also a requirement for man’s self-realization, the equivalent to Christian salvation. However, as Shylock, Antonio, and Portia in different ways show, there often remains a disparity between our knowledge and practice of such mercy. That disparity I argue defines the tragic nature of the play as a result of which there is no longer any way out of the negative cycle of hatred, violence, and continuous suffering. The conflict between Shylock and Antonio arises from Antonio’s prejudice against Shylock’s money-lending and consequent acts of mockery and violence, which in turn brings about Shylock’s suing for “a pound of flesh” from Antonio. From the Buddhist viewpoint of mercy, any act of ‘righteous anger’ is to be discouraged because it brings about suffering to all the parties concerned. The disparity between knowledge and its practice is witnessed in the court scene where Portia reverses the situation by her wisdom to translate the literal meaning of “a pound of flesh” into “a drop of a Christian blood” by pointing out the ethical value hidden in “a pound of flesh,” a forfeiture for non-paying debtor. Antonio, Shylock, and Portia acted with minds polluted by anger and this brought about their own and each other’s added suffering. Each of these characters knows that mercy is the key to the solution of human suffering, but none puts that knowledge into practice. That man does not even try to remove that hatred and ill will from his heart, through the use and his knowledge of mercy, is also at the very center of the Buddhist view of our human tragedy.