Shylock: “I am [not] Content”

Shylock's conversion

What’s contentment?

Try to define I but can’t,

It’s like a moving train,

We feel it fleetingly and it’s gone.

 

With a little, some are pleased,

And don’t need,

More,

Like a greedy tiger.  

 

Some like Shylock among us,

Have the luxury to say thus,

“We’re content” even after,

Losing all they have held dear.

 

Is Shylock content truly?

Even after losing his religion eternally,

As someone bids farewell,

To a departing soul bound for heaven or hell!

 

It indeed is arguable,

Yet what my heart longs to tell,

Is that Shylock does deserve penalty,

But his religion certainly is not guilty!

Author's Note

Shylock deserves punishment; his property is taken away- this is acceptable but his forced conversion cannot be supported [at least by me]. In the title, I have added extra 'not' within brackets to highlight the fact that though Shylock utters "I am content", his heart says silently "I am not content" after losing his property and religion. I have also written a research article on this topic entitled, The Evil Bond in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice: The Source of Irrationality: http://www.arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijsell/v2-i9/11.pdf

Reviews

[Matching Socks]

Very well written poem. .

[Md. Ziaul Haque]

Thank you so much. :)