Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
'I am a Jew' a famous saying from Shylock in 'Merchant of Venice' that
clarifies the merchant brotherhood of a wealthy city. 'Merchant of
Venice' contains rascals and heroes. The audiences will soon realise
that Shylock, the Jewish money lender, is shown as a villain within
the wealthy city. Is this really what Shakespeare had intended? This
testimony given proposes that Shylock is more of a deceitful character
than what the Christian colony wants us to comprehend. In my essay I
intend to explore if Shylock is really a villain or a victim of his
society.
Shylock is a Jew, which is why the Christians of Venice dislike him.
This is shown by 'If it be proved against an alien' (Act 4 Scene 1
line 345) because in Shakespeare's time Jews were seen as outsiders
within the city. This quotation shows that the Christians think the
Jewish people are 'Cut-throat' and operate in a way the audience would
not expect. Shakespeare's audience relate to him as an 'alien' because
the Christians believe Jewish people were shown as evil people.
The next point to why Shylock could be seen as a villain in the
society is because he is shown as a Jewish money lender. This means
Shylock makes money by adding interest to the money he loans to
Christians. I know this because Shylock says 'He lends out money
gratis, and brings down the rate of usance here with us in Venice'
(Act 1 scene 3 line 39). This quotation shows us that Shylock explains
his hatred towards Antonio, a valuable Christian, by lending out money
without adding interest on to the loan. Shylock shows rivalry towards
Antonio by explorin...
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...reotypes against Jewish dealers, he
tried to make out that the Jews are the hard done by people and the
Christians are the rightful religion.
In conclusion I believe that Shylock is a villain and a victim of the
patriarchal society in which he lives in. The reason for why I believe
Shylock can be seen as a villain is because of the stubbornness, his
religion and his intention on revenge against Antonio. I also believe
that Shylock is a victim because of all the abuse he was give like,
the name calling, violence, mockery and discrimination. The way
Shylock was treated in Venice can be related back to the Holocaust
when Jews were pick on because of their religion but also the way they
tried to help people escape from the German unpropitious, Hitler. So
is Shylock really a villain or a victim of his patriarchal society.
The majority of the Jews were working in shops all over. Many of the Jews were persecuted. They weren’t allowed to do certain jobs. One instance in the book a mother wrote about her son, who desperately wanted to be a chemist. The mother was outraged, because many people were saying that they wouldn’t hire a Jewish chemist.
and lying as means to achieve an end. This is evident in Act III, scene I, lines 49-51, when
- human and Jews so a picture is put into their heads that they are
to be like. They wanted the Jews to leave. It shows the Jews in a bad
Shylock as the Villain in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare wrote 'The Merchant of Venice' in about 1597. It was first performed by The Chamberlain's Men at the Theatre Shoreditch. The Merchant of Venice was in the repertory of Shakespeare's company before they took up residence at the Globe in 1599. The play was written as a comedy, but has become a serious drama.
The Jews were used as scapegoats by the Germans. They were treated terribly and lived in very poor conditions. Many of the Jewish children were put into homes,ther...
This is an example of the treatment of Jews at the time. It is very
receives. So it would not be fair to say that he was totally evil as
The plot, characters, and relationships present in William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice all revolve around the concept of money; a theme that is strongly linked to the religious dichotomies explored throughout the comedy. At the beginning of the play, Antonio and Bassanio 's money-rooted relationship is introduced. Bassanio asks Antonio to lend him three thousand ducats. Antonio agrees to take out a loan for his friend, even though Bassanio had previously borrowed money and had not yet returned it. Antonio’s willingness to help out his seemingly untrustworthy friend, demonstrates his belief that friendship is more imperative than money. As a Christian, Antonio is following the expected trend; he is valuing life over stuff. Another
William Shakespeare shows how two tradesmen can have completely different lives when others view them differently in the play The Merchant of Venice. In the play, Bassanio, Antonio’s friend, needs money to pursue his love. They seek a loan from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Antonio’s name. The contract is for three times the value of the bond in three months or else Shylock cuts off a pound of flesh from Antonio. While all this is happening, there are love plots going on. One of which is for Shylock’s daughter to elope with Lorenzo, a Christian. Later on, Antonio’s source of money, his ship, is reported sunken in the English Channel, dooming him to the loss of one pound of his flesh. There is a trial on the bond, and when it seems sure that Antonio will die, Portia, disguised as a doctor of laws legally gets Antonio out of the situation and Shylock recieves harsh penalties. Antonio and Shylock, two similar businessmen of Venice, are viewed differently and are treated oppositely to heighten the drama of the play and mold a more interesting plot.
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice is a play that, like many of Shakespeare's plays show characters at the edges of society. In The Merchant of Venice we see Shylock and Portia showing this by either being the minority or the least respected or in Shylock's case both. What adds to their role at the edge of society is the way they subvert their roles because this focuses, in the case of Portia, the audience on her and, in shylocks case, the other characters on him. In The Merchant of Venice
which tells us that Shylock is being referred to as a dog, not like a
It is evident in both plays by William Shakespeare that ambition and pride seem to be the
he hadn’t got the money yet, but he could get it from a fellow Hebrew.