Merchant Of Venice Shylock Character Analysis

Antonio’s money is all tied up with a number of trade ships and tells Bassanio that he will be the loans guarantor. Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, offers to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats with no interest. Shylock creates a contract stating that should the loan go unpaid, Shylock will be entitled to a pound of Antonio’s own flesh. Antonios ships are lost and the debt cannot be paid. A trial is called to collect the debt and Shylock ignores all pleas to Antonio’s life. Shylock responds by reasoning that he has no reason. He blames his hatred of Antonio on “affection, Mistress of passion,” who is known to affect men and their moods in unexplainable ways (4.1.49–50). When the Duke of Venice is called in as the judge, he seeks a legal advisor. Portia being disguised as a young law clerk, examines the contract and, declares that Shylock is entitled to the merchant’s flesh, but that he must do so without causing Antonio to bleed. Making Shylocks distain towards Antonio even more apparent. This turn in the trial causes Shylock to accept Bassanio’s money and turns into a trial against Shylock for conspiring against the life of a Venetian citizen, stripping Shylock of everything he holds

It is clear in Antonio’s response that he finds nothing extraordinary about these terms at all. Without hesitation he accepts the conditions of the contract and even goes on to deem Shylock’s proposal as ‘kind.’ In the Shakespearian sense of the word, “kindness” even means tenderness, affection, love, or humaneness (Grebanier, 98). This should suggest to us that the idea to stake a pound of Antonio’s flesh is by no means a representation of Shylock’s devilishness or cruelty. After all, according to Shylock himself, it is only “in a merry sport” that they shall enter such an agreement.

Shylock requests a pound of flesh from Antonio on his search for justice. He claimed, "My deeds upon my head. I crave the law, The penalty, and forfeit of my bond" (4.1.195-196). Essentially, he tries to make everyone believe that as a follower of the law he would 've allow Antonio to cut a pound of flesh from his very own body if it was the other way around. Portia challenges Shylock 's hidden intentions. She says, "Shylock, there 's thrice thy money offered thee" (4.1.218). Getting his bond repaid was really not his moto. She is giving him the opportunity to understand that mercy is more important than justice, that he should show an act of mercy for Antonio. Still, Shylock persists and really just shows his real vision when he says, "By my soul I swear / There is no power in the tongue of man / To alter me. I stay here on my bond." His moto is really to hurt Antonio and finally gain revenge. Shylock shows himself as an individual without mercy. Where all that really matters was the insatiable thirst for revenge that controlled his actions.

In the play Shylock is a Jewish usurer who lends money to Bassanio he can go to Belmont and win over Portia. Antonio agrees to pay back the three thousand ducats for Bassanio when his Merchant ships arrive back in Venice. Shylock agrees to this with the

While The Merchant of Venice points out overlooked moments of dehumanization and problems of religious discrimination, the play also provides a process of re-humanization for Shylock to the audience. After Jessica has run away from Shylock with her Christian suitor Lorenzo, Salarino and Solanio, two of Antonio’s friends, begin to mock and insult Shylock as usual. Unlike Shylock’s previous sarcastic reactions to the

The victimization of Shylock for being a Jew makes the reader sympathize with him and for the fact that he is Jewish. It lends an understanding as to how Shylock cultivated a hate for Christians and his justification in doing so. In contrast, Shakespeare makes no mention of Shylock’s past and uses his Judaism as the sole means for his distinctive torment of Antonio.

Shylock is punished by the Venetian court for seeking to end Antonio’s life. He is charged under a Venetian law (of Shakespeare’s creation) and he is forced to give up his wealth and to beg the Duke to spare him his life. Viewed like this it seems simple enough; Shylock broke a Venetian law and, as a consequence, is punished. However, Shylock’s case is far from simple. Antonio’s demand that Shylock should renounce his Judaism and become a Christian and his insistence that Shylock should will his money to the Christian

The first event that demonstrates that Shylock is a victim would be that he is ridiculed by his community and his family. Antonio and Shylock were never friends. They always fought because Antonio was a Christian and Shylock was a Jew. They also have different money lending practices which cause a lot of discrepancies. Antonio always mocked Shylock. He calls him a misbeliever and a cutthroat dog. Shylock tells us that Antonio “…call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,/ and spet upon my Jewish gabardine,” (1.3.108-109). Here Shylock demonstrates that Antonio on a day to day basis mocked Shylock. Later on, Antonio mentions that he will call Shylock that again if he wants to. Another example would be Antonio’s friends. They teas Shylock for his faith and his misfortunes. When Jessica runs away with Shylock’s money and jewelry, he asked the Duke to go help him search Bassanio’s ship for them. Solanio heard

To understand the motivation behind Shylock’s obsession with money, the beginning of the play has to be referenced. In Shylock’s negotiations with Bassanio and Antonio, Shylock recalls, “Signior Antonio, many a time and oft in the Rialto you have rated me about my moneys and my usances… You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog and spet upon my Jewish gabardine… You called me dog; and for these courtesies I’ll lend you thus much moneys?” (1.3.104-126). From this passage, Shylock’s motivations are presented clearly. He loathes Antonio for how poorly he has treated him in the past, insulting both his character and his religion. Therefore, the motivating factor in lending money to Bassanio is so Shylock has the ability to hold some form of power over Antonio. Therein lies the key to Shylock’s obsession with wealth. In the referenced Venetian culture, Jewish people were persecuted for their religion and were branded unsavory by the predominantly Christian community. Shylock, being ridiculed and domineered his whole life by his Christian counterparts, saw an opportunity to finally even the odds and jumped at it. Shylock clings onto his wealth because it is the only thing that gives him power in Venetian

Stereotypes for every different religion, ethnicity, culture, and gender exist among the minds of the human race. These typecasts have ruled this world for as long as there has been diversity among people. In Shakespeare’s comedic tragedy, The Merchant of Venice, one prejudice is very central to the theme. The play is dominantly set in Venice, one of the most liberal cities of the Renaissance era. In this place and time period, anti-Semitism is very much in force. The Jewish people are discriminated against and treated terribly by the Christians living in Venice. Shylock, a wealthy Jew, is mercilessly spurned many times by men like Antonio, a Venetian merchant. In contrast to this blind hatred is the longing and lust associated with

Shylock could be considered the victim of Antonio's bullying. Because Shylock is a Jew, he is treated in a way in which he seems like a peasant and Antonio is royalty, even

The story is set in Venice where a merchant named Antonio lived. His poor friend Bassanio wants to charm and marry a lovely, rich girl of Belmont called Portia, but he needs money to reach her. He approaches Antonio for the money. Antonio could not lend money to Bassanio because his ships are gone. Both of them go to a Jew moneylender called Shylock and asked for 3,000 ducats. He gave money on one condition, if Antonio could not return his money in three months, then Shylock can have Antonio’s pound of flesh. Antonio agrees to Shylock 's condition because he is confident that his ships will return within three months. Bassanio reached Belmont and married Portia. 3 months pass, and Antonio’s ships gets lost in a storm. Shylock wants his pound of flesh. Bassanio goes to Venice and Portia follows him in disguise of a male lawyer. Portia reaches Venice and

He declares, "I'm very glad of it. I'll plague him, I'll torture him, I am glad of it." (3, 1, 115-116) At the end of Act 3, scene 1, Shylock's true motive is revealed. Shylock says, "I will have the heart of him if he forfeit, for were he out of Venice I can make what merchandise I will." (3, 1, 125-127) All these comments clearly attempt to paint Shylock as a money-worshipping murderer and not as a person.

William Shakespeare’s comedy The Merchant of Venice tells the story of Antonio, a merchant, who borrows money from Shylock a Jewish moneylender to help his friend, Bassanio, marry a woman. The play highlights the tension between Jews and Christians in society through the interactions between Shylock and the Christians. In contrast, the play also highlights the positive aspects of both religions. The main point of The Merchant of Venice is to critique society’s treatment of religion.

His hatred for Antonio is also obvious and it is so strong that he refuses all offers of money so that he can cut off a pound of his flesh. In Act 3 Scene 1 Shylock makes his famous “Hath not a Jew eyes?” speech, and it is probably at this point that the audience