Shylock

Firstly, Shylock is treated in an inhumane way. Antonio is at Shylock’s house, trying to get a loan from him. Then, Shylock angrily replies with: “Fair sir, you spat on Wednesday last, you spurn’d me such a day, another time you call’d me dog: and for these courtesies I’ll lend you thus much monies” (1.3.121-124). Clearly, Shylock shows he is not happy with Antonio as his previous experiences with him were not pleasant. He was spat on, insulted, and treated like a dog. If one was previously mistreated, they would definitely be hesitant to have trust in that person. This is exactly what happens in Shylock’s case, therefore, he knows that Antonio cannot be trusted which ultimately shows that he does not want to lend Antonio money. Therefore, Shylock shows that he is upset at Antonio for treating him in a way a human would not be treated. Later, Shylock is humiliated in court. Antonio is discussing Shylock’s punishment with the court. “So please my lord the duke and all the court to quit the fine for one half of his goods, I am content, so he will let me have the other half in use, to render it upon his death unto the gentlemen that lately stole his…

This quote is shylock talking to tubal about Jessica leaving “I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and/ the jewels in her ears: would she were hearsed at my foot, /and the ducats in her coffin!.(III.i.79-81). Shylock is mad that his daughter left him with his money and would want her to be dead in front of him to get his money and have all her ducats from her coffin. This shows that Shylock is a villain since he would go to the extent to wanting her dead for his…

judgement and persecution of Jewish people was acceptable. Respectively, Shakespeare chose to characterize the villain of the play to be a Jewish moneylender named Shylock. Although Shylock’s service was commonly detested by Venetian citizens, two Christian Renaissance men named Antonio and Bassanio proceeded to request a loan from Shylock. In making this deal, the plot began to reveal a multitude of dimensions to Shylock’s character. Admittedly, Shylock may possess intentionally villainous…

play, Merchant of Venice, Shylock, a Jewish money lender, is a villain in which we should be aware of. The first example we see this is in 1: 3 when Shylock reveals his hatred for Antonio for his religion, Christianity. However most of all Shylock despise Antonio for lending money without any interest. This shows that Shylock hates Antonio for no legitimate reasons. Being a Christian is not something that is to be hated upon. Lending money without gaining profit is a decision that one comes…

Shylock on the other hand started out as a comedic kill-joy, but eventually Shylocks becomes a tragic figure by the end of the play. Shylock is first deemed to be a greedy Jew, hater of Christians and the devil and he very well may be when his demands one pund of Antonio’s flesh as the interest for not paying back three thousand ducants in time, simply because he “hates him for he is a Christian” and because Antonio “lends out money gratis, and brings down/ The rate of usance here with us in…

never met a ‘Jew’ — made Shylock a magnet for of anti-Semitism. However, the complex character of Shylock occasionally shows signs of humanity, which suggests that Shylock is a victim but – particularly from the perspective of the other main characters, such as Portia or Antonio - also a villain. We see two controversial sides of Shylock; one is the ruthless Jew who is enthralled by the idea of killing a Christian merchant to ‘feed fat the ancient grudge’ and ‘whets [his] knife so earnestly’.…

peers. Even Shakespeare, who wrote all of Shylock’s lines, had never met a single Jew before this play, but based this character on what he had been taught. Thus, Europe had become very anti-semitic and harsh stereotypes had been created towards the Jewish population. This is proven in the play numerous times, as mentioned in the previous paragraph regarding his stubborn and snobby attitude towards others. Jews were also the only people allowed to lend money to others, thus sparking stereotypes…

From act 3, we can infer that Shylock is not a pleasant character. He goes from simply scheming about getting revenge on the Christians to becoming fanatical about killing Antonio as the play progresses from act 1 to act 3. Shylock can be associated with the “devil” as he was being portrayed as a devious and scheming Jew who plotted Antonio’s death. His character is fascinating and multi-layered, as seen in act 3 scene 1, when he gave a powerful speech about acceptance that is difficult to…

How and to what extent does Shakespeare create sympathy for the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice? In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare depicts Shylock as a complicated character whom is easy detest due to his headstrong, money-hungry and vengeful nature. However, there are many instances in which sympathy for Shylock is generated, especially when he is pushed around and abused by the Christians and when he deals with losing his daughter. Shakespeare gives an insight into all…

antagonist, Shylock, is an extremely religious man who lets his vengeance get the better of him. Throughout the play Shylock was constantly being treated badly because of his religion. Shylock is viewed as the villain in the play because he is a Jew but is actually the victim because of negative actions done onto him by others. When negotiating a deal with Antonio, Shylock gives him the opportunity to apologize for calling him dog and spitting in his face. This is evident because he…