How is language used to exert power in The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare?

In The Merchant of Venice, language relates to power in a number of ways. Shylock is an example of a person who understands how to wield language to exert strength. When he talks to Bassanio about lending money, he repeats Bassanio’s phrases. This tactic buys him time to think and frustrates Bassanio, putting the man he is to negotiate with on edge. Shylock also sometimes talks at length and in detail, possibly to confuse others. For example, instead of saying that money on the sea is not safe, he says the following:

But ships are but boards, sailors but men: there be land-rats and water-rats, water-thieves and land-thieves, I mean pirates, and then there is the peril of waters, winds and rocks.

The description is rather poetic. His way of speaking is so distinct that it sets him apart from other characters, which is fitting considering he is Jewish and they are Christian. On the one hand, this different kind of speech gives him an advantage because it makes him unpredictable. On the other hand, his status as a Jewish “alien” makes him a victim of those who hold political power.

Antisemitic insults are another way in which words exert power in the play. Shylock gives as good as he gets in terms of verbal abuse, but others simply have to say the word “Jew” with disdain to dismiss Shylock’s entire identity. Several people refer to Shylock as “the devil,” a word that conjures up the most extreme of malevolent figures. Shylock expresses anger at having been called “misbeliever, cut-throat dog” by Antonio. These attempts to demean Shylock only enrage him.

Finally, logic, language, and law are intertwined at the end of The Merchant of Venice. Shylock’s justification for cutting out a pound of Antonio’s flesh has a twisted logic to it, and it is in line with the law. However, Portia finds a loophole in the language, specifying that the legal bond allows a pound of flesh but “no jot of blood.” Shylock’s words could have killed Antonio, while Portia’s set him free. This is the power of language in the play.