Shylock as the Villain in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

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.

In order to answer the question it is vital to look at the pervading

views of the society when it was first performed. Ridiculing a

stereotypical Jew was fashionable in Elizabethan drama because it

reflected the commonly held view that Jews were to blame for

everything from economic problems to child murder and the plague. In

1597 England was a Christian country and many disliked, often despised

Jews. At the time that Shakespeare wrote 'The Merchant of Venice' Jews

were exiled from Britain and many Christian European countries, unless

they converted to Christianity. The character of Shylock therefore

confirmed the audience's view of history and anti-Semitic feelings. A

modern audience, unaware of the history may have a different view of

Shylock. The Elizabethan audience would have most definitely thought

that Shylock was a villain and would have felt no sympathy towards

him. The Elizabethan Christians particularly disliked Jews because of

their profession of lending money and charging interest, which was

Shylock's profession.

Another reason for resentment towards Jews was that in 1593, Queen

Elizabeth's Jewish doctor, Roderigo Lopez, was accused of trying to

poison her. The trial was widely publicised and is thought to have

inspire...

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...atred. It is the reaction of

a man from a race that has been vilified and persecuted over many

centuries.

There are therefore a number of examples in the text, where Shylock is

portrayed as a victim. He is the subject of obscene name-calling. He

is particularly hated as a moneylender. Ultimately he is forced to

convert from Judaism to Christianity.

There are no winners or losers, victims or villains when it comes to

religious or racial hatred. Everyone is a victim, locked into a

vicious cycle of intolerance that produces acts of inhumanity to

members of a different race or religion. Shylock is both the victim of

such acts of inhumanity, but also the villain who, admittedly out of

revenge, perpetrates similar acts of inhumanity. On the one hand he

wants mercy, on the other hand, he is not willing to dispense it.