Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
It is believed that that Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice,
between 1596 and 1589. At the time Englandwas a Christian country, and
the Jews were a misunderstood, prejudiced and marginalised people.
They were often forbidden to own land or engage in trade in England so
the only occupation open to them was money lending which they
exploited to the full, Christians were forbidden to practice usury and
the Jews were constantly portrayed as greedy misers and money-lenders.
So before the plot even starts, Shylock is condemned by the audience
for being a Jew and a vicious moneylender.
Shakespeare took a big risk in this play; if he portrayed Jews well,
so that the play offended the queen or if the audience disliked it and
took offence, he could have lost his life! Luckily for Shakespeare, he
was able to time invoke the audience's hatred for the "most
impenetrable cur", but at the same capture sympathy and understanding
from the audience towards Shylock. A measure of Shakespeare's
achievement is that the play allowed a range of different
interpretations of Shylock; people left the theatres with mixed
emotions about Shylock. He is one of the most complex characters in
English literature and scholars today still debate whether Shylock is
more a villain or a victim. In the course of this essay I will explore
the idea of Shylock being a man more sinned against than Sinning, a
villain or a victim.
Shylock's first line in the play is "Three thousand ducats." This can
be interpreted in two ways; as a man making a living at one of the few
occupations open to him, or a greedy, cold, materialistic man. I am of
the opinion that Shylock better fits the cold greedy character, as he
makes such a big deal about locking up the house (Act 2, Scene 5),
thus making the point of protecting his possessions. This shows him as
both a victim and a villain, scared of the outside world and
mistreated so much that he feels he has to emphasis at length the
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice An ogre is according to the Collins Dictionary “a monstrous or cruel being” but more significantly as “something or someone who eats human flesh.” Is this how Shylock is portrayed in the play or is he a simple human being, a species capable of showing emotions and feelings such as vulnerability and love. Certainly, Shylock is presented to the audience in so powerful a way that even though he only appears in five scenes, many consider him the central character. Throughout the play Shylock appears to be the butt of all the jokes and many critics see his status in the play as the tragic hero.
‘villain’; he is a complex mix of both. In the first part of the play,
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice Shylock's character in Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' has long been a controversial subject- more so now than it was when the play was written in the late 16th Century. First performed in 1605, it seemingly conforms to the anti-semitic stereotypes towards Jews and their conduct but, unlike Shakespeare's rival's work ('The Jew of Malta) by Christopher Marlowe, the main Jewish character is attributed not only the negative traits associated with Jews at the time, but also a side that sees to show humanity. Therefore, in this essay, it is my aim to explore whether calling Shylock the villain in the play is justified or not based on his actions and those of the characters surrounding him (to see if there is evidence of provocation), and placing this into the context of Elizabethan England and thus coming to conclusions abut whether views towards the extent of his villainy have remained the same. The one single action in the play which seems most convictive of Shylock is his argument with argument over the lending of 3,000 ducats-and the penalty fixed in case of its late return in Act 3 scene 1.
The question about which one he really is makes you think. I feel that even though he was a good man, the small details made the “villain” side of him surface much more than the “hero” side.
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare features, Shylock a very controversial character due to his religion, profession and personal traits. Professionally Shylock lends money to people in debt, in order to gain interest and profit. Although, this is very much central to our modern way of life, in the Elizabethan period, money lending was not accepted as an acceptable profession. Throughout "The Merchant of Venice" Shylock is portrayed as menacing, inhumane and slightly eccentric, yet at times misunderstood and induces sympathy from the reader.
King Hamlet. In the story, Hamlet is a victim of the soldier-versus-scholar conflict. After discovering who murdered his father, Hamlet suffers with the aforementioned soldier-versus-scholar conflict by his failure to act on his intention of avenging his father and eventually acting on his intention when it is too late because he is on the verge of dying.
conducts monstrous acts, the reader still views him as a victim of circumstance in a society that
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
receives. So it would not be fair to say that he was totally evil as
Commonly, a hero is considered as a representative of morality, justice and power. Also, people have various ways to evaluate their own heroes. Especially children, as they grow up, are more likely to create their heroes who are usually brave, strong, righteous and indestructible. However, villains are the opposite side of heroes, and they are evil, demoniacal and cruel. Some of those heroes would easily turn into villains when they are trying to get revenge because their hearts are filled with hatred. The play Hamlet by Shakespeare tells the tragic story of a prince avenging the death of his father. In the play, the main character Hamlet changes from a hero into a villain through his immoral and repellant actions.
The second example is the character of Esther, she can be seen as the victim and as the heroine. The reason she can be seen as the victim is because of the many injustices she faces. For example when she is subjec...
which tells us that Shylock is being referred to as a dog, not like a
This can be seen in two ways: as a man making a living at one of the
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.
As a servant, he does evil deeds and by himself he is evil. Finally, Antonio is another character in this book that is a manipulator and who would do anything to get what he wants.