Shylock as a Villian or Victim in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

Shylock as a Villian or Victim in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

The Merchant Of Venice is the story of Antonio, a merchant, borrowing

money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, in order to fund his best

friend Bassanio’s romantic ambitions. Like the majority of the

habitants of Venice, Antonio is Christian. At the time of the play,

the sixteenth century, there was a huge abhorrence against those who

were not Christian. As Antonio needed money quickly he had no

alternative to borrowing from Shylock; Jewish moneylenders made profit

from charging interests. Christians were resentful towards Jews as

they were very successful with their businesses. Christians were

prejudice because they didn’t want Jews to become wealthier in a

Christian country. Therefore Jews had to live in enclosed and

segregated areas called ghettos. This shows Shylock being victimised

in the play, as all Jews were back in the sixteenth century

Shylock first takes to the stage in Act I Scene iii. This scene shows

Bassanio seeking Shylock in order for him to ask to borrow money in

the name of Antonio. We learn of a mutual detestation between Shylock

and Antonio. Shylock confronts Antonio saying “In the Rialto you have

rated me about my moneys and my usances”. Shylock is saying that in

the Rialto, the trading centre of Venice, Antonio insulted him

publicly about his money and interests. Shylock continues saying

Antonio “spit upon my Jewish gaberdine!” This is clearly a sign of

contempt and very disrespectful to the whole of the Jewish race. These

two statements show Shylock being victimised purely because he is of

the Jewish faith.

Shylock, speakin...

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... the outcome of the trial.

In conclusion, Shylock is definitely intended to be William

Shakespeare’s villain. He is a vengeful character whose is vindictive

towards everyone else, in particular Antonio and Jessica, his own

daughter. However, Shylock is victimised by many unfairly. This is

mainly due to the fact that he is a Jew. Shylock possesses many

stereotypical characteristics for a villain, such as being evil and

vengeful but unlike most villains he does not step outside the law.

The only reason he wants to kill Antonio is because he could legally.

Through Shylock, Shakespeare explores the way in which the line

between the oppressed and the oppressor can become blurred. It seems

to me that when Shylock is villainous when becomes victimised; when

Shylock is shown as a victim it results in him becoming villainous.