Another reason why Shylock can be seen as a villain is because of his daughter Jessica, wanting to become a Christian. This is going to bring shame on Shylock in front of everyone. This is shown by Jessica saying ‘Our house is hell’ (Act 2 Scene 3 Line 2) and Shylock saying ‘She is damn’d for this’ (Act 3 Scene 1 line 29). These quotations tell you that Jessica thinks that the rivalry of Jews and Christians is tedious. While Shylock is telling Salanio and Salarino that if Jessica runs away with Lorenzo, a Christian trader, it will bring shame on the Jewish people. The reason for this is because Shylock believes in his Jewish roots that Jews will be Jews and Christians will be Christians.
A further reason why Shylock is shown as a villain is because he is intending on revenge against Antonio. The reason for this is because of the loan Shylock gave Antonio. I know that Shylock wants revenge by saying ‘The pound of flesh which I demand of him’ (Act 4 Scene 1 line 99) and ‘I’ll have my bond…’ (Act 3 Scene 3 line 4). I choose these quotations because it shows you that Shylock set a three-month deadline to pay back three thousand ducats, and then he could have a pound of flesh from Antonio if he did not pay it back. The reason for taking Antonio’s bond it’s to do with the ill-treated manner Shylock had received from the Christians. This had made Shylock become bitter towards Christians of Venice, but instead Shylock decided to make a bond with Antonio, so that if the money was not paid back in time, Shylock could have his revenge with Antonio’s flesh.
Shakespeare’s audience would have expected a Jew to be portrayed in this way because of how Jews were shown in the retail brotherhood. This has effect on Shylock because when he is shown as a villain. I know this because in Shakespeare’s time Jewish people were treated differently. Here Shakespeare uses a stereotype. The reason I know why Jews were treated differently is because of the law against them. So Shylock would have to portray the law so he could get his revenge against Antonio as Shakespeare’s audience would expect Shylock to do this.
However, despite all the evidence we infer, Shylock is also shown as a victim of the society he lives in. Shylock is a victim of discrimination and mockery. This is because he is persecuted by the Christian people. For example ‘you call me misbelieve, cut-throat dog/ and spit upon my Jewish gaberctive’ (Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 107-108). This example highlights the point of discrimination against Shylock by Antonio. As Shylock is a victim of violence and name calling as well, Antonio is proving to show that Shylock can be seen as a villain and a victim of the society, that Jews and Christians live in within Venice.
Shylock is a victim of lots of things including mockery and name-calling as the association has shown. This is shown by ‘To spit on thee again’ (Act 1 Scene 3 Line 27) and ‘O my ducats! O my daughter! Fled with a Christian..!’(Act 2 Scene 8 Lines 15-16). These quotations show that the brotherhood wants money from Shylock, but even though they have treated him the way the have, they will get what they want. The quotation I have chosen for the mockery is to prove that Shylock gets treated differently by the Christians, especially Solanio, by saying that Shylock’s daughter has runs away to become a Christian. Now Shylock has a Jewish daughter turning into a Christian, Shylock has to live with what has happened as well as his daughter taking all the money. Solanio was going round saying that Shylock was more annoyed with the money going instead of Jessica, but in fact it’s the other way round.
Shylock was shown as a victim of his society because of his religion. As he was a Jew, he was looked upon as an unwelcoming person, who had brought bad luck to the rich city. I know this because Jews were segregated and made to live in slums in only a quarter of the city; therefore they were treated as second class citizens. Shylock being mocked and stereotyped cross reference back to the first point.
As the Christian brotherhood persecuted Shylock, he learned revenge to get payback on the way Christianity have treated the Jews. For example ‘I’ll have my bond’ (Act 3 Scene 3 Line 4). This quotation means that Shylock wants his revenge against the Christian public for the way they have treated him within the city. Just because Shylock is a Jew he has been treated for the way he makes money by usury and the Christians don’t think its right for Jews to do that.
A further point to why Shylock is a victim of his society is because Christians were jealous of his success in money making. They were very persuasive in asking for money they needed, but were disrespectful behind his back. I know this because ‘I am as like to call thee so again, to spit on thee again, to spurn thee too! / but lend it rather to thine enemy’ (Act 1 Scene 3 lines 126-131). This example highlights the way Antonio uses persuasive language towards obtaining money from Shylock. Though, in the past, Antonio and the retail brotherhood shows to Shakespeare audiences that the Jews can have all the Christians who need money to be kind to his face but behind his back they mock him and stereotype him.
Finally the last reason to why Shylock can be seen as a victim of the patriarchal society he lives in is, in ‘Merchant of Venice’ Shakespeare depicts human nature by the way he is treating Jews and Christians. Within the play Shylock explains what it is to be human. I know this because ‘I am a Jew. Hath not/ Jew eyes? Hath not Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses/ affections, passions?’(Act 3 Scene 1 Lines 49-51). This example highlights that Shylock is only explaining what it is to be a human, because everyone can get hurt in someway and everyone has feelings too. You won’t be a human if you didn’t have feelings. As Shakespeare uses stereotypes against Jewish dealers, he tried to make out that the Jews are the hard done by people and the Christians are the rightful religion.
In conclusion I believe that Shylock is a villain and a victim of the patriarchal society in which he lives in. The reason for why I believe Shylock can be seen as a villain is because of the stubbornness, his religion and his intention on revenge against Antonio. I also believe that Shylock is a victim because of all the abuse he was give like, the name calling, violence, mockery and discrimination. The way Shylock was treated in Venice can be related back to the Holocaust when Jews were pick on because of their religion but also the way they tried to help people escape from the German unpropitious, Hitler. So is Shylock really a villain or a victim of his patriarchal society.
