Shylock Villain or Victim - 1043 Words

‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a play set in Italy in the late 16th Century, written by William Shakespeare. One of the main characters in the play is a cunning Jewish moneylender named Shylock. Shylock is part of a race that was discriminated against, despised and hated for their religion. In the beginning of the play Shylock makes an unsettling bond with a well-known, good and generous man named Antonio. Shylock has always had a grudge against Antonio because he is trusting; he lends money without interest, taking away Shylock’s business. He is also a Christian. We know that we can never trust Shylock to have any feeling of consideration towards Antonio, when he says, ‘If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient†¦show more content†¦However, although Shylock may be a merciless character, he is hated by everybody, discriminated against, spat upon, for his race alone; because he is a Jew. Shylock’s hatred for Antonio is som ewhat justified when he describes how he has been treated by the Christian. ‘You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gabardine.’ However all Antonio answers to this, is, `I am as like to call thee so again, to spit on thee again, to spurn thee to.’ He tells Shylock not to lend the money as a friend but rather as an enemy; that if he breaks the bond himself he will have no difficulty in taking the penalty. After this scene we are left with a feeling of sympathy for Shylock and question whether he really deserves all the hatred he receives. When Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, is running away from him, we feel exhilaration in this escape from persecution; a belief that she is doing the right thing and we urge her on. When Shylock first finds her missing, the play does not show Shylock himself in distress but rather Solanio describing the scene, to encourage the audience to laugh at the old man. However, we should know that Shylock did feel this distress and later tells Solanio and Salarino that, ‘My daughter is my flesh and my blood.’ We also sympathise with Shylock when Jessica stole a ring given to him by his late wife and traded it for a monkey. ‘It was a turquoise; I had it of Leah when IShow MoreRelatedShylock: Villain or Victim6154 Words   |  25 PagesShylock: Victim or Villain? He is a Jewish moneylender who earns his living by charging interest on money he loans (like modern banks). He often speaks prose in the play, which marks him out as an outsider. He is persecuted by all the non-Jews he knows: He tells Antonio, suffrance is the badge of all our tribe. He is verbally abused and bullied by most characters in the play and is called cruel names including villain with a smiling cheek, cut-throat dog, bloody creditor, damned inexecrableRead MoreWas Shylock A Victim Or A Villain1719 Words   |  7 Pagesone that is portraying various peoples lives throughout Venice and Belmont. During the course of the play there is a concentration of thoughts and emotions towards the character Shylock, a Jewish usurer, this is the very character that we shall be concentrating the question in the title on. In most scenes the character Shylock has to deal with a lot of racial discrimination, which has at modern times become unacceptable to most people. Elizabethan society was largely anti-Semitic and as such the audienceRead MoreShylock as a Victim of Villain Essay2293 Words   |  10 PagesShylock as a Victim of Villain Throughout the play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ there are constant references to various characters and the way they relate to one another, however there is no character so diverse and so complex as Shylock’s character. Shakespeare tries to portray Shylock in a number of ways however I believe his main focus in the play, is on his villainous side. This may be portraying the time of Shakespeare where ethnic minorities likeRead MoreShylock: A Ruthless Villain or a Persecuted Victim.1165 Words   |  5 PagesA villain in a play is a â€Å"character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot† and a victim in the terms of this play is â€Å"a person who has come to feel helpless and passive in the face of misfortune or ill-treatment†. Shylock in Merchant of Venice is a Jewish moneylender and Jewish people during Shakespearean time were looked down upon, treated unfairly with no respect. Shylock in Merchant of Venice is portrayed as how a stereotypical Jew would be portrayed as, a villain and an antagonistRead More Shylock : a Villain in appearance, a Victim at heart Essay2014 Words   |  9 Pagescharacter could have both good and evil aspects, creating a complex personality. In The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, there is an example of one of those characters. Shylock could be one of the most controversial characters ever created. Some pe ople believe he is a victim, while others say he is a villain. In order to trace this idea we should know why people in the Elizabethan era hates Jews. Rodrigo Lopez was a Jew of Portuguese decent, who fled to England in 1559 where he workedRead MoreThe Character of Shylock as a Victim or Villain in The Merchant of Venice1527 Words   |  7 PagesThe Character of Shylock as a Victim or Villain in The Merchant of Venice Do you consider the character of shylock to be a victim or villain in the play The Merchant of Venice? Shylock is one of the most interesting, memorable and debated characters in the play â€Å"The Merchant of Venice†. In many ways this is because he is both a victim and a villain. Shylock was made a laughing stock of and is ridiculed by the Christians because he was Jewish. The Jewish communityRead MoreEssay The Merchant of Venice Shylock Villain or Victim777 Words   |  4 PagesShylock, 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 heRead MoreThe Merchant of Venice: Is Shylock a Villain or a Victim? Essay846 Words   |  4 PagesIn this essay I will try to discover is Shylock a villain or a victim, in the William Shakespeare play â€Å"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 ShakespeareRead MoreIs Shylock Victim Or Villain in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice763 Words   |  4 PagesIs Shylock Victim Or Villain in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare wrote the Merchant of Venice in the Elizabethan period. The play is about Shylock, a Jewish money lender ¡: trying to make a living and survive in a community that despises him and marginalias him. Before the plot even starts, Shylock is condemned for being a Jew, and a moneylender. Jews were forbidden to be successful businessmen in Venice, so the only occupation open to him Read MoreIs Shylock The Villain Or Victim In The Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare1411 Words   |  6 PagesCharacter 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