Merchant Of Venice Shylock Essay

In this essay I will try to discover is Shylock a villain or a victim, in the William Shakespeare play
"The Merchant of Venice"
It is difficult to say if Shylock is a complete villain or a victim, as his character is complex and
ambiguous. However, it is difficult to view Shylock as anything other than a devious, bloodthirsty
and heartless villain in the majority of the play. There are a few points in the story where he can be
viewed as victimised, as most Jews were at that time, but Shakespeare has purposely portrayed
Shylock as a stereotypical Jew, greedy, and obsessed with money. Shylock has been written to be
very inflated and exaggerated. Even when Shylock makes his first appearance in the play, his first
words are "Three thousand...show more content...
Although Shylock is hurt by the theft of his turquoise ring by Jessica, given to him by an old love
(Leah), such shows of human feeling or emotion are under numerous, and he seems more concerned
with his material wealth, than his own offspring. It was probably this attitude that frustrated his
daughter and made her determined to escape him. Even his own servant Lancelot describes him as,
"The Jew is the very devil incarnation,"
Shylock certainly is victimised by the Christians, Antonio spat in his face, Solerio and Solanio
constantly mock him, for his religion and misfortunes. "As the dog Jew did utter in the street:
'My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!'" Act 2, Scene 8. However, it is hard to say if the
characters treated all Jews like Shylock , as he is only one of two Jews in the story (The other Jew,
Tubal, only has dialogue with Shylock) and perhaps Shylocks victimisation is due to his own
behaviour, and his religion only used against him as a tool for attack.
"The Jew," Shylock, as he is referred to throughout the play, does make some good points, and
shows his discontent at the treatment of his people, in what is probably the best and most
well–known part of The Merchant of Venice, Act 3, Scene 1: "He hath disgraced me (Antonio), and
hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted
my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies – and what's his reason? I am a Jew." Shylock
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Shylock, Villain or victim?
The Merchant of Venice
June 8th, 2011
In the play The Merchant of Venice Shylock is supposed to be the protagonist, the definition of
protagonist is; the leading character or a major character in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional
text. But the way Shylock is portrayed is more along the lines of being both victim and villain.
Shylock is out for one pound of Antonio's flesh which will in the end kill Antonio and the flesh
will do him no good anyway. But he also gets called cruel names and is pushed around and spit on
in the public by Christians, Antonio and all of Antonio's friends. And farther on into the play
Shylock is betrayed by his own daughter who stole from her father and became a Christian....show
more content...
Therefore Shylock is greedy and will refuse to lose a fight when he is involved in one. "I'll have my
bond; speak not against my bond.
I have sworn an oath that I will have my bond.
Thou call'dst me dog before thou hadst a cause;
But, since I am a dog, beware my fangs:
The duke shall grant me justice. I do wonder,
Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art so fond to come abroad with him at his request.
(3, 3, 4–10)
Lastly Shylock is shown as a victim when his daughter Jessica lies and betrays her father, when
she waits for her father to leave for dinner with some Christians. She has a message delivered to
her by one of her father's workers. Lancelot tells her to look out the window because her Christian
lover will be there waiting to rescue her. So Jessica dresses as a male torchbearer, steals all of
Shylocks jewels and money, including Shylocks former wife Leah's wedding ring and runs away
from her father to elope with Lorenzo and become a Christian. Later on when Shylock finds out
he is very upset and feels betrayed because Jessica was his only daughter and she stole Leah's ring
and has traded it for a pet monkey. He goes on to say he would not have given it up for a wilderness
of monkeys. That shows Shylock's sweet sensitive side and shows he is not only victim to being
harassed and spit on, but also a

A Victim Behind the Villain's Eyes
In a book or play, it is usually very easy to distinguish who the victim is and who the villain is. The
villain usually causes all the problems in the story line and the victim is the one who suffers in
result of the villain's actions. In the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, we
examine the life of Shylock as a victim. It is seen through three main events in the play. Shylock is
ridiculed by his community and his family, he is betrayed by his daughter and the community he
lives in, and he is forced to lose all his wealth.
The first event that demonstrates that Shylock is a victim would be that he is ridiculed by his
community and his family. Antonio and Shylock were never friends. They always fought because
Antonio was a Christian and Shylock was a Jew. They also have different money lending practices
which cause a lot of discrepancies. Antonio always mocked Shylock. He calls him a misbeliever and
a cutthroat dog. Shylock tells us that Antonio "...call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,/ and spet upon
my Jewish gabardine," (1.3.108–109). Here Shylock demonstrates that Antonio on a day to day
basis mocked Shylock. Later on, Antonio mentions that he will call Shylock that again if he wants
to. Another example would be Antonio's friends. They teas Shylock for his faith and his
misfortunes. When Jessica runs away with Shylock's money and jewelry, he asked the Duke to go
help him search Bassanio's ship for them. Solanio heard

In The Merchant of Venice how does Shakespeare present both Shylock as both victim and villain?
Throughout the play, 'The Merchant of Venice', Shylock reveals many personalities; therefore
making him such an emotionally complex and detailed character that shows elements of being both
a victim and villain; and to come to my decision to whether Shylock is either of the two, other
characters language towards him and his reactions will perceive different ideas from different era's
in time to determine my answer. The first time Shylock is introduced into the play is in Act 1 Scene
3 where Antonio is to lend Bassanio 3,000 ducats to allow him to meet his love, Portia, in Belmont.
However Antonio's money is tied up at sea; which is why...show more content...
He says: "and what's his reason? I am a Jew". Here Shakespeare has shown great sympathy for
Shylock, and rightly so as in most respects he is correct, yet the Elizabethan audience never gave
the Jew a chance. Reading the play its as if Jews are completely different to Christians, as if they
are aliens. Here Shylock mentions this as he says: "If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle
us, do we not laugh? ..." . Shylock is basically saying that Jews are humans, not hell–born alienated
humans. However Shakespeare has been very clever here; reading the play the first time you
could say he has possibly made Shylock look the villain by making the bad points stand out, yet if
you look deeper the play shows great sympathy towards the Jew. He has hidden the sympathy
towards Shylock so it pleases the crowd. Bringing all this speech together it shows all of Shylock's
anger again, and he expresses this in a very powerful and emotive speech.
On the other hand I believe that Shylock can react wrongly, and is too adamant to get his revenge
which I think is a harsh revenge. An example of Shylock acting a villain is when losing his daughter
Jessica; who then runs off with Lancelet and eventually changing her religion to become a Christian.
As parents should unconditionally love their children regardless of what they chose to do with their
life; Jessica has committed the ultimate crime against Shylock, to change religion from being
Jewish, and religion is

Comparison and Contrast of Shylock and Claudius
Introduction
This essay looks into the lives of Shylock and Antonio. These are two of Shakespearean
antagonists of all time. They are alike in more ways than one. Shylock in Merchant of Venice is a
Jewish moneylender based in Venice. He has been tormented and repressed mainly by the Christian
population. One finds it easy to sympathize with him mainly because he has his own reasons to be
loathing, greedy, and miserly. This ends up making the entire 'Merchant of Venice' bittersweet. This
was when Shylock was forced to give up all that he owned and further converted it to Christianity.
This meant that that Jewish community would no longer accept him. It also meant that he would be
shunned by...show more content...
The object of affection as seen is Bassanio who goes ahead to take full advantage of this merchant's
feelings for him (Wright 45).
The main principles of Antonio do not support borrowing or lending money for profit. He purely
reflects a medieval attitude for money that needs to be lent for Christian charity. When he lends to
Bassanio, this made him to cast aside his principles and take a loan from Shylock. He then pledges
his flesh as bond. When Antonio's ships are lost at sea, this meant that he could not repay the loan
and therefore he accepts to pay Shylock with a pound of his flesh (Shakespeare 61).
Shylock on the other point is a focal point of the entire play. There is a traditional stereotype of
Jews found in the Elizabethan times. He is comically put out as a greedy minister who wears a
traditional Jewish gabardine. As a middle–aged man, Shylock has a keenness of observation, a
memory of several details as well as a strong energy amount. Unlike Antonio, he is portrayed as
someone with a strong amount of energy who is well versed with the Bible. He often draws
analogies from several Biblical stories and sources. These are relevant to situations whereby he finds
himself in.
When Shylock speaks, he speaks in a manner that reveals authoritativeness. He makes frequent
references to ancient and great names from the scriptures. He then uses these when justifying his
own bad practices. His speech further reveals a

Essay on merchant of venice
The play, ВЎВ°The Merchant of VeniceВЎВ± by William Shakespeare has two main settings. One
setting is Venice, a city where many businessmen live, a place, full of unhappy and unkind people.
It a world of commercial and law. Shakespeare has portrayed Venice as the В
ЎВ°realВЎВ± world.
The other setting is Belmont, a city which houses a rich, happy society of beautiful people. Belmont
is a fairy–tale world of music and love. In this play, it is evident that, good things happen in Belmont
and not so pleasant events happen in Venice.
The play begins with Antonio, a rich merchant of Venice is depressed, which shows that money and
wealth did not bring happiness to this man. Shylock, a wealthy businessman who lives in Venice is
...show more content...
Also the people in Venice mock and laugh at Shylock when his daughter ran away with his money
to marry a Christian. Salarino and Salanio make fun of him.They had no sympathy towards the
man who has just lost his only family and his valuable money. Maybe he is greedy, but it was still
his money and one would expect people to feel sorry for him but they were even crueler to him by
laughing at his losses.
Even though one should feel sorry for Shylock, he himself is a very cruel man. He hates Antonio
and all Christians and when he got the opportunity to take revenge he was more than prepared to do
so. He and Antonio had a contract which stated that, if Antonio was not able to pay off the debt of
three thousand ducats he borrowed from Shylock within three months, he would have to pay the
debt by letting Shylock cut a pound of flesh from his body close to the heart. When AntonioВЎВЇs
ships were lost and he was not able to pay off the debt, Shylock was delighted. Shylock likes saying
ВЎВ°I thank God, I thank God. I thank thee good Tubal: good news, good news! ha, ha!ВЎВ±
ВЎВ°IВЎВЇm am very glad of it: IВЎВЇll plague him; IВЎВЇll torture him: IВЎВЇm glad of
itВЎВ± This shows that he was a horrible man. Later when he was offered the money, he refuses
saying that he would rather

William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
"The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare features, Shylock a very controversial character
due to his religion, profession and personal traits. Professionally Shylock lends money to people in
debt, in order to gain interest and profit. Although, this is very much central to our modern way of
life, in the Elizabethan period, money lending was not accepted as an acceptable profession.
Throughout "The Merchant of Venice" Shylock is portrayed as menacing, inhumane and slightly
eccentric, yet at times misunderstood and induces sympathy from the reader. His personal traits and
beliefs evoke complex emotions. We cannot decide whether Shylock is an...show more content...
Sympathy is created, as it is apparent that Shylock cannot trust, nor befriend anyone in the play, not
even his own daughter. This is clear evidence of one way in which Shylock is more sinned than
sinning.
Shylock places profit above love. When Jessica, his daughter, steals from him and leaves him, it is
clear that Shylock is very distraught. However, it is difficult to ignore what appears to be Shylock's
priority –the loss of money. As, money lending is Shylock's profession; it is obvious money is very
important to him. When discussing the loss of his daughter and ducats, Shylock describes how he
would rather his money returned to him than his daughter and would infact like to have revenge
against her.
"Shylock: I would my daughter were dead at my feat, and the jewels in her ear."
Immediately it is clear how heartless, inhumane, unforgiving and sinister Shylock is. To place profit
above the life of his daughter demonstrates how wrong Shylock's priorities are and is clear evidence
of how Shylock is sinning.
Shylock is more sinned against than sinning by the fact that every character in the play is against
him. Shylock has no family or friends to rely upon or trust. He is constantly mocked and insulted by
many characters throughout "The Merchant of Venice". The first

Character Analysis
Shylock
Is Shylock the villain or the victim in the Merchant of Venice?
In the play the 'Merchant of Venice' by William Shakespeare the antagonist Shylock is both the
victim and the villain. Shylock is a Jewish moneylender and is initially portrayed as anger filled and
bloodthirsty but as the play continues we begin to see him as more human and his emotions become
more evident. As the antagonist, Shylock is a fearful adversary to Antonio, the protagonist. But as
good begins to win over evil, Shylock is crushed and we see evidence of his mortality in his grief.
Shylock changes significantly though out the course of the play and he is formed into a too
complex character to be labeled just victim or villain.
Shylock is...show more content...
In Act 2 Scene 4 Jessica decides to leave her father and her home to elope with a Christian man
Lorenzo. This strengthens the concept of Shylock being a heartless villain because his child feels
she must leave without a word of her desires. This shows that Jessica knows that her father would
not listen to or consider her feelings for Lorenzo so she must steal and run away from him. On the
night she leaves she says with little remorse 'Farewell; and if my fortune be not crost, I have a
father, you a daughter, lost.' This shows that her childhood was not happy and that she was 'ashamed
to be her father's daughter'. This is further evidence of Shylocks heartlessness.
Shylock is also the victim when Jessica leaves. He loses his only child, that underneath his cold
exterior it becomes apparent he loves her and struggles with the depth of his grief. He loses hold
on his business and walks through the streets morning the loss of his child to the men he detests.
He cries in anguish 'The curse never fell upon our nation till now; I never felt it till now.... My
own flesh and blood to rebel! I say, my daughter is my flesh and blood.' This scene evokes
compassion towards Shylock but he is tormented more by Salario and Salanio. This shows him as a
repentant father, a man a victim to his child's will and prejudice surrounding his race.
Another factor in Shylocks character that leads to him being perceived as the villain is that he is
parsimonious. He will not give or

Essay On Shylock In The Merchant Of Venice
In a world full of beauty of countless varieties we allow ourselves to succumb to fear and hate. We
hate that which we don't know, and we hate those who don't share the same belief. Ultimately our
hatred destroys the beauty and only leaves us with more hatred. In Shakespeare's, The Merchant of
Venice,Shylock is a devout jew who lives in Italy during a time of jewish persecution. Shylock is a
successful money lender who is constantly harassed by the citizens of Venice because of his faith.
Over the years of constant abuse the hatred and abuse causes shylock to develop a hatred for his
christian tormentors and after a series of events a desire for retribution for their misdeeds. In the
beginning of the play Shylock is a money lender, a profession that is highly frowned upon in the
Christian faith, even though he is very successful in his craft he's hated by society because of his
faith and profession. Due to both of these, Shylock faces persecution from the community. One
person who Shylock seems to really hate is Bassanio, a Venetian Noble who constantly belittles him
and in one instance spat on Shylock. In the play Bassanio along with his companion Antonio come
to Shylock in a request for a loan. As Shylock thinks on whether or not to accept their request we
begin to see his hatred root for Antonio and Bassanio as he says to Antonio:
Signor Antonio, many a time and oft / In the Rialto you have rated me / About my moneys and my
usances. / Still have I borne it

Shylock in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice contains an array of interesting and complex
characters. From the alternately generous and grasping Antonio to the alternately love stricken and
exploitative Bassanio to the vulnerable and manipulative Portia, this play has an abundance of
multi–layered personalities.
However, one of the most intriguing characters is also the most oft–vilified and minimized in the
work. This character, Shylock, is certainly just as compelling as any of the aforementioned–if not
more so, because he acts as the catalyst for the majority of the interesting sections of the play (i.e.
The flesh pact, the court scene etcetera). It is...show more content...
To prove this dichotomy, we will examine Shylock's statements to Salarino in Act 3, scene 1, lines
49–67. It can be said that, in regards to Antonio, greed and petty revenge are all that interest
Shylock. The lines preceding Shylock's statement consist of a question posed by Salarino.
Essentially, "why take Antonio's flesh?" Shylock responds with a predictably acerbic and inelegant
answer: "To bait a fish withal. If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge." Here, Shylock
shows himself the consummate villain. He has absolutely no use for Antonio's flesh yet he demands
it in a display of utmost sadism. He regards the man's flesh as nothing better than fish bait. He also
admits that spiting Antonio will be the ultimate satisfaction; by saying that the flesh would feed his
revenge, he likened his vengeance to the appetite of a creature–one that would consume the flesh the
way a fish would consume bait...an extremely unsavory, yet telling, comparison. In lines 50 through
54, Shylock shares his motivations for seeking the death of Antonio (because, of course, removing
pounds of flesh from any creature is bound to kill it): Antonio has "disgraced" and "hindered"
Shylock (presumably from working his wiles on a would–be victim of his unfair lending practices),
"laughed" at his financial losses, "mocked" his successes, "scorned" his people (the Jews),

Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
A key feature of the play 'The Merchant Of Venice' is the issue of whether Shylock is a victim or a
villain. This issue is raised at many crucial points most of which can be separated into the categories
victim or villain.
Act 1 Scene 3 displays Shylock as a sensible business man. This is our first introduction of Shylock
and therefore produces our first impressions. The first point where Shylocks' character is revealed
in detail is during his soliloquy of lines 37 – 48. At this point Shylock gives an aside to the audience
which no character can hear. We learn a lot about Shylocks' behaviour toward Antonio and Christians
in general. This...show more content...
The next turn of events is during lines 102–123 we begin to feel sympathy for Shylock. The reasons
for his villainous attitude toward Antonio become clear. We learn of the treatment imposed on
Shylock by Antonio, the text says, 'spit upon my Jewish gabardine' we begin to empathise with
Shylock and we see him as a victim to Christian prejudice.
When we realise the poor treatment of Shylock by Antonio we are greeted of a speech by
Antonio's. To our surprise, Antonio does not apologies for his actions, instead saying he is likely to
repeat his actions, the text says;
'I am as like to call thee so again' The fact that Antonio is asking for a favour and remains treating
Shylock so badly makes us feel more sympathy for Shylock and he is displayed as a victim.
Act 1 scene 3 is an interesting one when considering the issue of whether Shylock is a victim or a
villain. There are many features which show his villainy but this is alternated by the times that are
shown as a victim. Overall the effect on the audience would be a strong one, we would focus on the
poor treatment of Shylock and feel sorry for him. Therefore he is a victim.
There are many points of the play where other characters comment on their feelings toward Shylock.
Most notable are the three mentioned below;
During act 2 scene 2 Lancelot is deciding whether he will stay with his master

Essay On Shylock In The Merchant Of Venice
In The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, Antonio, the merchant, is willing to help his
friend Bassanio make a loan, but finds himself caught in trouble when he is unable to provide it.
Instead, Antonio enlists the help from Shylock, a Jew, to help Bassanio. The gesture Antonio
makes to help Bassanio with his loan illustrates himself as a 'good' man, but he estabishes himself
as a victim. Antonio takes the role as a victim to gain sympathy and illustrate his actions by
acknowledging that Shylock is the man to worry about. When he is surrounded by his friends,
Antonio develops a sympathetic act when Salanio and Salario believe him to be an honest man.
However, Antonio merely masks his personality to act superior; unless he is with Shylock, Antonio
is not afraid to take on a challenge. Shylock brings out Antonio's true personality when they argue
about their business. Antonio does not back down and continues to degrade him, as he is not afraid
to take charge own up to his problems. Therefore, Antonio takes charge against his surroundings, in
which he takes on two personalities based on the people he interacts with. Firstly, Antonio takes on
the role as a victim with his friends to buy sympathy because he does not understand his position in
the community. When Antonio opens the play, he speaks about his sadness and his friends Salario
and Salanio try to decipher why he is upset. Antonio's friends claim that he is sad because of his
business is not doing well; instead,

Merchant of Venice Essay: Shylock
The Merchant of Venice: Shylock– Antagonist or Victim?
In The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, there appears Shylock– a Jew. As the play
unfolds Shylock is seen to be the villain and is portrayed as being cold, unbending, and evil.
Shylock can easily be assumed to be the antagonist in this play or, after careful research and study, he
can also be viewed as persecuted individual who resorts to revenge as a last resort after he has been
pushed too far.
To fully understand the character of Shylock we must first look at Elizabeathen attitudes towards
Jews. In the sixteenth century Jews were rarely if ever seen in England. In the Middle Ages Jews had
fled to England to escape persecution in...show more content...
Shylock tells the audience he hopes to exact revenge on Antonio both for his own humiliation and
for the persecution that the Jews have long suffered at the hands of the Christians. I hate him for
he is a Christian;. . . If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear
him. He hates our sacred nation . . . CursвЂљd be my tribe if I forgive him (I,iii,40–49) Shylock then
tells Antonio that he wants to be friends with him and will conclude the bond for a pound of flesh
as a "merry sport." In the second act, however, he still seems to bear a deep grudge against the
Christians, for he tells Jessica that he is going in hate and not in friendship to dine with them. "But
yet I'll go in hate to feed upon the prodigal Christian. . . .I am right loath to go." (II,v,14–16) After
Jessica's elopment, Shylock suspects Bassanio and Antonio of abetting her escape, and this suspicion
increases Shylock's animosity toward Antonio. We learn later in the play that Antonio has personally
rescued a number of debtors from Shylock's bonds when Antonio says "I oft delievered from his
forfeitures; Many that have made moan to me." (III,iii,23–24) We also discover that Shylock cannot
or will not explain his reasons for demanding Antonio's flesh. "But say it is my humor," is all the
reason he is able to show.

Merchant of Venice Critical Essay
In "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare, Shylock is portrayed as an attractive villain.
It is the relationship between Shylock and Antonio, Shylock and his daughter, Jessica, and his
selfishness through his attitude to material possessions that make him an attractive villain, he is
portrayed as an attractive villain, and I am going to look at the extent that this is true in "The
Merchant of Venice."
Shylock is portrayed as a stereotypical Jew which is one of the aspects that makes him an attractive
villain. He hates Christians, and especially hates Antonio because of a grudge he has had from the
past. During the trial scene, he is desperate to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio, and won't even
accept double the amount he is...show more content...
Shylock's hunger for revenge in the trial scene, and his desparation to cut a pound of flesh from
Antonio's body makes him an attractive villain. The Duke of Venice asks Shylock to forgive
Antonio because it is cruel to carry out his bond. "Thou'lt show thy mercy and remorse more
strange than is thy strange apparent cruelty." Shylock hates Antonio. This is purely the reason he is
so determined to take his pound of flesh. He regards Antonio as being unimportant and inferior. He
only wants his bond out of spite, to hurt Antonio. "To bait fish withal. If I feed nothing else it will
feed my revenge." This shows Shylock's hunger for revenge, and that revenge us more valuable and
important to him than any amount of money. "I rather choose to have a weight of carrion flesh than
to receive 3,000 ducats." It is through this that Shylock is portrayed as an attractive villain.
Throughout the play, Shylock is portrayed as an attractive villain by his actions, speech and hunger
for revenge. I have looked at his relationship with the main character, Antonio, and with his daughter,
Jessica. I have also looked at how his character develops throughout the trial scene. The playwright,
William Shakespeare, is successful in

Merchant Of Venice Analysis
William Shakespeare's comedy The Merchant of Venice tells the story of Antonio, a merchant, who
borrows money from Shylock a Jewish moneylender to help his friend, Bassanio, marry a woman.
The play highlights the tension between Jews and Christians in society through the interactions
between Shylock and the Christians. In contrast, the play also highlights the positive aspects of both
religions. The main point of The Merchant of Veniceis to critique society's treatment of religion.
Shakespeare criticizes society's output on Judaism through his play with the characters Shylock
and Jessica. Shylock and Jessica are seen as outsiders in Venice and are discriminated by the
Christian characters in the play for being Jewish. For instance, Gratiano describes Jessica, a
former Jew, as an "infidel "(III.ii.223) despite converting and marrying a Christian. By calling
Jessica an "infidel", Gratiano is implying that she isn't a true Christian and is still a Jew. Later in
the play, Jessica is also told there's "no mercy in heaven.."(III.v.31) because she was Jewish. This
statement evokes the idea all Jews are sinful and can't enter heaven. The two examples above show
how Jews are seen as inferior to Christians in the play. Because of this bigotry, Shylock is vengeful
toward Antonio with his bond. When he finds out about Antonio's lost ships, he exclaims: I'll plague
him, I'll torture him. I am glad of it." (III.i.115–116). This line demonstrates the stereotypical image
of Jews that Christians see. What Shylock says relates to the 16th century where Christians often
believed that Jews used their blood in religious ceremonies. By saying he'll "torture" and "plague"
Antonio, Shylock is conforming with the negative image society has of him. However, Shakespeare
also paints Shylock as a human character treated unfairly by the Christians in Venice. After finding
out that his daughter Jessica eloped to a Christian man, Shylock delivers a powerful speech about
Jews being equals: "Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases [...]as a Christian is?"
(III.i.48–54). This speech presents to the audience that Shylock is human

Merchant of Venice Shylock Analysis Essay
Robert F. Kennedy stated, "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of
others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other
from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep
down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." In Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice,
Shylock is the core of all ripples. He lashed out against the prejudice that was thrust upon him and is
considered evil for doing so. The Merchant of Venicebrought together different characters of
different religions. Shakespeare used characters in this play to reflect sixteenth century views on
Christianity and Judaism. The character Shylock wass...show more content...
This duality of Shylock being portrayed with positive points as well as bad was developed
further at the end of act 1. Early on in the play Antonio described Shylock as the Devil and stated,
"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose" (Act1 scene 3 line 107). The 'devil' is described in
the dictionary as, the supreme spirit of evil and nowhere in the text or in Shylock's actions does it
suggest this. Clear resentment and tension was shared between Shylock and Antonio. In one of
Shylock's monologues he explained, "I hate him for he is a Christian" (Act 1 scene3 line 42). A
contemporary audience during Shakespeare's time would have been deeply offended at this
attempt to degrade a Christian and this would have easily made Shylock evil in their eyes. Due to
Shylock's lower status in this scene he spoke in prose, whereas Antonio spoke in verse. This
showed the difference in position between the two characters and the wide gap linking Judaism
and Christianity. Respect for Shylock may be less easily attained when he doesn't offer any to
Antonio. When the bond was made between Antonio and Shylock it is easy to see how Shylock's
character can be considered the devil as he binds Antonio to contract, "An equal pound/ of your
fair flesh, to be cut off and taken" (Act 1 scene 3 line 161). Requesting a pound of flesh was possibly
a little too extravagant; it suggested that he was capable of and willing to take a life. Making
Shylock more a butcher of animals than of

The Merchant Of Venice Is Shylock A Villain
You can find a villain in almost every story. In the play The Merchant of Venice, by William
Shakespeare, there is definitely a villain. He is a greedy money lender, who is merciless and focused
on revenge. Shylock is a villain.
Shylock is very greedy. He loves money. He even dreams about money. And he tells his daughter
Jessica, "... For I did dream of money–bags tonight." (II.v.18). It is part of his everyday life. He
relates almost every aspect of his life to money, including his daughter, Jessica. WhenShylock finds
out that Jessica has eloped with a Christian named Lorenzo and has taken money and jewels from
him Shylock is mostly concerned about his possessions, not his daughter. Solanio tells Salerio that
he heard Shylock yelling in the streets,
"My daughter! O my daughter
Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!
Justice! The law! My ducats, and my daughter!
A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats,
Of double ducats, stol'n from me by my daughter!
And jewels! Two stones, two rich and precious stones, by my daughter! Justice! Find the girl!
She hath the stones upon her, and the ducats."
(II.viii.12–22).
In addition, Shylock is less than pleased with Antonio because he is Christian and most importantly,
because he lends money and does not charge a fee. Shylock sees this as harming his own business
and he is very angry with Antonio. The first chance he gets, Shylock tells Antonio that he is costing
him money. "How like a fawning publican he looks!
I hate for he is a Christian;
But more for that in low simplicity
He lends out money gratis, and brings down
The rate of usance here with us in Venice.
If I can catch him once upon the hip,
I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.
He hates our sacred nation, and he rails, Even there where merchants most do congregate,
On me, my bargains, and my well–won thrift,
Which he calls interest. Cursed be my tribe,
If I forgive him.
(I.iii.37–48).
Shylock only cares about Shylock's money. His greed is only one characteristic that contributes to
him being a villain. He is also merciless.
A second villain trait of Shylock is that he has no mercy for anyone, not even his own daughter. He
would not permit her to make her own

The Character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
Victim or villain. These two words are the total opposites of each other. A victim is someone that
'we' in general should, or may, feel sorry for and attempt to sympathise or empathise with. But a
villain is the one person that people love to hate. The best example of this I feel is pantomime. The
victims or heroes are clear–cut and the audience willingly cheers them. But as soon as the villain
walks on stage he is hissed and booed, unfortunately it is not as simple as this in 'The Merchant of
Venice' and how the audience react to the characters is all important in making the distinction
between victim or villain.
Although the title of the...show more content...
In contrast to this however, modern attitudes to racism, in particular anti–Semitism, are different. All
throughout history Jews have been persecuted, most recently in the Holocaust in Germany. I would
think that many people today would be affected by this, that such persecution could happen just
because people stood up for their faith. It is this view that makes 'The Merchant of Venice', and
particularly Shylock, so complex and still extremely relevant to modern society.
Shylock is a Jew in a Christian city, isolated and vulnerable. This is a cause of great prejudice
against Shylock and means his apparent villainy can begin to be understood. But, interpretation of
Act 1:3 and the lines therein and underlying meanings accounts for many things. For example, when
Bassanio invites Shylock to have a meal with them, "If it please you to dine with us", it can be read
as a kind offer rejected by Shylock or ignorance of the Jewish faith, either unintentionally or
intentionally to patronise and provoke Shylock. But one point in this very important scene, Act 1:3,
is when Shylock recounts all he has suffered at the hands of the Christians, epitomised in Antonio.
Shylock has "borne it with a patient shrug" and goes on to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the supposed

Merchant Of Venice Shylock Character Analysis
Jaenalyn Simmons Boehm CP English 9 November 2017 Shylock, a character in Shakespeare's
The Merchant of Venice has been abhorred upon by Christians and it reflects on his actions and his
personality in a negative way. This victimization causes Shylock to appear as a self–obsessed fool,
when really he is a heartbroken Jewish father. We can assume that since he was young, he had
always been treated cruelly because of his religion and time period which in the future causes him
to be all alone and gather this great lust for revenge. People understand that Jews are treated
atrociously in the 1500's like Shylock because many of the characters express it or admit it. For
example, Shylock and Antonio are creating a bond in which Antonio asks Shylock to loan him some
money knowing that the way he treats Shylock is wrong. The bond specifies that if the money is not
payed back, then Shylock has the authority to take a pound of Antonio's flesh. This happens in the
city plaza of Venice. Shylock states all the wrongs that Antonio approached on him, including when
Antonio calls him a "dog"(1.3.121). Unfortunately, Antonio retorts, "I am as like to call thee so
again,/ to spet on thee again, to spurn thee, too." (1.3.140–141). Antonio doesn't even blink before he
says that he would verbally and physically bully Shylock over and over again, as long as he stayed
a Jew. If someone puts themselves in Shylock shoes, how would he feel? He definitely wouldn't feel
happy or content with what

Merchant Of Venice Shylock Character Analysis
The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's most widely known and controversial comedies.
Written in the late 1590s, its' controversy stems from the modern mindset between tolerance and
prejudice. Shylock, who was "at once a fabulous monster, the Jew incarnate, and also a troubling
human uneasily joined with the monster in an uncanny blend", is now looked at as a victim in
light of the prejudice bestowed upon him now being recognized. Shylock's character is so
stereotypically Jewish that he becomes known as villainous instead of a victim. (1, Pg. 1) At this
point of time, Jews were treated harshly and were ostracized by Christians. Shylock, because of his
religion, is frequently looked down upon, spit at, and called derogatory terms....show more content...
Shylock is in the middle of lending Bassanio money, but, he requests "three thousand ducats for
three months, and Antonio bound." This is the first time Shylock mentions Antonio and it is with
a negative connotation. He requests that Antonio be bound to the gamble. After a few moments,
Antonio walks in and Shylock makes a speech in which he declares his hatred for Antonio. "How
like a fawning publican he looks. I hate him for he is a Christian; But more, for that in low
simplicity He lends out money gratis, and brings down The rate of usance here with us in Venice.
If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him. He hates our
sacred nation, and he rails, Even there where merchants most do congregate, On me, my bargains
and my well–won thrift, Which he calls 'interest'. Cursed be my tribe If I forgive him." This speech
gives us a glimpse into why Shylock hates Antonio and the anti semitism Antonio has towards
Shylock and his religion that he is dedicated to. He starts off by insulting Antonio and declaring that
he hates him because he is a Christian. His hatred for Christians can be due to the fact that
Christians ostracized and belittled Jewish people, especially during this time period and place. He
then continues on describing what Antonio does as a career, but, with much criticism. He explains
that Antonio lends money out freely and brings down the rate of interest for his friends.

Merchant Of Venice Shylock Essay

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