The way in which Antonio treats Shylock leaves little to wonder why he chooses to act like a villain when he comes asking him for money to allow Bassanio to meet Portia in Belmont. In this scene Shylock talks to himself about his hatred for Antonio, feeding the audience’s early impressions of Shylock that he is a villain and iniquitous: “ I hate him for he is a Christian (…) I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear against him. He hates our sacred nation, and he rails.” Racism against religions is emphasised in this quotation, and basically tells the reader that the grudge Antonio and Shylock both share is down to their contrasting religions. The bond that Shylock soon after proposes to Antonio gives him an opportunity, and it could be interpreted that he seems to devise a method to murder Antonio within the law. However this is not Shylock's only possible motive for the bond. One interpretation is that Shylock treats the bond as a joke, making fun of Antonio with the fragility of it. Shylock's earlier confession that he hates Antonio as of the fact that he's a Christian contrasts to what he says to him later: 'I would be friends with you, and have your love.' This can be seen as being an obvious lie, and is an example of dramatic irony supporting the interpretation that Shylock set up an elaborate scheme, intending full well to kill Antonio, as well as making Shylock appear as being villainous and very manipulative. It could be that Antonio believes Shylock is truly repentant, which can be seen when he agrees to the terms of the will. Shylock’s villainous side fully comes to light when he informs Antonio of the price he must pay if he does not return Shylock’s money in time: “Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit be nominated for an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut and taken in what part of your body pleaseth me”. The fact that Shylock chooses to punish Antonio in this way emphasises the hatred he feels towards him, as what he intends to do is twisted and devised to bringing about the utmost amount of pain from him. The fact that the reader never gets to find out what Shylock intends to do with the pound of flesh brings about the idea of him keeping it as a trophy, which adds to the villainous character of Shylock that is built up throughout the play.
The abuse suffered by Shylock however outweighs much of his abuse given. Antonio is the most prominent Christian in the play, and is also the most prominent abuser of Shylock. He kicks, spits, and attacks his business openly. While this may seem an odd choice for a hero, he is seen as a fighter in a crusade against the Jews, another example of how a modern audience wouldn't see a driving force in 'The Merchant of Venice', but an Elizabethan audience would, because most Christians at the time thought usury was a mortal sin that could not be forgiven. A man named Thomas Wilson wrote about the sins of usury in 1572, saying: 'Usury is a sin directly against all law, against nature and against God. And what should this mean, that instead of charitable dealings and the sue of alms, hardness of heart hath now gotten place,' dismissing it as a livelihood based on greed’. He also said that 'men have altogether forgotten true lending and given themselves wholly to live by foul gaining’. This altogether shows that he believed that lending could only be lending, not a way of gaining money from a friend. Christians and Jews have always been at odds with each other, because of the Christian belief that Jews crucified Jesus. There have been fights between Jews and Christians, and at one point, Jews were actually banned from England. Antonio is presented as a sensitive character, shown by the sadness he continually expresses, and also as a good, generous man, because he lends Bassanio money. With lending having been established in the audience's mind as associated with good, Shakespeare then presents the money lender, who profiteers from the established as being villainous, who in this case is shown to be represented as being Shylock.
Shylock is not a tolerant parent, when it comes to Jessica discovering new things. She lives a sheltered existence, she knows not of the masques, or any part of the outside world. This makes it a surprise when she runs away from Shylock, and shows the reader that she is brave against the unknown. Shylock seems more upset at his money's loss when he says: ‘A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats, of double ducats, stolen from me by my daughter!’ However this doesn't seem to be his main reason for anger. The characters that reinforce the interpretation that Shylock is more worried about his money are Salario and Solanio, as they discuss it later, doing impressions of Shylock screaming for his money. However, they are not an unbiased source, as they helped Jessica escape and are Christians, and therefore probably dislike Shylock. Shylock seems determined on keeping Jessica Jewish; he wishes she were 'dead at his feet with a jewel in her ear,' an earring being a Jewish tradition, and declares her 'damned' for leaving him and robbing him. His reference to two 'precious stones' could in fact mean Jessica and her being Jewish, essentially the two 'precious stones' in Shylock's life, since his wife Leah died. Shylock does not look for Jessica, and her running away probably fuelled his hatred for Antonio, symbolically draining 'the last dram of mercy' from Shylock, and leaving him only one choice, to kill the Christian he sees as responsible for his problems. When Jessica runs away, Shylock's world is destroyed. His two 'constants' have left him, his money and his family, and the audience is shown Shylock's weakened state, in the cruel mockery by Salario and Solanio. Jessica had every right to leave, but the robbery diminishes all traces of sympathy from her, and transfers it to Shylock.
Shylock, in the trial scene, refuses to show mercy for Antonio, despite the pleas of everyone in the court. This could be because of his mind's state, and all the losses piling up on him, or it could be Shakespeare's conforming to the Jew's traditional reputation. His praising of Portia when he believes she has admit defeat, 'O learned judge!' shows that he is excited about killing Antonio, not just looking forward to enjoying the closure of losing everything, but looking forward to the act of killing another human, but there is the dramatic irony of the audience knowing that the lawyer is actually Portia, and she would never let Shylock damage a friend of Bassanio's. At this point, he seems to have lost all respect for everything, and is destroying everything he is able to, and finds that the closest thing to him is Antonio. When Shylock is beaten however, he is forced to change his religion, and the destruction of his life is complete. If he truly believed in the Jewish faith, he would have accepted death, rather than accept Christ. Added to this will be the expulsion from the Jewish community, and all who could help him, and would understand his need to damage Antonio, yet also his non-acceptance into Christian society, as converts were regarded as social lepers. He resignedly says 'send the deed after me, I will sign it' and leaves. The Christians show no mercy when they have a Jew held in their sway, and the only Christian who shows mercy, ironically, is the one who first abused Shylock. Antonio saves Shylock from death, and gives Shylock the share of his money that was awarded to him, back.
No character in the Merchant of Venice is represented as being truly good or bad. Antonio saves Shylock's life, refuses to take his possessions, and signs a potentially fatal bond with Shylock for his friend. However, he also racially abuses Shylock, tries his very best to ruin him, and forces him to convert from his religion, his most prized possession. Jessica robs her father, trades her dead mother's possessions for monkeys, and leaves no explanation. She's also sheltered from every part of life but her own. Next to the vast array of characters and motivations in Shakespeare, Shylock's murderous streak appears to be down to the way he is treated in society, and brings up the question as to whether if he was treated in the appalling way he was, would Shylock have acted so villainous in the play?