However, as the play progresses we see another side of Shylock, we see him as the victim of many years of Christian abuse, both verbal or physical, and we can see that his behaviour is understandable due to the persecution he has suffered. I think that Shylock is mercenary and sadistic at times but at other times his lust for revenge and his behaviour is understandable. In Act 1 Scene 3, we are first introduced to Shylock, we see him as professional usurer, lending money to Bassanio.
In this first meeting, Shylock is shown as a victim. He describes al the evil things that Antonio has done to him. Shylock lends Bassanio 3, ducats, giving him three months to repay the bond.
If Bassanio and Antonio do not pay back the bond on time, Shylock is allowed a forfeit of a pound of Antonio's flesh. This is showing that Shylock wants revenge for Antonio's behaviour towards him. Taking a pound of flesh could kill Antonio, which seems very drastic, but if you remember the reason behind Sometimes I feel sorry for him as he was constantly being abused by the Christians for no reason except that he was a Jew and he did not retaliate until the trail scene, when he was demanding a pound of Antonio's flesh.
However at this point, Shylock also showed he was evil and sadistic as he knew he would most probably kill Antonio and he did not seem to care. Shylock also showed how mercenary he was as when his daughter ran off, and he seemed to be more worried about his money than his daughter.
However, Shylock might have been a flawed character, but did not deserve the punishment he received from Antonio. All in all, Shylock was very revengeful and sadistic but this was due to the treatment by Antonio and the other Christians but he has no excuse for being mercenary and putting his money before his daughter.
Get Access. Satisfactory Essays. Read More. Perhaps the poet W. Auden has given us our best clue as to how we must deal with Shylock: "Those to whom evil is done," he says, "do evil in return. Previous Portia. Next Major Themes. Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title.
Are you sure you want to remove bookConfirmation and any corresponding bookmarks? My Preferences My Reading List. The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare. Character Analysis Shylock. Shylock is a cruel miser and eventually is heavily fined and disgraced, but he maintains his dignity. At one point in the play, he makes a famous, eloquent assertion that his desire for revenge is the same desire that a Christian would feel in his place. Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?
All rights reserved. They also seem to despise him for his culture and religion. Even his daughter, Jessica, finds Shylock unbearable and she runs away from home, taking with her a chest of money and jewels. The character of Shylock has been performed in many different ways. He is sometimes portrayed as evil and other times his behaviour is shown as the result of the bullying he suffers in Venice.
His enemies are:. Why does Shylock hate Antonio so much? Shylock bears a long-standing grudge against Antonio. His reasons for hating Antonio are connected both with religion and money. Antonio lends money to other people without charging interest which means that Shylock and other moneylenders cannot charge such high rates of interest. He says:.
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