Question

Describe and account for the mood in which shylock appears in the court in the trial scene. Are your sympathies for or against him at the end of this scene

Answer 1

Shylock is a towering personality in this scene.In all his answers and retorts,he always has the best argument.When he enters the court during the trial scene,he is absolutely calm but determined to have his bond.When the duke appeals to him to show some pity for Antonio,he tells him that he has sworn by the holy Sabbath to take the penalty.He does not give any reason why he wants a pound of flesh to take the penalty and says "it is my humour". He shows his intellectual strength when he argues.

He remains adamant inspite of several appeals made by Bassanio,the Duke and Portia.His firmness is remarkable as he rejects Bassanio's offer to pay 10 tens the due amount.This shows the strength of his character,nothing can prevent him from his purpose.He emerges as an inflexible man,whose love for his race is as deep as life.

I cannot sympathize with Shylock since he himself was at fault for all of this. If he had not been so overwhelmed by hatred and revenge, none of what had befallen him would have happened. He sought the life of another man by quoting the law but he fell in his own trap.

Answer 2

In the final scene, Shylock appears in a very revengeful mood  in the court of venice. He has made sure that he will take his pound of flesh from Antonio's body for the constant insults that Antonio had offered him previously .

At the end of the trial scene we fell sympathetic for Shylock, the Jew as he neither could take his revenge on Antonio nor was he left with any of his properties that he owned previously.