Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
In my opinion I think that Shylock is a villain in the 'Merchant of
Venice' because he is portrayed as a ruthless money-lender. The plot
of the 'Merchant of Venice' is centred on Shylock, a Jewish money
lender who is trying to survive in a country, which despises him, and
alienates him from society. He has made a bond with Bassanio and
Antonio that if his ships do not come back then he would take a pound
of his flesh due to the debt of 3000 ducats. Shylock becomes obsessed
with obtaining Antonio's pound of flesh that he tries anything to get
it. In the sixteenth century Christians didn't treat Jews the same
because they hated the traditional profession of Jews which was
lending money to gain a profit, this is shown in the way William
Shakespeare portrays Shylock. We also see different relationships and
struggles between the other characters in the play.
In 16th century Venice there was great opposition between Christians
and Jews. The centre of Venice was made up of mostly a Christian
population and the Jews were situated outside the perimeters in
ghettos. This shows that Jews were somewhat alienated from Venetian
society and from all Christian society. Jews were seen as inferior to
Christians and they were not allowed to own any type of land. Jews
were also singled out by them having to wear specially colour hats to
distinguish them from the rest of the Venetians. In years before, Jews
were persecuted because of their religion and to years leading up to
when Shakespeare wrote the 'Merchant of Venice' they were still being
prejudice to Jews. These persecutions took place because of the
Christians belief that the Jews were involved in the death of Jesus
Christ. Shakespeare might of added this character to the play because
he might of wanted to show the Christians that Jews still suffer the
same as them and that they have feelings too. Shakespeare might of
also put the character Shylock into the 'Merchant of Venice' because
still a common view of Jews is for them to be penny pinching, both in
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.
Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice "Shylock is a two dimensional villain who does not deserve our
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.
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.
get his own back, as the text says; 'Cursed be my tribe if I forgive
Antonio, in which he gets to cut off a pound of flesh from his body,
In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as
It is evident in both plays by William Shakespeare that ambition and pride seem to be the
things he has called him and for all the many times he has spat on him
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice is a play that, like many of Shakespeare's plays show characters at the edges of society. In The Merchant of Venice we see Shylock and Portia showing this by either being the minority or the least respected or in Shylock's case both. What adds to their role at the edge of society is the way they subvert their roles because this focuses, in the case of Portia, the audience on her and, in shylocks case, the other characters on him. In The Merchant of Venice
soon have several ships in port, agrees to part with a pound of flesh if 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.