Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

In Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, Shylock, a Jewish

money-lender is portrayed as villainous throughout the play. At the

beginning of the play, he agrees to lend Antonio a sum of 3000

ducats. This loan had to be paid back within three months time

otherwise Shylock would get what he wanted, a pound of Antonio’s

flesh, as a part of a clause of the contract. Shylock’s continuous

insistence for a pound of Antonio’s flesh shows him as a villain, but

is Shylock really a villain, and not a victim?

Antonio wanted this money for his friend Bassanio, who needed it so he

could court a rich heiress called Portia. Antonio had to loan this

money from Shylock as his own money was being invested in merchant

ships which were out at sea at the time. These ships were reported to

be lost at sea, so it looked as if Antonio would not be able to repay

the 3000 ducats to Shylock. Before they found out about the ships,

containing all of Antonio’s wealth, that went missing, Shylock made

Antonio agree to an inhumane bond, which gives Shylock the right to a

pound of Antonio’s flesh: ‘let the forfeit be nominated for an equal

pound of your [Antonio] fair flesh, to be cut off and taken in what

part of your body pleaseth me.

Shylock can be revealed as a villain because mean attitude towards

business and his dislike of Christians, but it is only because of

people like Antonio who make Shylock feel this way. In Act I: Scene

III, we see how Shylock feels towards Antonio when he says, aside, “I

hate him for he is a Christian.” Antonio also lends out money, but

without interest rates. Since Shylock has high interest rates, most

people who would want to borrow money from someone who would not

charge interest, so Shylock would lose business and Antonio would

‘bring down the rate of usance here in Venice’.