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Merchant of Venice

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Merchant of Venice
Shylock in the play was treated very bad by the Christian people. All the people in the play all said hateful things to him and spat on him. For his "un-Christian" behavior he was called a dog Jew by everyone he doesn’t even know.
Shylock was fed up with Christians hating the Jews, so he made a bond with Antonio to get revenge. The bond had a slight catch to it, if Antonio did not pay him back on time then he would have to give Shylock a pound of his own flesh. He deliberately asks for a pound of flesh because he doesn’t like Antonio and when he got the chance to get back at Antonio, he becomes very rude and harsh. He gloats in front of Antonio, even when he got arrested he shouts out his right to the flesh in court. He likes his money because one did get the impression that he valued it more than Jessica.
Shylock was humiliated in court because he was trying to tell the judge and all of the people that Antonio and he had made a bond. Antonio was also ready for the consequences by dealing with Shylock in the first place but going to the court room was a chance he was willing to take. Shylock did not know the full consequences of the bond though, he felt the law should let him cut the pound of flesh, weigh it and then leave to go home, leaving Antonio to die. In court, the Christians show their cruel side, they take half of Shylock's wealth, force him to invert to Christian and abandon the one he cares about. They show no mercy to him.
I sympathize and take pity on Shylock because he is constantly referred to "the Jew" except when the Duke calls him by name once. This shows how Jews were not treated as a normal person by Christians. Shylock is thought to be a heartless and stubborn man as he refuses to show Antonio any mercy even though Bassanio offers to pay twice as many ducats as he was originally owed. Shylock still refuses to take the money instead of the pound of

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