Shylock as a Victim of Villain

Shylock 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 like Jews were hated and condemned for their

religion. Jews like Shylock weren’t awarded equal rights during

Shakespeare’s times and there was definitely a lot of prejudice

against them. They were forced to earn a living in ways not practised

by Christians like lending money. However this was against Christian

religion and therefore Jews were seen as villains for taking part in

this type of business, as they were seen to be exploiting their

religion to earn money from the Christians. So this is most likely why

Shylock is portrayed as such a villainous character; or is he?

There are definitely a lot of instances in this play where Shakespeare

portrays Shylock as a villain however there are also instances where

he is presented as a victim and I believe that in Act 1 scene 3

Shylock is being portrayed as a victim. In this scene Shylock is

explaining how Antonio has been abusing him, “ Many a time and oft in

the Rialto you have rated me about my moneys and my usances.” In this

case Shylock is saying that Antonio is always abusing him about his

money and his interests, so in this instance Shylock is most

definitely being portrayed as a victim. As well as Shylock being

abused...

... middle of paper ...

...to plead with the Duke, “ Give me

my principal, and let me go.” Shylock is on his last legs mercifully

bleeding to just get his money and leave. So in this trial Shakespeare

portrays the fall of Shylock, from a strong, ruthless and charismatic

man to a man who is willing to grovel and who has nothing left in his

life.

Overall in “The Merchant of Venice” Shakespeare portrays various sides

to Shylock’s character. He portrays his ruthless and cruel side which

overall makes us see him as a villain. He also shows us his sensitive

side, a caring father who really does love his daughter, which

ultimately makes us see him as a victim. However overall I believe

that Shakespeare portrays Shylock predominately as a villain and he

probably does this do convey the true feelings of people to ethnic

minorities during the time.