Is Shylock a man more sinned against than Sinning? Discuss, with reference to the text of the play

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Is Shylock a man more sinned against than Sinning?

Discuss, with reference to the text of the play

It is believed that that Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice, between 1596 and 1589. At the time England was a Christian country, and the Jews were a misunderstood, prejudiced and marginalised people. They were often forbidden to own land or engage in trade in England so the only occupation open to them was money lending which they exploited to the full, Christians were forbidden to practice usury and the Jews were constantly portrayed as greedy misers and money-lenders. So before the plot even starts, Shylock is condemned by the audience for being a Jew and a vicious moneylender.

Shakespeare took a big risk in this play; if he portrayed Jews well, so that the play offended the queen or if the audience disliked it and took offence, he could have lost his life! Luckily for Shakespeare, he was able to time invoke the audience’s hatred for the “most impenetrable cur”, but at the same capture sympathy and understanding from the audience towards Shylock. A measure of Shakespeare’s achievement is that the play allowed a range of different interpretations of Shylock; people left the theatres with mixed emotions about Shylock. He is one of the most complex characters in English literature and scholars today still debate whether Shylock is more a villain or a victim. In the course of this essay I will explore the idea of Shylock being a man more sinned against than Sinning, a villain or a victim.

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Shylock’s first line in the play is “Three thousand ducats.” This can be interpreted in two ways; as a man making a living at one of the few occupations open to him, or a greedy, cold, materialistic man. I am of the opinion that Shylock better fits the cold greedy character, as he makes such a big deal about locking up the house (Act 2, Scene 5), thus making the point of protecting his possessions. This shows him as both a victim and a villain, scared of the outside world and mistreated so much that he feels he has to ...

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