Shylock in Merchant Of Venice Essay

Shylock in The Merchant of Venice

In the play The Merchant of Venice Shylock is the hardest person in the play to figure out. As he is perceived to be the most noteworthy character in the play there hasnt really been any consensus as to whether we should classify him as a bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been fractured by the persecution he endures. Certainly Shylock is the plays antagonist in his devil like moments he holds, but he also seems to have his moments of good throughout the play.

Few characters created by Shakespeare embody pure evil like the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is a usurer and a malevolent, blood-thirsty old man consumed with plotting the downfall of his enemies. Shylock is the antagonist opposite the naive, essentially good Antonio, the protagonist; who must defend himself against the "devil" Shylock. Although he is known as devil like through the entire play, from prior knowledge it seems as if Shakespeare did not mean for him to be a purely flat character. Most of the characters Shakespeare creates arent flat. Shylock is not an ogre, letting lose harm and disaster without reason. He was wronged first; the fact that his revenge far outweighs that initial evil is what makes him a villain. Beneath Shylock' villainy, the concept of evil for evil runs as a significant theme through the play. In order to understand the concept of evil for evil, one must examine the initial evil, aimed at Shylock, through Shylock's own eyes. Some may see the discrimination aimed at Shylock as justified, as he is a malicious usurer; certainly the Venetians thought so. However, the discrimination took its toll on Shylock, until he began to hate all Christians. Shylock saw himself as an outsider, alienated by his society. The evil he saw done to him took three major forms: hatred from Antonio, discrimination from Christian Venetians, and the marriage to a Christian of his daughter Jessica.

Shylock's main reason for making the bond was, of course, his hatred of Antonio. Antonio, a "good" Christian who lends without interest, constantly preaches about the sin of usury and publicly denounces Shylock for practicing it. In addition, Shylock hate Antonio for an economic, even petty reason, and remarks that He lends out money gratis and brings down

The rate of usance here with us in Venice ( I. iii. 44-45). Shylock also recognizes Antonio's anti-Semitism, calling him an enemy of "our sacred nation" (I. iii. 48). Antonio was always trying to coerce Shylock to convert to Christianity, he even remarks to that effect to Bassanio after the bond is made, and Shylock can sense this and it further fuels his hatred. He puts down Shylock as someone who can never be his friend or equal. In addition to evil from Antonio, Shylock is despised by the Christians. He himself attributes his woes to the fact that "He is a Jew" (III. i. 58). He says he hates Antonio because "he is a Christian" (I. iii. 42), and he sees Christians as his oppressors. The final insult Shylock receives at the hands of Christians is the marriage of his daughter Jessica to a Christian. Shylock has once again been dealt evil by the Christians who segregate him. While it is clear that he was an oppressed man, no reader of Shakespeare would shed a single tear for poor Shylock. The evil he returns far outweighs the measure received, even if one would judge the Christians' discrimination by today's standards. Shylock is the villain of the play, and he is far from innocent.

The most outright demonstration of evil by Shylock is his insistence on the pound of flesh at the trial scene. Shylock had in the past been seen as evil for his miserly love of money, but now he insists on much more. He is willing to give up three times the loan in exchange for a pound of Antonio's flesh. This tenacious pursuit of homicidal intentions toward Antonio is representative of Shylock's character. He is completely devoid of mercy; that and other positive virtues are beyond his comprehension. The evil Shylock commits is further compounded by the helplessness of Antonio's situation. Evil is a major theme of the play, and certainly one of the most profound characteristics of Shylock. He represents the tormented receiver of evil from society, the evil villain plotting to destroy the hero, and most importantly, a man fueled by others' evil to exhibit his own.

As you can see Shylock is a very flexible character. He can be portrayed as a villain or as a victim. Shakespeare allows us to do this because he has written two different sides of him. In the

beginning Shylock is shown as a victim of racism. However towards the end you can see Shylock as evil and greedy. Shakespeare has also written two sides to Antonio. At first he is a villain and then he is show as a victim.

In conclusion I feel that Shylock is more a victim than a villain, although he does have a lot of unpleasant qualities. However, he seems to be emotional and has a strong sense of morality, as is shown when he talks about Leah and his views on marriage. The audience feels sympathy for Shylock because it appears everybody is against him, even his own daughter. Nothing seems to go right for him. In Shylock, Shakespeare has created a character who is a villain in appearance but a victim at heart.

Works Cited

1. Shakespeare, William, Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Andrew Gurr. The Norton Shakespeare. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Print.