Preview

Is Shylock Tragic or Merely Evil

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
845 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Is Shylock Tragic or Merely Evil
Is Shylock Tragic or Merely Evil?

This essay will discuss whether Shylock is seen as the victim or the perpetrator. Whether he is characterized as a feeble man who loses everything or just a sinister old loon. I am ambivalent. I believe that Shylock is all of these things. I think, in one sense, he is able to evoke the audience’s sympathy through a variety of instances yet he causes us to loathe him through his brutal need for revenge and therefore his character.

Shylock loathed Antonio, and for good reason, how can one be expected to like another when they are constantly dragged down by another’s condescending words. Antonio’s harsh remarks towards Shylock would have been seen as the norm for the Venetian audience of whom Shakespeare was aiming this play at. Although, for a more modern audience, these cruel comments that continuously bombard poor Shylock, as well as the vile actions such as Antonio spitting on Shylock, would evoke a sense of compassion for this oppressed Jewish man. In this instance, one would see Shylock as a beleaguering man of a society whose aim is to target anyone with a different belief system. He is regarded as a victim of inhumanity when introduced to this side of things

The play continues with Antonio and Shylock committing to a bond. The fact that Shylock is still willing to do business with Antonio even after Antonio’s disgusting treatment of him draws us even more into liking Shylock as a character. It shows his good sport like qualities and entices us into liking him.

The audience is also swayed into sympathising with Shylock when he is so blatantly mistreated. Both Antonio and Bassanio speak to Shylock, when he is in the room, in third person. This depicts their disregard for him as a person and shows their inhumanity towards him. It is later apparent again with Solanio and Solerio. When speaking to Shylock they either speak to him in the third person or refer to him as derogatory terms such as ‘Dog’ or ‘Jew’. This is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The character of Shylock plays an important part in The Merchant of Venice. He is a money lender who charges interest (commonly known as usurer) and agreed to a bond with one of his customers called Antonio. Antonio agreed that if he wasn’t able to repay him, then Shylock could receive a pound of his flesh. Unsurprisingly Antonio couldn’t repay him, and so the bond was taken to court. We watched three different portrayals and examined the three different roles of Shylock. The first version we watched was Al pachino’s version. Al pachino is a well known Italian/American actor. This was directed by Michael Radford, and was created for cinema viewing. To follow this we watched Henry Goodman’s version of the scene. This wasn’t intently created for a large audience. It was made by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and seems to appear as more of a stage play. It was set in a dull set, and so was more theatrical. As it was created by the RSC, I think that they were quite dependant on the text, and wanted to stick to what was written, rather than adding their own little twists. The final version we watched was produced by the BBC, and made for TV purposes. This obviously would have had more of a budget than Goodman’s, but both were just as impressive. From just reading the book, I had anticipated Shylock to be a selfish, greedy, and all over quite an unpleasant man, but I think that his true colours shone through him. When reading the book you didn’t seem to get the sense of sadness towards the end of the scene which was projected through the all three film version.…

    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The main conflicts among the characters in the stories were between Antonio and Shylock, and Abigail and the Proctors. In The Merchant of Venice characters that were impacted by lies, gossip, rumours were Antonio and Shylock. Antonio owes Shylock 3000 ducats by a certain time, or Shylock will be able to cut a pound of Antonio's flesh. In the play Salerio and Solanio discuss about how Antonio’s ships have rumoured to sink at sea.”Why, yet it lives there unchecked that Antonio hath a ship of rich lading wrecked on the narrow seas” .With that rumour Shylock is now able to get the revenge he was destined to receive, which made his and Antonio’s relationship even worse.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    18. As far as plot development is concerned, what is the importance of Antonio’s agreeing to Shylock’s bond?…

    • 2284 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the play The Merchant of Venice Shylock, a rich Jewish moneylender in Venice agrees to loan Bassanio three thousand ducats on Antonio’s guarantee. Shylock is made to be the villain in the Merchant of Venice because of some of the things he does. But even though he may not have been the only one in the wrong, he is still guilty of the deadly sins of, avarice, envy, and wrath.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shakespeare utilizes Shylock’s character as an antagonist to Antonio to demonstrate how dehumanization happens to both the perpetrator and the victim. This commentary begins in the first scene of the play, when Antonio asks Shylock to lend money for Bassanio’s journey to impress Portia. Even before he meets Antonio, Shylock remarks “how like a fawning publican he looks!/[Shylock] hates him for he is a Christian” and that he “will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him./ He hates our sacred nation” (1.3.36-43). Because of the history of resentment between Christians and Jews, Shylock’s comment shows that “feeding the fat” to the “ancient grudge” against Antonio is seemingly “normal”, and that he is unwilling to stop fueling this “ancient grudge” between religions. Antonio contributes this same of idea of sticking to status quo when Shylock mentions how “[Antonio] calls [him] a misbeliever, cut-throat dog” (1.3.106-107). After Shylock lists these atrocities and is bewildered on how Antonio still “needs [his] help”, Antonio makes it clear that he is “as like to call thee so again/To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too” (1.3.107, 125-126). Shakespeare makes an interesting choice to use the word “spurn”. One may think that it is easily replaceable with “hate”. However, Shakespeare uses the word to show that Antonio does not…

    • 1530 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shylock cannot be considered the most villainous character in this play, for he shoulders much undeserved ridicule for his religion. Nearly every character in Shakespeare’s famous play behaves in malevolent or unjust ways at one point in the story, whether it is predominantly as selfishness, cruelty, or vindictiveness. But does this pronounce them villains? Whilst Shylock is portrayed as a villain in more than one aspect, does this not warrant that Portia, being unjustly biased and unlawful, also be given the title of villain? Should not Shylock’s daughter Jessica be labelled a villain for her deceptive and larcenist actions and Antonio for his bigotry and obstinacy? And what of Bassanio; does he not selfishly and irresponsibly borrow money from Antonio, unable to afford to repay him, in order to further his personal wants? Each of these characters exhibits wanton villainous behaviour, with some performing more acts than others. They execute deceptive and vengeful acts in different forms, with most also being prejudiced in one way or another. Shylock could well be the ‘supposed’ villain of Shakespeare’s play, for he is Antonio’s enemy, and Antonio, being quite obviously the plays most prominent and most famous character, is quite possibly made out to be the main character of the play, rather than Bassanio, or even Shylock himself. The title page of the first quarto of ‘The Merchant of Venice’; ‘the moſt excellent Hiſtorie of the…

    • 3954 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, Shylock is portrayed as the victim in the play; he is not mean. He has never done anything to hurt Antonio who is in fact the bad guy. Shylock is being persecuted by Antonio and his friends, because he is a Jew. Antonio had spit on Shylock, called him a misbeliever, a dog, had disgraced him, thwarted his bargains and more. While Shylock did nothing but take it without responding, in hope that one day he could have is revenge. I mean what would you do if you were in his shoes? The same thing. You would want revenge since you haven’t done anything to deserve it. So why can’t he. The one who deserves something bad is not Shylock but Antonio. Second of all, the bond. Antonio is the one who asked money to Shylock even thought he had done horrible things to him. Antonio was aware of the consequences of the bond and agreed to it. He knew that not bringing the money in time would cause him to die, so it is his problem if was not able to pay Shylock on time. He has to be a big boy and take responsibilities for his actions. In all of…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shylock, the hated Jew, makes his living through the practice of usury and uses deception when Antonio asks to borrow money from him. Shylock agrees to lend Antonio three hundred ducats if Antonio is willing to sign a bond that would allow Shylock to have "an equal pound of [his] fair flesh"(I, iii, 145-146). He expresses the bond "in a merry sport"(I, iii, 141) and uses this bond to also show that "[he] would be friends with [Antonio], and have [his] love"(I, iii, 134). Though Shylock's description of the conditions in the bond makes it seem as if Shylock does not mean harm, his intentions are to harm and humiliate Antonio. Antonio says that "[he] neither lend[s] nor borrow[s] by talking nor by giving of excess"(I, iii, 57-58) and is willing to do that for his dear friend, Bassanio. At first, Antonio is not blinded Shylock's friendly pretence, aware that Shylock "is like a villain with a smiling face [and] a goodly apple rotten at the heart"(I, iii, 96-97). However, in the end Antonio accepts the terms of the bond. The cruel use of deception from Shylock is to help fulfill his intention of revenge against Antonio.…

    • 871 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shylock first appears to the audience in Act I scene III and engages in a heated debate with Bassanio, who is trying to convince Shylock to lend money to Antonio. Throughout the whole conversation, Shylock echoes Bassanio’s words and inserts “well” on to the end. As a result, Shylock initially comes across as a mal-educated, asinine man. By Act III scene I, Shylock proves to the…

    • 1288 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Envy in Othello

    • 1897 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s Othello, desire manifests itself in Iago, compelling readers to see him as if he were a leech; Iago drains Othello of all his moral qualities until he is sucked dry. Similarly, Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice indulges in seeing Antonio sucked dry of money. Both Iago and Shylock are compelled to see their enemies suffer through means that once deprived them, such as Iago being deprived of his rank and Shylock being deprived of money and respect. Although Iago and Shylock both expose their enemies’ weaknesses in order to destroy them, Iago’s tactics are more effective because Shylock becomes incapacitated by his Jewish heritage.…

    • 1897 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hi Im Cool

    • 2345 Words
    • 10 Pages

    3.) Shylock channels his grief over Jessica’s leaving into anger over Antonio because Antonio has a debt with Shylock that he has yet finished to pay off.…

    • 2345 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jessica Victim or Villian

    • 1398 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Within the content of this essay I will be discussing about two main characters in this novel. Jessica and Shylock. Jessica being the daughter of Shylock with both following the Jewish religion. However Jessica passionately falls in love with a Christian man Lorenzo, she is very determined and enthusiastic to be with this man. To such an extent that she would leave her religion and her father to become a Christian and follow her desires. Your probably be wanting to know a bit more about these characters well let me briefly explain in regards to both of Shylock and Jessica’s characters. Firstly Jessica, she has a very enthusiastic and opinionated character and like I previously mentioned she is very determined so if she wants something she will strive until she gains what she wants. You can also perceive Jessica to be a shy self- conscious character who cares what others think about her. Shylock from what we have gathered from the book so far is a greedy, self-obsessed man who cares a bit too much about his money and gains more than the things which matter more. The things which more attention should be paid to. In Shakespeare’s book and this particular one (The merchant of Venice) you will see that there are different ways of interpreting things different sections which can mean different things. In this evaluation I will be doing that. I will be equally evaluating Jessica’s character and I will be interpreting the book in 2 different ways a victim and a villain. And it will be up to you to decide how you perceive it.…

    • 1398 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice," there are many themes, symbols and words alike which take on a complex and dual nature. Not only can lines in the play be interpreted by the audience in multiple ways, they are meant to have multiple meanings. This duality can be seen in the characters as well. Shylock is portrayed as both a victim and a villain and our sense of him evolves as his character is revealed to us as “The Merchant of Venice.”…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Judaism and Shylock

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Furthermore, Shylock is extremely vengeful. When Salerino asks Shylock what good would Antonio's flesh do Shylock if Antonio forfeits the bond, he replies, "If it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation," The quote clearly portrays Shylock remembering every single thing that Antonio has done to him. He sums up what Antonio has done to him and tries to revenge the wrongs done to him by murdering Antonio.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shylock Essay

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Later on in 1987 the views of Shylock seemed to have developed and adjusted once again. Here we saw the actor present a malicious, savage character unlike before. In conclusion Shylock is a character that has been examined so closely and in a variety of ways, he has now become this complex character with several aspects to…

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays