Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice Shylock has been very badly treated by certain Christians and he

yearns for revenge. He goes too far when he seeks the life of his main

persecutor, but he is essentially, an intelligent, dignified man who

can no longer bear to be humiliated.

Long before Shylock plotted against him, Antonio seemed to take a

pride in spurning Shylock, treating him in public with rudeness and

contempt. This type of behaviour appears to contradict with the rest

of his character. You would imagine that such a man would

instinctively shrink from insulting anybody so grossly, but Antonio

seems proud of it and tells Shylock that he will probably abuse him

again, 'spit on him again and spurn him, too'.

In 'The Merchant of Venice', Shakespeare does not treat Shylock as

simply evil for evil's sake. He makes him human. Shylock has good

reason to resent Antonio. He says:

'You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,

and spit upon my Jewish gabardine,

and all for use of that which is mine own,'

When Shylock shows a seeming kindness to Antonio he takes it as a sign

that 'The Hebrew will turn Christian: he grows kind'. Kindness in a

Jew is beyond Antonio's conception.

Christians alienate Shylock simply because he is a Jew. In ancient,

medieval, and Renaissance times, Jews almost always encountered

prejudice from non-Jews around them. Scholars are divided on whether

Shakespeare, in The Merchant of Venice, was attempting con...

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...of one of the fundamental Christian

values, forgiveness. Shylock is able to cite the New Testament as

readily as Jewish scripture, as he shows in his remark about the pig

being the animal into which Christ drove the devil. Antonio notes

Shylock's facility with the Bible, but he uses this ability to compare

Shylock to the devil, who, proverbially, is also adept at quoting

scripture. As we see more of Shylock, he does not become a hero or a

fully sympathetic character, but he is an unsettling figure insofar as

he exposes the inconsistencies and hypocrisies of the Christian

characters. Shylock never quite fits their descriptions or

expectations of him. Most significantly, they think he is motivated

solely by money, when in fact his resentment against Antonio and the

other Christians outweighs his desire for monetary gain.