Quote 1
DUKE OF VENICE
Make room, and let him stand before our face.—
Shylock, the world thinks, and I think so too,
That thou but leadest this fashion of thy malice
To the last hour of act, and then, 'tis thought,
Thou wilt show thy mercy and remorse more strange
Than is thy strange apparent cruelty;
And where thou now exacts the penalty,
Which is a pound of this poor merchant's flesh,
Thou wilt not only loose the forfeiture,
But, touched with human gentleness and love,
Forgive a moi'ty of the principal,
[...]
We all expect a gentle answer, Jew. (4.1.17-27; 35)
The Duke's speech illustrates the extent to which Christians are oblivious of their prejudice. They expect Shylock to show mercy, as if they deserve it, but fail to acknowledge that they never showed any mercy to him. We also notice the repetitive use of the term "gentle" in this passage, which suggests that the Duke thinks of mercy as a Christian, or "gentile," characteristic, which he wants Shylock to emulate.