William Shakespeare

An instance of using a simile

“You may as well use question with the wolf  

Why he hath made the ewe bleat for the lamb;”

In this passage from The Merchant of Venice, “wolf” and “ewe” are not used in their literal meanings as dissimilar animals, but rather used as figures of different human beings. These two lines are from the stanza in which following Shylock’s claim for his bond, Antonio emphasises on Shylock’s hardness and asserts that talking with someone who acts inhuman is useless. In this scene Shylock denies receiving even several times his money back, insisting upon the agreement by which cutting flesh from Antonio’s body is legally confirmed. 

These figurations are grounded on intrinsic hostility between animals in which the cruelty of one results in killing another. As a hungry beast such as wolf, Shylock performs severe greed to get the flesh. Thus he contradicts Antonio, whose compassion is exactly the opposite of Shylock. Antonio is just like a ewe devoid of wickedness, so obviously, he is agreeing to his fate. He is sacrificing himself, “like a lamb to the slaughter"; Antonio is in complete submission and that is why he acts without any resistance against the situation. Thus, this figurative language perfectly applies here.

Arguing that the concept of “otherness” in its very ultimate meaning implies “mutual dependence” and therefore, intrinsically coincides with likeliness, Bennett and Royle conclude that “[f]ar from being a marginal concern of English Literature, in fact, racial difference is central” (p. 282). Indeed, racial difference is a significant theme in The Merchant of Venice, and as for the figurative speech in this instance, the cruelty of wolf is ascribed to Jews. Citing from Nietzsche that “the meaning of a text cannot be separated from its expression, its figures”, Bennett and Royle also argue that figures are not merely attached to literary language, but “fundamental to our world, to our lives” (p. 82). Juxtaposing to its very antithesis is a way of conceptualisation. One cannot understand warmth unless experiencing coldness. The innocence of ewe is more vivid and understandable in the cruelty of the wolf. Likewise, the character of Antonio needs Shylock to be distinct. Kindness would have no meaning if there was no mischief at all, and in relation to racial difference, Antonio’s gentleness is only comprehensible in a world where Shylock’s cruelty exists. This may happen beyond language as a mere image or figure, which then needs a tool such as a language to be communicated. Therefore, figures precede and surround language. 

Reference:

Bennett, Andrew, and Nicholas Royle. An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory, edited by Andrew Bennett, and Nicholas Royle, Taylor and Francis, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwsau/detail.action?docID=4429796.