MERCHANT OF VENICE - SHAKESPEARE - SHYLOCK - VERY SIMPLE ESSAY

Shylock as Villian in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice             In Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice the antagonist of the play is  Shylock.  Shylock is a wealthy Jewish moneylender. Shylock is probably the  most memorable character in the play because of Shakespeare's excellent  characterization of him. Shylock is the antagonist in the play because he  stands in the way of love, but this does not necessarily make him the  villain of the play.  Shylock can be seen as both the villain of the play  and as a man who is very human.           The villain that we see in Shylock is the greedy moneylender.  Shylock charges high interest rates and when he is not repaid he insists on  revenge.  In the play Shylock loans Antonio money, and out of jest he  suggests that should the loan not be repaid in time Shylock may cut off one  pound of flesh from Antonio's body.  Soon after Shylock's daughter runs  away from home with Lorenzo, a Christian, and takes her father's ducats  with her.  When Antonio's ships do not come in and he is not able to repay  the loan Shylock is no longer interested in getting his money back.  Shylock want revenge for the loss of his daughter through the fulfillment  of the bond.  In court Shylock is defeated because of his selfishness.           Shakespeare also shows the human qualities of Shylock throughout  the play.  Shakespeare brings out these human qualities by causing us to  feel sympathy for him.  After the loss of his daughter Shylock ran through  the streets crying "My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!" as children  followed him, mocking him.  This causes us to feel sympathy for Shylock,  even though we may feel him to be a villain. Besides the loss of his  daughter and his ducats, after the trial Shylock also looses his property  and his religion. The loss of his property was certainly a blow to Shylock  but it can hardly compare to his loss of his religion.  His forced  conversion to Christianity brings out more sympathy for him.           Shakespeare's manipulation of our feelings for Shylock show  Shakespeare's gift as a writer.  He gave Shylock the ability to make us  hate him at times, and sympathize with him at others.  This makes Shylock  one of the most vivid characters of the play.  How to Cite this Page MLA Citation: "Shylock as Villian in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice." 123HelpMe.com. 11 May 2015     <http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=16657>.