The Merchant of Venice: Shylock's Punishment

As a modern audience, do you think that Shylock deserves the punishment that he receives? Why or why not? Also, how do you think an Elizabethan audience would have felt about this (would they have thought he deserves his punishment)? Why or why not?

     In the final scene, Shylock and Antonio went to court. Shylock was very determined to receive the pound of flesh from Antonio as agreed upon in the contract. Portia, disguised as a man, encouraged Shylock to show mercy,  but he did not. The main argument in this scene was "Justice versus Mercy." Shylock was going to kill Antonio, but Portia declared that he would have to do so without shedding a drop of blood. Shylock backed off, but he agreed to take the money instead. Portia and the Duke now rejected that, saying that he would have to face punishment. Shylock had his fortune taken away, and was forced to convert to Christianity.

     I don't think that this punishment was fair, judging from each character. Shylock was only seeking justice for what Antonio had done wrong. Shylock's actions were depicted as very horrid, but in reality, Antonio agreed to this punishment if he were to fail to pay back the loan. I think the punishment was justified in the book because he was a Jew. I think the Elizabethan audience would have been satisfied with this outcome. These people were generally against Jews. Everything Shylock had was gone, he was forced to convert to Christianity, and he would still be ridiculed by the anti-semitic people. Overall this seems like a very strong punishment for anyone, and seems that the Elizabethan people would agree that a Jew was deserving of this. Not only was Shylock punished harshly, but Antonio and others had a "Happy ending." Antonio's ships were actually not destroyed and the social order was restored. The Elizabethan audience likely would have been very satisfied with this ending.